“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime”
Anonymous Chinese proverb
My teaching career has been what I would call a “bottom-up” because I spent my first eight years of teaching in the Basic school (K-Junior High School) level of education. My very first year of teaching was done in Primary one (early childhood level). The remaining seven years were spent in the Junior High School where I was a bilingual teacher. I had a one year (full academic year) undergraduate teaching internship in an Initial Post-Secondary Teacher training level referred to as College of Education (This is not an undergraduate program. It is between post- secondary and before undergraduate level) in Ghana, my home country. I also had a 2-year university teaching exposure as a graduate assistant (GA) during my masters’ program where I organized introductory linguistics tutorials for student-teachers who were majoring either in teaching of English, Ghanaian or French teaching in secondary schools. Prior to my current GA job as a teacher education instructor and supervisor at my current university, I had three years teaching as a teacher educator faculty in a university in Ghana, my home country. Through all these different levels of teaching I have loved to be a teacher whose teaching will have positive impact on learners so that they will not only understand the concepts taught but also be able to apply the knowledge and skills obtained elsewhere in order to become functional literates.
All this while, like some other teachers and educational policies especially those in my home country (Basic Education Certificate Examination [BECE], National Education Assessment [NEA], School Education Assessment [SEA] etc. which had the objective of improving students’ learning), I have measured my students’ success to just they getting higher grades or getting higher grades or attaining high scores in examinations and other forms of assessment in the subjects or the courses I teach which I have now realized not to be always true. Though my teaching philosophy had gone through modifications and revisions in my quest to achieve my aim of helping students do authentic learning as I progressed in my teaching career, it was not until I started my doctoral program that I realized that most of the strategies I was using were rather helping to promote students’ learning for just grade and not for the authentic learning (Guskey, 2003; Hattie, & Timperley, 2007; Loughran, 2006; Svinicki & McKeachie, 2014) as I had desired. My current philosophy: teaching to foster real learning for mastery in my students, began to emerge when I started my doctoral studies in a clinically-rich teacher education program where I am also a GA and supervisor of PSTs. My encounter with books and articles like Dana & Yendol-Hoppey, (2009), Hattie, & Timperley, (2007), Loughran, (2006), Svinicki & McKeachie’s, (2014) especially the two latter books really reshaped my current aim. Being a teacher educator, I see my current teaching philosophy as befitting my career as a teacher educator because my ability to promote mastery learning in the PSTs has a potential ripple effects as it would not only make them comprehend what I teach but also benefit the future students of these PSTs.
My current desire in teaching links with Loughran’s (2006) assertion that teacher educators making the tacit in teaching explicit through modelling not only enable PSTs to acquire authentic understanding of teaching but also help them improve their practice as well as equipping them with the knowledge and skills to combat unforeseen issues that may arise in their own teaching. That is, inculcating in PSTs the desire to learn for mastery would help them succeed in their chosen programs as well as equipping them the ability to apply the knowledge and skills learned in their own in their teaching job (Loughran, 2006). When PSTs acquire the mastery learning habit it would influence their own teaching which in turn reflect their students learning thereby promoting the turning out of functional literates which most (if not all) institutions yearn for. I therefore see my current job as teacher educator as a good means of widening the scope of my philosophy which I cannot fully realize if I were to be outside the teacher education field. The fact is that, if my teaching impact positively on them, each PST would have the opportunity to teach more students with the appropriate professional knowledge which will make learning authentic to learners and make them functional to meet the major goal of education. With my current stance in teaching which came as a result of my course readings (Hattie & Timperley, 2007; Loughran, 2006; Merriam & Bierema 2014; Svinicki & McKeachie, 2014) and my own experience in my doctoral program, the adherence of the combination of the following: creating appropriate learning environment, having in mind the pivotal role of theory and practice, inculcating in students the notion of mastery learning, and the role of assessment in teaching and learning are the vehicles that foster the achievement of this goal.
Responsive learning environment kindles learners’ interest by engaging and encouraging them the take active responsibility of their learning with the intention of leading them to mastery of concepts. I believe that meaningful learning happens in environments where creativity, interest, awareness, inquiry, critical thinking, and mutual respect are part of instruction especially when dealing with adult learners in my case. Responsive learning environment tends to create a sense of community because in such learning environment, the probability of making collaborative learning natural is high. In such environment, the instructor adapts teaching and learning to suit individual needs of students and encourage learning by promoting collaboration rather than individual (Corley, 2005; Hattie & Timperley, 2007;Loughran, 2006; Svinicki & McKeachie, 2014), hence the importance of teachers creating a responsive learning environment classroom to promote active learning . With this in mind, I have learned to improve the teaching and learning environment by creating a warm classroom climate where students and teachers treat one another with kindness and respect, where students feel positive about their membership in the classroom, and where learning is purposeful and pleasant. We (students and I) work out the classroom rules together and discuss strategies that we can adopt to help improve learning. From my own experience as a doctoral student, I have realized that when there is a genuine mutual respect among classroom members and the environment is safe and supportive, students tend to challenge themselves and take risks in learning. This mutual respect does not only enhance trusting relationship among members but also make students responsive or active in their own learning which Loughran (2006) and Svinicki and McKeachie (2014) advocate. My quest to create a responsive classroom environment is for my learners to gain knowledge through active participation in the teaching and learning process so that what they learn becomes comprehensible and authentic to them. This behooves teachers especially teacher educators to create learning environment that motivates and triggers student’s interest in learning so that the teaching and learning process would be meaningful and relevant to learners.
Effective teaching, no matter which level it occurs demands the art (practice/skill) and science (content/theory) of imparting knowledge. Thus, it takes both the mastery of content knowledge and the manner through which it is transmitted to arrive at effective teaching. This is what Loughran (2006) refers to as professional knowledge which is realized in what he calls episteme (content knowledge) and phronesis (art/practice). This implies that theory and practice play a pivotal role in teaching especially when dealing with PSTs. Thus, effective and appropriate application of professional knowledge in teaching is paramount especially in teacher education institutions because it connects theory and practice (Loughran, 2006). For teachers especially teacher educators to improve upon their professional knowledge, inquiry and reflection should be part of their regular practice (Dana & Yendol-Hoppey, 2014; Dinkelman, 2003; Loughran, 2006; Rogoff, 2003 a). Reflective practice and inquiry are so important in teaching in that intentional reflection of one’s practice leads to inquiry which in turn bring out strategies to improve students’ learning. Teacher educators adopting reflective and inquiry practice do not only improve their practice but also model these important aspect of effective teaching to their PSTs. It also serves as a platform for inculcating this habit (reflective and inquiry stance) in the PSTs. It gives the teacher educator the chance to model the “Disturbing practice” that Loughran (2006) advocates. Thus reflective practice and inquiry do not only enable the teacher to find solutions to his/her teaching dilemmas but also improves practice as well as increase students learning.
Genuine improvement in professional knowledge cannot be achieved without reflective practice and inquiry. Therefore, ECE teacher education should emphasize the instructional method that combines theory and practice in a balanced manner. That is, both the theory/content and practice/field experience must be given equal attention. I see this as very important because the kind of educational experience one receives at the early years of schooling (ECE) has the potential to prepare him/her for future academic success or failure. Because all other learning is built on the foundation laid at the ECE level, it makes the effective preparation of ECE PSTs crucial, hence, the importance of making reflective practice and inquiry integral in their training to equip them with the professional knowledge they need for the teaching job. This idea of reflective practice in my own teaching and supervision work has led me to do inquiry such as finding appropriate strategy(ies) to enhance students' classroom participation due to language barrier, improving my observation conferences to enhance PSTs teaching to help me solve the dilemmas I faced as an international GA.
Teacher educators inculcating in students the notion of mastery learning is also essential to fostering active learning in students. Sharing the importance of engaging in learning for mastery with PSTs is an ingredient that does not only help them in their student life but a skill they would need in their future profession (Loughran, 2006). Learning in the teaching profession is a life-long activity and so if PSTs are helped in acquiring this important habit as part of their training, they would be equipped for success in their future job thereby contributing to the real meaning of teaching: making knowledge authentic to learners (Dana & Yendol-Hoppey, 2014; Loughran, 2006; Svinicki & McKeachie, 2014). For students to commit to active learning, it behooves teacher educators to intentionally make students aware that learning for mastery does not make the knowledge acquired permanent but it also improve performance (what most students desire). Also, desire to learn for mastery inherently conditions and gets the mind ready thereby reducing the stress and anxiety that come along with learning for just performance or grades. Helping students understand the ripple effects of active learning would make them have the desire to do so which in a way satisfies one of the elements for active learning: Student’s willingness to learn. According to Loughran (2006), “quality learning requires learner consent” (p. 78) indicating that no proper learning can take place without the learners’ willingness to be actively involved in the process, hence, the reason for sharing with students the notion of mastery learning.
Another vital ingredient to make one’s teaching assist students learn for mastery is the role of evaluation and assessment in teaching and learning. The mode of assessment and how assessment is handled by educator has the potential to either help the student do authentic learning or make them learn for just grade (Guskey, 2003; Hattie, & Timperley, 2007). As stated earlier, some educators and even some policies in the form of assessment intended to foster students’ learning end up promoting rote learning. This therefore makes feedback provision on student’s assessment an area that teacher educators must pay attention to. According to education experts and even my own experience, the feedback instructors provide on students assessment be a blessing or a bane to student’s active learning (Carless, 2006; Guskey, 2003; Hattie & Timperley; 2007; Svinicki & McKeachie 2014). This behooves educators and for that matter ECE educators to pay attention to be thoughtful of the feedback they provide to students especially those that go with evaluation and assessment. As research show that there are different ways of providing effective feedback and that there is no one best feedback that is suitable for all students (Carless, 2006; Guskey, 2003; Hattie & Timperley; 2007; Svinicki & McKeachie 2014), teacher educators need to study their students to know the type(s) that works for them. This means that our (teacher educators) feedback language, both verbal and written, should be that which is constructive and at the same time motivating so that it boost students’ self-confidence and build in them perseverance attitude toward learning. Studies also show that peer feedback is another powerful way of providing feedback that are useful to students provided students are schooled on it (Carless, 2006; Yorke, 2003). This implies that teacher educators should model openness to constructive criticism and encourage provision of supportive feedback in class discussions for students to have an authentic experience of how to accept constructive feedback as well as appropriate ways to providing peer feedback. I believe equipping PSTs on this skills would do a lot of good to improving their learning and their practice as future teachers.
I also believe assessment and evaluation methods like testing should be reduced at the teacher education institution as our focus is to prepare PSTs to be able to apply the knowledge we impart in their job. Too much testing usually lead students into extreme anxiety and frustration and as such compel most to do rote learning (Hattie, & Timperley, 2007; Yorke, 2003). Such modes of assessment tend to compel students to shift their learning towards performance at the expense of the mastery needed in order to make them functional after completion of their program. More so, educators tend not to provide feedback but just provide the grade/marks on such assessments which usually do not give any useful feedback on the grade. I believe authentic assessment as appropriate evaluating and assessment method for PSTs and even myself as a doctoral student. Aside from authentic assessment enhancing students’ learning, it tends to give more realistic picture of the student because multiple areas of learning come into play in this evaluation process (Vukelich, Christie & Enz, (2012). As noted by Svinicki & McKeachie (2014), authentic assessment also tend to make educators provide comprehensive and constructive feedback on students’ assessments/assignments which usually enable students to make use of the feedback provided. Provision of appropriate and supportive feedback in the use of authentic assessment encourages students to realize the essence of being active in their learning and equip them with the skills of untying the ‘whats’, ‘whys’ and ‘hows’ of learning. The provision of supportive feedback as the name implies is given according to student’s strength and level of achievement therefore differentiation is a big part in this.
One way to help students use feedback effectively to promote active learning is giving students a second chance on assignment submission in order to use the feedback provided to improve their learning (Carless, 2006; Guskey, 2003; Hattie & Timperley, 2007; Svinicki & McKeachie 2014). This practice is a powerful strategy to enhancing active and mastery learning. Apart from enhancing learning, it also fosters effective rapport between the instructor and the students therefore reducing the tension and anxiety that the testing type of evaluation carries along. However, mutual respect should be emphasized. Teacher educators need to model how to use feedback to improve practice through students’ assessment of educators. Having this in mind, I encourage students to assess me periodically both orally and by writting through discussions and questionnaires aside from the required midterm and final student evaluation done university wide and ensure to implement some of the useful suggestions they (students) make on their assessment.
As stated earlier, teaching and supervising using this philosophy teacher educators need to be open and adapt to practices that promote effective thinking which is the foundation of active learning (Loughran, 2006). Aside from reflective practice, teacher educators need to be intentional about improving their own practice through self-study in order to transform their teaching and supervision skills which in turn would enhance students' learning. Good teaching is not only taught but also modeled and if anyone wants to turn out good teachers, that person needs to model good teaching and not just by teaching students the theory of good teaching. Knowing what works best for students’ understanding and achievement is vital in teaching especially with pre-service teachers as most will learn from it and practice it in their own classrooms. By learning new ways of improving your students’ learning not only helps you become more knowledgeable and improve practice but also keeps you abreast of time. I believe being reflective, conducting inquiry and making students aware of the essence of mastery learning as well as giving appropriate and supportive feedback are vital ingredients that help foster mastery learning in my PSTs.
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