Personal Philosophy of Teaching Part II

Week 8 Assignment: Personal Philosophy of Teaching Part II

NURS 535 Principles of Teaching and Learning

Personal Philosophy of Teaching Part II

Revised Teaching Philosophy

Every student is unique; from culture, race, religion, values, beliefs, etc., which means that all individuals have their own ways of thinking and learning that will be different from one another, where their learning styles should all be acknowledged and learning needs met. Therefore, educators should focus on the educator-student relationship, provide a comfortable learning environment for students to be able to ask questions or ask for needed help. Also, providing an enthusiastic and healthy learning environment all together is key Personal Philosophy of Teaching Part II.

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Goals as an Instructor

My goal is to be a positive light in the student’s lives, provide a welcoming teaching environment, build relationships with students, help them understand the impact that using their voice really has, and find more ways to help students be successful and grow. I believe that a good student-faculty relationship is essential in providing a healthy learning environment. Students that are struggling should know that their instructor cares and should be able to go to them for guidance and extra help without having any negative feelings. An Instructor should identify the individuals learning style and provide extra learning activities and resources to fit the learning style of the student who is failing, as well as encourage the student to attend tutoring for extra guidance, questions, etc. One statement that stuck out to me a lot, was about the importance of ethical standards that lead to a mutually respectful teaching and learning environment which I feel is vital. Here is the statement: “Ethics are standards of conduct based on beliefs about what is good and bad, obligations related to good and bad acts, and principles underlying decisions to conform to these standards. Ethical standards make it possible for nurses, patients, teachers, and students to understand and respect each other.” (Gaberson et al., 2015).

Actual or Anticipated Teaching Strategies and Methods

First my focus would be on Inclusive teaching. “Inclusive classrooms are ones in which students and educators work together to create and sustain an environment where they feel safe to express their views, where course content can be viewed from multiple perspectives, opinions can be expressed to the greater understanding of all concerned, and all lived experience (student and faculty) can be shared and valued with equanimity.” (Billings & Halstead, 2016). I would also identify individual learning style preferences and unique learning needs from day one, to improve teaching and learning strategies.

Justification for Teaching Style

There seems to be an emphasis on the lack of culturally competent educators, being that we are dealing with such a culturally diverse population today. “It is one thing to gain an understanding of students’ social identities and to acknowledge the important role that nursing programs and faculty have in the recruitment, retention, and success of diverse and at risk students. It is quite another to be proactive and incorporate diversity into classrooms and curricula.” (Billings & Halstead, 2016). Therefore, Inclusive classrooms would change that.

How this Teaching Style Facilitates Student Learning

A single teaching style will never be effective for all students in one class. Assessing individual learning styles allows the educator to design learning activities that appeal to a wide range of students. This would allow the improvement of study habits, and help students learn how to select classes or work environments that go with their style of learning.

Reflect on the Teaching Principles and Practices discussed

In my philosophy of teaching, I talked about the uniqueness and diversity of students, and how everyone has different learning needs that should be acknowledged/met. Along with diversity comes a significant amount of culturally incompetent educators, which is being emphasized more today. One teaching strategy I mentioned was Inclusive teaching. Along with that, I would focus on the Concept-based Curricula when teaching because I feel it fits with my Philosophy of teaching the most. “Concept-based curricula are designed to better reflect the complexity of nursing and health care while using core ideas or concepts important to nursing practice to help learners grasp the connections and master deeper learning of how these concepts explain a variety of conditions and situations they will encounter in nursing practice. Students use clinical experiences to learn the essence of identified concepts and are encouraged to transfer and expand their knowledge and skills to different settings, populations, and experiences.” (Billings & Halstead, 2016).

What did you learn about teaching that you did not know prior to this course?

I never really realized the complexity involved in teaching until I went through this course. I have a completely different level of appreciation and respect for educators now that I know how much hard work goes into it. Personal Philosophy of Teaching Part II Having to know school policies, develop teaching plans to fit all learning styles, providing extra assistance with struggling students, having to try and work with students who lack motivation, and also deal with students who don’t care or are disrespectful, are all examples of challenges I never realized instructors go through often. I also didn’t realize that there is such a variety of ways instructors can evaluate the effectiveness of their teaching strategies. I always just thought it was based off of the class grades as a whole.

What stood out as important to you over the past 8 weeks?

As mentioned above, the complexity in being an educator, but I also found it interesting that understanding the major cultural diversity in the classroom is something that needs more attention in this day and age Personal Philosophy of Teaching Part II. According to Billings & Halstead (2016), the increase in student diversity provides opportunities and challenges for curriculum development. Curricula must be flexible to accommodate work schedules; offer diversity in courses and programs, emphasize cultural sensitivity, leadership, delegation, and negotiation skills; promote oral and written communication and information technology skills, and enhance decision making skills. Everyone in the learning environment should be able to vocalize their beliefs and opinions without discrimination or disrespect. I was very surprised at how much student incivility goes on in the academic environment as well. Students need to be better.

Evaluation of Teaching Philosophy

I honestly have to say not much of my teaching philosophy has changed from the beginning of this class. This course provided me further assurance and confidence in my original philosophy of teaching and goals I would set if I was to become a nursing educator one day. I have been most impacted by my instructors that truly cared and developed great student-teacher relationships. I remember them the most and what they each taught me throughout my years of education. That’s exactly how I would want to be as an educator and mentor. I now have a further understanding of how important being culturally sensitive is today, in all areas.

References
Billings, D., Halstead, J. (2016). Teaching in Nursing: A Guide for Faculty (5th ed.). Elsevier,
Inc.
Gaberson, K., Oermann, M., Shellenbarger, T. (2015). Clinical Teaching Strategies in Nursing
(4th ed.). Springer Publishing Company, LLC Personal Philosophy of Teaching Part II.