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Click here or scroll down to respond to this candidateCandidate's Name
Teaching Philosophy StatementLove for teacher and teaching runs in my blood because of my mother. She taught me at school and helped at home to complete homework. Terms like mother, love, teacher were interchangeable in my mind as a child and became permanent components of my personality with age. These traits flourished as I started teaching as a volunteer in my village school in 1980s. I remember students attachment with me due to my joyful temperament and good subject knowledge. In 1988, I joined a private college as Lecturer for English. Majority of students belonged to the affluent class, parents ambitious and management was focused. This experience taught me discipline, daily planning for lessons and preparation of teaching materials. I started playing outdoor games as Incharge of Quaid-e-Azam House and living independently away from home. In 1990, I joined Education Department as Subject Specialist for English. It was a different world poor students, large classes, non-motivated parents and problematic management. My focus was to achieve 100% result, skills development and career counselling. 1992 proved to be a milestone in my career as I joined district teacher training academy for serving and prospective teachers. As a Master Trainer, I conducted trainings and as Principal, I planned, supervised and wrote Reports highlighting objectives, facilities, shortcomings identified, corrective measures taken and suggestions for future trainings. As Regional Program Manager (2007-2017), I visited a lot of institutions in all 36 districts of Punjab. It acquainted me with filed realities. Visits to UK, France and Thailand opened new areas: Teaching by discussion, democratic leadership style and talking classrooms. All these rich experiences, the lessons learnt from my 35 years teaching-career and the will and motivation to excel and contribute got together to establish my philosophy of teaching. Major objectives are given as following:i)Developing engaging lesson plans and activities: I develop lessons from students perspective. Before starting a lesson, I divide teaching board in three parts. I write topic, objectives, duration, expected learning outcomes on the left side. As I go ahead with my lesson, I keep writing main points of my lesson on the right side. It keeps me and the students on the track and facilitates supervisers to know what has been done so far. The middle two-third of the board is for teacher to write and rub. Planning for everything is key to my lessons: What, when and how much to say and how. The students learn and are able to do at the end of the lesson. I keep personal notes and continue improving them. I jot down examples and stories as per grade, age of students. May be the quote and story I write this time does not attract me next time. It is replaced with a better substitute. I keep improving my lessons with reflections and peers views.ii)Enhancing students learning and comprehension: Students come from different parents and environment and have different ability. Some like drama and others want to do themselves; for some, once is enough and for others not. That is why I use more than one technique for the same concept: Repeat, show pic, group work, demonstration. I teach with examples from their culture to make them understand well. Sometimes, I take help from drills and cards. I devise short questions for formative assessment. Students are divided into group for Daily Report of the previous day work.iii)Encouraging active participation: I look for passive ones to engage them with questions, role play, discussions, hands-on activities, individual presentations and game-based learning. Students answer questions of their fellows. I am there for any input. I used Simulation, Project Work and Book Review as tools to encourage individual and group participation of trainees.iv)Encouraging critical thinking and problem-solving skills: I always start my class with brainstorming: A picture, a riddle, a question, a situation. I ask questions which do not have a single answer. Let students explain their thinking in different ways. They share their ideas and listen to others which reinforce their problem-solving abilities. My students can derive a different moral of a popular story A Thirsty Crow. They learn to be resourceful and pro-active regarding their educational issues.v)Promoting collaborative learning: I promote culture of mutual work and helping one another. Peers teaching and groups (1, 3, 5, ..) (2, 4, 6, ..) presentations are used. I invite best students from higher classes to guide their juniors. Once I conducted a session of teachers with students, who told them that they faced more hardships as students than they do; and motivated them to work more. As a group assignment, students collaborate to write a description of their field trip and present.vi)Creating a positive and inclusive classroom environment: My classroom is well managed and decorated with instructions, curriculum goals and students work. It is comfortable and safe for students and teachers. I believe students occupy the most important place in the whole process for they are ones whom the whole hierarchy of education is erected for. I encourage and inspire children of all abilities to reach their full potential. I appreciate loudly and correct mistakes silently.vii)Making learning fun: I believe that a student can learn best when he enjoys it. It takes thrice the time of the lesson to plan an effective and enjoyable lesson with appropriate examples.viii)Providing feedback: I believe in a respectful, specific, actionable feedback. I am descriptive and appreciative with focus on learning intentions and success criteria. I utilize this opportunity for individual coaching of students.ix)Aligning assessment with objectives: I assess my students to measure how well they have achieved learning objectives. I ensure students know objectives, assessment rubric and expected outcomes. After a 90 minutes lesson, I spare five minutes for informal assessment through questionnaire, MCQs, rating scale or tick the right. I use peers feedback and students results for assessment.Education faces a number of challenges related to leadership, decision-makers, curriculum, infrastructure, assessment and teachers professional development such as lack of leadership and commitment, lack of funds and facilities, declining enrolment, retention, absenteeism, out of school children, teachers disappointment, increasing achievements gap, teachers professional development, quality education and expensive higher education. My engaging lesson plans, enhanced students understanding and active participation will help increase enrollment and retention and decrease achievement gap and absenteeism. Critical-thinking and problem-solving skills and positive and inclusive classrooms help build confidence on system and decrease teachers disappointment. Learning as fun and improved teaching will increase enrollment and retention and decrease students absenteeism and achievements gap. Effective assessment will maintain standards and bring honor to all stakeholders and the Department. |
