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Recently I was asked: What is your teaching philosophy?

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Recently I was asked: What is your teaching philosophy?

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So looking at your posts Melissa I think I know what your

teaching philosophy is, but I would like to know how would you

articulate it?

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"If you are not having fun, you are not learning!"
This is what I tell my students, wiring their brains to new ideas.

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Yes, SLO quesstions are vital indeed, David. I also ask questions regarding the most effective ways

to achieve these outcomes, ways that will ensure maximum student interest and engagement

while not sacrificing rigor and learning. The what, the how, and the why are all important aspects to

consider equally. I've recently begun emphasizing the why with my students so that they have some sense

of the value of our course content and assignments beyond requirements, policies, and grades.

Thank you so much for your contribution, David! If you don't mind me asking, how did you happen to find this?

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I haven't honed my philosophy to fit in a space like this. As a matter of fact, this medium is the most concise way that I'm able to articulate it at this point--which was my motivation for creating it. The creation and articulation of a teaching philosophy is a recursive and ongoing process, so I'm sure I'll continue to refine it as the semesters pass. I think I've articulated my philosophy clearly in my syllabus, in the Teaching Philosophy section. I also address particular aspects of it in other sections. To ensure that my students get a clear but succinct version of my philosophy, I talk them through it on the first day of class and will now be able to show them this padlet. I also strive to consistently illustrate my teaching philosophy through my teaching methods and interactions with students. Thank you so much for your interest and for contributing! I'm sure I've already given you more than you asked for, but in case you're curious, here's the link to my syllabus on the course website: http://engl2300.weebly.com/syllabus.html#sthash.hqyUTxp6.dpbs

By the way, how did you happen to find this?

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In higher education finding the needs of the students

is critical in order to define content. The questions

I always ask are around the topic of student learning

outcomes.

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Learning-centered syllabus

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A Learner-Centered Syllabus | Teaching & Learning Services | RIT

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Your syllabus will set standards for the entire semester. Think of it as a contract between you and your class that defines your expectations of students and what they can expect from you. A well-written syllabus that clearly states how your learning community will operate can help you avoid many common classroom management issues.

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Please share the goals and values at the heart of your teaching philosophy.

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Please share the goals and values at the heart of your teaching philosophy.

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Double-click anywhere to post. If you wish, you can include your name in the "Title" section of the text box.

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Reciprocal roles of teaching and learning between me and my students

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Student-centered teaching

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Purposeful and pedagogically-aware

teaching innovation and learning environment

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Messy and unpredictable, yet meaningful, learning experiences

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Faculty Focus | Higher Ed Teaching & Learning

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How do we make learning messy and unpredictable for our students-and why? I posed this question to the members of the Teaching Professor group on LinkedIn in July, and a lively and insightful discussion immediately began. This article is based upon the insights shared in the discussion.

The phrase messy and unpredictable (particularly the word messy) proved to be quite provocative. To be sure, the wording of the question incited almost as much discussion as did the concept it articulates. The idea of an unprepared and disorganized instructor with no clear learning outcomes was a common misinterpretation. However, my use of messy and unpredictable refers to the learning experiences we offer our students and to the ways that we frame and offer those experiences.

First, messy suggests a classroom environment that motivates students to dig, to question, to take risks, to fail (and learn something from that failure that they may not have otherwise learned)-in short, to discover. Unpredictable seems to be a natural semantic companion to messy and further suggests discovery but also promotes adaptability. Together, these words articulate an idea of teaching and learning that renders the classroom experience an archaeological dig, so to speak, that puts the tools in the hands of the students. I embraced the misinterpretation of the phrasing, however, because the resulting comments served to exemplify a desired effect of the messy and unpredictable classroom: diverse interpretations discussed, negotiated, and reconciled. Isn't this the kind of dynamic learning environment we should strive to create?

Discussion participant Jason Myrowitz effectively clarified my intended meaning for messy and unpredictable by rephrasing it as "strategic ambiguity." This useful rephrasing not only conveys my intended meaning but also reveals the instructor and student positions in such a teaching landscape. It reveals the need for professors to be strategic and organized in their planning and offering of effective learning experiences, while creating situations that require critical and creative thinking and problem-solving. Those with a more spiritual approach to teaching may want to think of it as, what discussion participant Rex Veeder termed, "hectic zen."

What follows are insights from a few of the discussion participants (quoted here with permission):

Why Should Learning Be Messy?
"I make the work messy because the world of work is messy (I teach in a job retraining program for adults). Bosses want you to solve your own problems. They do not give clear directions or rubrics for the finished product. Students need the critical thinking, problem solving, and Internet searching skills to find solutions to the real time messy moments of work." (Bradley Gangnon, Takoda Institute at American Indian OIC)

"However passionately, smartly, perfectly, crystal-clearly we teach, there is messiness in the student's mind in absorbing the ideas. We must adopt strange, sometimes a-student-specific approach to score a 'hit' with the ideas." (Subramanian R., Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning)

"Many respondents commented that intentionally introducing messiness increases the external validity of what students are learning in the course. I agree. There is another, perhaps equally important, reason for intentionally introducing some ambiguity and all the difficulties that attend it into our classrooms: these difficulties may actually increase students' learning and retention of the material. There is a robust literature in cognitive psychology to support the notion that memory is the residue of thinking. Ambiguity, messiness, and disconfirmed expectations are all things that can get students thinking." (David Porter, Berea College)

"I teach rhetoric, composition, and medical humanities. In all cases I find that making a mess and doing something unexpected or strange is necessary for progress with interpretation, problem solving, and real explorations of issues real for the students. . . . In the end, what appears to be messy is actually a process of engaging at a real and significant level for students and teachers alike." (Rex Veeder, St. Cloud State University)

How Can We Make Learning More Unpredictable?
"I give assignments that allow a great deal of room for interpretation. For example, on a certain assignment, I tell students to come up with a creative way to deliver their information instead of making a PowerPoint presentation. . . . It requires the students to get out of their comfort zone and to realize that they won't always be able to follow a rubric to arrive at a solution." (Jason Myrowitz, Northern Arizona University)

"It seems that having just a skeleton of a lesson plan (and make sure the students are aware of this) is one approach. That way the climate of the class dictates the lecture and skill development." (Conred Maddox, Honolulu Community College.)

Topic "interrogations," as well as evaluation and synthesis tasks are other ways to get messy and unpredictable in the classroom.

The consensus is that creating ambiguity for students to work through is essential to their development of critical and creative thinking and problem-solving skills. Students may want knowledge presented to them in nicely wrapped packages, and we may feel like we are rightly attending to their needs when we offer this. However, the best gift we can give our students is the ability to question, to discover, and to learn to learn. Presenting students with messiness and unpredictability in a pedagogically-sound way can make that happen. Ultimately, what they (and we) need is "a little rattling of the cage." (Howard Doughty, Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology)
So, how do you get "messy and unpredictable" in your classroom? Please share in the comment box. Melissa Hudler is the Director of the Quality Enhancement Plan and an instructor in the Department of English and Modern Languages at Lamar University.

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How do we make learning messy and unpredictable for our students-and why? I posed this question to the members of the Teaching Professor group on LinkedIn in July, and a lively and insightful discussion immediately began. This article is based upon the insights shared in the discussion.

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Active and collaborative teaching methods ---> Deep Learning

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Be attuned to my students' needs

and expectations and adjust accordingly

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Facilitate discovery/recognition of the relevance

of students' ideas and strength of their voices

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Provide students with the means to develop

as critical and creative thinkers

and as articulate communicators

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Intellectual maturity and development, as well as ethical and social development