Rob's Teaching Philosophy

When I was interviewing for a teaching position after graduating way back in 1992, I had this answer down pat. I had been "schooled" in the correct things to say, based upon the philosophy of each different district. I used to have all of the "correct" answers but now that I have been teaching for 15 years I am less likely to say what the people want to hear and more likely to say what I believe in my gut.

I just received credit in an online class (EPD 224 Teaching in the Middle School) that stresses the importance of placing the student into the educational process by placing them at the location before trying to teach them anything. This would allow you to spark previous learning in the students, which would then allow the students to immerse themselves in the learning. The theory went on to describe tying learning to the 17 senses that allow a student to cement in their learning of each concept prior to moving to the next concept. I totally agree with the concept of teaching fewer "factoids" and more real world (right now, and how can I use this now) concepts. But, the reality is that without a foundation of some important concepts and ideas the rest of the house of education will tumble down.

There is something to be said for the way things have been done, but embracing the new also allows for new ideas and studies that have been done on brain research and how students learn. Refusing to accept the new, dooms students to the "if it was good enough for me it is good enough for you" mentality. But chasing after the newest and latest "flavor of the month" educational method is also counterproductive. My philosophy is "stay in the now" accept that the way you were taught is not going to cut with today's student but, changing the instructional methods every time the wind shifts is an unnecessary burden on the teacher and the students.

It is very likely that educational shifts will continue to develop as we learn more and more about how the brain works and learns most effectively. I will be endeavoring to incorporate some of the newer ideas into how I teach as I continue in my educational pursuits. This will include taking classes that explore different methods of teaching as well as trying to stay current in my subject matter. It is unfortunate that they appear to be disparate subjects at times. There is the knowledge of how to teach and the subject that you teach and frequently (if you are not a core area teacher) teaching using the method and trying to apply that to the subject is not very effective. The classes that I took to obtain my SEI (Structure English Immersion) endorsement were primarily established for the core area classes. Modifying the method to fit the content took some finagling.

This is what is necessary though if I am to continue as a “teacher”. I tried the sitting back and resting on my laurels method after I received my Masters. This promptly turned into taking several classes to get caught up to the rest of the educational world. My favorite classes have always been the classes that taught me how to do something that I could immediately apply to my personal or professional life. That must be why I naturally gravitated towards the computer because it is the epitome of WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get), which melds perfectly with my linear mindset.

I believe that Albert Einstein said it best when he said, “Example isn’t another way to teach, it is the only way to teach.” I love teaching a subject area that demands immediate interaction with the device you are learning about!