Teaching Philosophy

The field of education is wrought with cliche and none of them belong in a truly effective philosophy of teaching, many would say. Phrases like "no child left behind", "closing the achievement gap", "21st century learners", "productive and self-controlled citizens", "college-ready independent thinkers". But like overused trite words, education jargon is not in itself meaningless. It is the context that surrounds them that undermines their power.

So in my philosophy I'll use the ideas behind the catch-phrases with different terminology and description.

John Nash famously had schizophrenia and has said that sanity is a form of conformity and insanity is escape: and when free from precedent and tradition, one can have groundbreaking insight. We don't want kids to become trailblazers by refusing to hear others' ideas and be a completely fresh page. After all, background knowledge is integral to building new knowledge, including creative ideas. Creativity however certainly should be sheltered from suppressing structures and impositions.

To view creativity more positively I'll turn to Dan Pink, who found that people are driven to produce when they have autonomy, competence and self-confidence. It is about teaching kids what their niche is. Students must be encouraged and always reflect on what they like to do - we must ask and make them evaluate their feelings toward something. School must teach them about themselves and not just content. Students must do the heavy lifting. It is not just ok to be yourself but you MUST be yourself- the world depends on it

But to gain background knowledge, such knowledge must be made accessible, no matter what level of difficulty. Knowledge-acquisition must be made memorable by drawing on the psychological findings about the memory: it must be meaningful, purposeful, relevant (from Why Kids Don't Like School). It must be presented dynamically, using all communication mediums, including visuals, gestures, repetition, story, song, mneumonics, humor, coming from students (esl class). There's that Einstein quote and research - you learn better by showing than telling and doing than showing. Get the students to move. Above all, know your students and how to make them interested because telling really is more time-efficient...

Is it too arrogant to want my own pithy Gettysburg Address, an education manifesto?

I want to write non-fiction and later when I am ready some fiction.

And we are teacher-facilitators and teacher-designers, never spoon feeders or artificial problem-creators (http://www.teachthought.com/teaching/changing-role-of-the-teacher/)
Passion-based projects http://www.teachthought.com/learning/25-ways-to-promote-passion-based-learning-in-your-classroom/

Daniel Pink, John Nash, Jacob (boy genius), equality/diversity benefits all

The better you know yourself, the better your relationship with the rest of the world.

Toni Collette

If you know the enemy and know yourself you need not fear the results of a hundred battles.

Sun Tzu

Be Yourself, Everyone Else is Already Taken - Oscar Wilde