#teaching philosophy

[nonbeans]

One thing I can never stop thinking about is how most everything society teaches kids is to make them "accepted, productive" members of society. Not only is the way they teach and what they teach ableist, but kids see through it.

Before they are beaten by peer pressure and adult pressure to conform, they can see the real world outside school. They can see that most of the time it doesn't have structure, doesn't make sense, isn't fair, and half or more of what they learn will not be used. Or even relevant once they are out of school.

To get rid of their apathy, I feel we need to do more Ireland or UK approach where they start learning more of what they WANT to learn by high school (age 14) to prepare for desired careers.

The most important value I think we can instill into a kid is a love of learning. Adapting to the world around them by being curious. And we don't do that.

[persimmonsrain]

The mistake I made (and told my students about)

I made a mistake in class the other day. A grammar question came up, one of those slippery ones that looks simple until it isn’t, and I gave the wrong answer. Confidently.

Later, when I was alone, I looked it up. I read, cross-checked, double-checked. And yes, I was wrong.

So the next day, I walked into the room and told them.

“My explanation yesterday wasn’t right,” I said. “Here’s what I’ve found since.”

My students, young, wide-eyed, kind, stared at me, genuinely surprised.

“You can be wrong?” one of them asked, half-joking, half-serious. “Yes,” I said, smiling. “A lot, actually.”

🌼

I’m not a native English speaker. I learned the language through years of reading borrowed books, watching subtitles, listening closely, speaking softly. I never had a rulebook in hand, I had instinct, rhythm, and then later, correction.

Even now, I’m still learning the rules that others grew up with. I’ve taught myself enough to teach others. But I’ve never stopped being a student.

I think it’s important that they see this. That their teacher, a figure usually expected to be right, can also be wrong, and own it. That it doesn’t diminish her. That it doesn’t end the learning but instead opens it.

Some lessons are taught by accident. This one was about honesty. About revising. About not needing to perform perfection in order to be a good guide.

If anything, it made the room warmer.

Persimmons Rain, I think, is full of these small, unexpected turns. A lesson where the teacher learns. A correction that becomes connection. A grammar error that becomes a story.

And maybe that’s the kind of classroom I hope to build: not flawless, but responsive. Not rigid, but alive.

[cheshire-castle-library]

There's something that Orson Scott Card captures in Ender's treatment of Bean that didn't make sense to me until now. I wondered why Ender, of all tortured people, would "kick the dog" when he saw something so similar to himself about Bean. Why would he single out Bean, the way Ender had - himself - been singled out, knowing how it had hurt for Ender to endure. But standing on the other end of administering the Final for the class that set me on my path, I know it wasn't out of pettiness or power. Its because you only know for certain how the experiences you had changed you. Its because you see someone like you, at a younger stage, and you want them to be at least as good as you, and hopefully better.

So it's probably hubris. But it's simpler and baser than that. I know I survived, I know I got this good, and I know which lessons made me this way. Some of my students may be unhappy right now, but what they got out of the experience will be more valuable to them in the future than any words I could say to them. The person they choose to be after this, because this event prompted that - that is what they need. The push they need to choose who they are about to become.

Student's need to fail sometimes - not in grades, but in their own eyes. Students need it to be hard, though not unbearable, because no human has ever gotten mad, tore the situation out of the universe's hands, and molded into their own ideal by succeeding easily.

I regret that the project didn't go the way they wanted. I'm regret that they were frustrated with their final product. But I'm not sorry. No in fact, that's exactly what they needed it to be. They'll become stronger and braver and a little less dependent on "succeeding" in order to feel okay. They'll learn that the triangle made by ambition, success, and deadlines only allows any 2 of the 3 to result. And that's not something I can teach them with words. No amount of warning saved Icarus. But if he could do it again, he'd do it differently.

And that's what I made the final presentation. Not a presentation of what you did, how you did it. I saw all that, I know. But a postmortem, a critique of me. After-all, they will be their own worst critic - they know what worked, what didn't. They don't need to grit their teeth and say that to me. Instead, I asked them how it went. What worked about the class, what didn't. What helped with the projects, what didn't. What they learned, aside from what I lectured. And they learned what I knew they would. They learned, even if it will take some time to deconstruct in the backs of their minds and internalize, all the things that I couldn't teach them in words. They learned to be better makers, and they did it themselves.

Teaching is not about dissemination of information. It's about fostering the process of learning. Its about setting people up to make the connections you know they need, and that you know they can make. Its about giving them the puzzle and the clues, and then pushing them to solve it. Teaching is about making digestible that which you cannot learn in words.

[crazy4dragons]

So there's a lot of instructors in my department that think being harsh on students, stressing them out, forcing them to conform to the "traditional" way of academic teaching and thought, and even looking for reasons to fail students, is the way to go. BUT, there's a couple instructors who disagree with all this, and their advice for teaching is some of the best stuff I've heard: -You might age, but your students will typically always be around the same age. Be aware of this, and be open to how they view things from the perspective of their generation. You might learn something new. -Going off of that, you can (and should) learn from your students just as much as they learn from you. -Failing half your class because you think it'll teach them effectively does NOT makes you look admirably rigorous. It makes you a bad instructor. -Learning shouldn't be stressful. There's ways to choose challenging and approachable assignments that still teach a lot (if not more) than "standard" academic assignments. -If you want to change the way academic instruction is handled, go for it. It's a generational issue, and since we, as current students, are the new generation, we have the authority to change the system. And just to add a few more other things that I developed as part of my teaching philosophy: -Talk WITH students, not AT them. They're your equals. Their opinions matter just as much as yours. Your answer is not the only "right" one. -Believing in your students is the first step to their success. Telling a student they're dumb, unprepared, below their level, etc. is condescending and discouraging. But if you believe in their ability to do well, they'll start believing in themselves. -Be flexible. You don't have to be a pushover (and you shouldn't), but if a student has a genuine need for an extension, or doesn't do well on an assignment, be open to accommodations. Let students rewrite their papers if they have an unsatisfactory grade. Let them have a few extra days to work on something if they're sick. Focus on progress, not product. -Let students operate in the way that works for them. So often, I've been told that I need to do my research and writing in the conventional way. Well, the conventional way doesn't work for me, and every time I try it, I end up doing poorly and getting criticized for it. But when I do things the way I know works for me, I do a lot better. The students know themselves. They know how they best operate. Let them do what works for them. -And finally, and most importantly, remember that your students are people. They have lives outside of school.

[darthfoil]

My Biases are not my Fault but they sure as hell they are My Responsibility.

Dave Kung, talking about countering racial and gender bias in the classroom.

[howtotrainyourteacher]

My teaching philosophy

I recently spoke with a PGCE student about how they have to write an essay demonstrating their “teaching philosophy” and how they incoporate their beliefs about teaching into every day practise.

It’s got me thinking about my own personal teaching philosophy and the things I really feel strongly about in teaching. So here’s a list of all the teaching things I’m particularly passionate about doing/having in my own classroom/teaching:

If I’m having fun, then the kids are learning - If I’m having a fun time teaching, then you can bet that the kids are enjoying the lesson too - enthusiasm is infectious! Everyone learns better when they’re having fun so I feel it’s important to plan and create lessons I enjoy teaching, so that kids can enjoy learning.

Children need to write every day - Children will read and use numbers in their everyday life without even noticing, which is all good practise that adds up! However, they may not write every day so I ensure that my all children in my class write something every day. Whether it’s a sentence, on a post it note, on a whiteboard or a full piece of writing, they will have written at least 1 sentence independently every day with me (which adds up over the course of a year!)

Praise the effort, not the attainment - The amount of effort a chld puts into their work is far more important than the outcome/attainment. If they’re praised for just the outcome, then that will be their sole focus, rather than trying and developing resilience to new challenges. I ensure that I praise the perseverance and effort children put into doing tasks, so it will encourage them to do so more in the future!

Be specific with praise - Following on from praising effort, I believe that being specific with your praise helps children more and teaches them exactly what is so good about what they are doing e.g. “You have put lots of effort into your colouring, well done” vs “I can see how much effort you have put into blending the green pencils so it is the same colour as the trees outside, well done!” Precise praise also feels more personal and helps to develop a stronger teacher/pupil working relationship.

Never be without a class mascot - I’ve written previously about the power of a class mascot (aka a small cuddly toy) but honestly having a toy that we can all look after brings the children and myself much closer together. It’s like a cheaper version of a class pet I suppose! Our current mascot Patrick the Puffin helps us with schoolwork, supports upset children, helps with behaviour management and is the star of many discussions with the children which really makes my day (and the job worthwhile!)

[teachinginreallife]

When I consider my teaching philosophy from when I was a new teacher to now

[behindthebridgeblog]

Teaching Philosophy, Part Two

by Danny Ziemann

Last week, we examined philosophy and its role in teaching. We began with:

“Upon completion of our lessons, I want my students to know all of their major scales with correct fingerings and various bowings.”

... and extrapolated:

“I want my students to be able to play scales in tune with harmonic understanding, aural awareness, varied bowings, and a focused tone. I want students to understand their role in the music they play, seek out and connect with unfamiliar music, and feel empowered to improvise without fear.”

We are not at a comprehensive philosophy yet, but what we do have is a foundation of independent musicianship. My role as a teacher is to help students identify how they learn best and give them the skills to teach themselves after the completion of our time together. As my teacher Jeff Campbell said on our first day of lessons, “I want to become as useless to you as quickly as possible.” The point stuck, and I always thank Jeff for his role in helping me develop musical autonomy.

Now that we have a better understanding of our ultimate objective, we can brainstorm teaching methods that will foster independent musicianship. This is the portion that goes beyond the scope of philosophy and puts our analysis into practice. Here are some examples:

Putting It Into Practice

Reducing fear introduces confidence to musicianship.

In understanding how to turn this talk into action, we need to seek out a common educational link in all of our learning objectives. One clear teaching link that jumps out to me is a foundation of strong aural skills. All of our objectives--understanding one’s role, development of technique, being able to connect to unfamiliar music – are made possible by strengthening the ear. This will be another key part of our philosophy. One tenant of my teaching is to let the ears guide the hands, not the other way around. There are numerous programs and pedagogues dedicated to fostering aural skills--Ed Gordon and Music Learning Theory comes to mind (the Jump Right In series); also Orff and Kodaly. Use of solfege, abundant singing, and learning melodies with accompanying basslines / harmony are all examples of aural engagement that can be practiced daily. You will spend less time focusing on intonation issues as your student will be more apt to hear by how much their intonation is off. Your students will foster musical empathy early on, particularly with ensemble playing, as they have the tools to connect musically with those around them.

Going back to our initial query into scales, why exactly should students be able to demonstrate scales? If it's a means for understanding a layout of their instrument, then we should get creative about how we utilize them. I always teach scales with some harmonic framework, adding the accompanying minor and major triads to each scale degree. (For example: C Major, D Minor, E Minor, etc. in the key of C.) Teaching a major scale as a line of eight notes does not really help students understand a key, if that is your goal. Think outside of the box! Perhaps you can teach a melody and the bass line using tunes with a lot of scalar movement (Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star). You can also improvise with a limited selection of notes (from the scale) and slowly add more in until the entire scale is utilized. As a tenant in my own teaching, I always show at least two or three fingering choices when introducing new scales. Again, the goal is to show how one can really understand a key on the instrument; a skill that is transferable to all keys and scales. Various bowings can be thrown into the mix as well.

Teacher-guided listening of recordings is a great way to help students develop a discerning ear and the ability to identify “good tone.” You can help your students develop critical ears by playing recordings and asking questions, giving them criteria to think about, and adjectives to speak with. For example, you may say “_______’s sound is very airy / focused / thin / round to me. You can affect the sound by adjusting the weight, speed, and position of the bow — what do you think they’re doing to create this sound?” Entire conversations can be based around this, and you can use a number of musical topics: tone, time feel, vibrato, length of note, and dynamics to name a few. This can be a foundation for weeks’ assignments: “For next week I want you to listen to ________, list five adjectives to describe their phrasing, and incorporate elements you enjoy into your playing.” Students will learn to listen to music actively. This gives you a chance to share what you love and forces YOU to be very clear in expressing why.

When asking students at a conservatory what words they associate with improvisation, the most popular answer was “fear” or some variation of it. Students explained that they didn’t feel armed with enough knowledge to do it well – not knowing the scales or chords and creating music without notation made it most daunting. By empowering students with aural skills and the ability to develop a clear sense of phrasing, improvisation became less fearsome. Reducing fear introduces confidence to our musicianship. There are many ways to incorporate improvisation into teaching: students can improvise with a select few pitches, over the chord changes of simple folk tunes, using varying rhythms on a single pitch, or even embellishing familiar melodies. You do not need to be an expert to start introducing it into your teaching!

It's easy to see how one objective can create many learning opportunities. These examples just scratch the surface. With all of these thoughts in mind, let's move towards constructing our final philosophy.

Creating Our Philosophy

We began by brainstorming what skills we wanted our students to have, revising our initial objective after deep questioning. We found a common theme in our revised learning objective and brainstormed appropriate teaching tools to accompany those tasks. Without further ado, here is a short teaching philosophy based on fostering independent musicianship:

“My teaching philosophy is to foster independent musicianship at the highest level in each of my students. Independent musicianship can best be achieved by honing strong aural abilities, which becomes the catalyst for developing freedom on the instrument and musical expression. Arming students with these skills empowers them to face familiar and unfamiliar music with confidence. Through this process we help the student identify how they best learn, providing them a lifetime of musical learning opportunities, far after the completion of our formal studies.”

Danny Ziemann is a D'Addario artist, a contributing writer for Behind the Bridge, and adjunct professor of bass and cello at SUNY Oswego.