My Philosophy of Teaching and Learning

My philosophy of teaching and learning has been shaped by two experiences that touched me very deeply. Neither was particularly earth shattering, but for some reason each profoundly altered my way of looking at my vocation, and the students with whom I am blessed to interact. From these experiences I have drawn two key conclusions, one dealing with my responsibility as a teacher, and one dealing with my students’ responsibility as learners.

My first experience occurred in my first year of teaching. I was taking a “Teacher Tune-up” class from a much more experienced teacher. He related an experience he had as an undergraduate student at a major university. He was taking a class outside his major that he found absolutely captivating. He loved the subject, he loved the content, and he was really enjoying the class – until he made the mistake of asking a “stupid question.” The professor simply stopped and stared. For what seemed like hours there was silence in the classroom. Finally, the professor shook his head, and in a tone dripping with disgust said, “I can not believe that you have such a minimal grasp of this material. What do I have to do to get you to learn? I know, we’re going to have a test, in class, next time, over the last three chapters. It will be very hard and you’d better be ready.”  My colleague telling the story then said, “You know, I don’t remember anything else about that class. I remember none of the course content, but that experience has stayed with me for all these years.”

As I listened to this story, I felt a powerful, almost spiritual compulsion to make sure that my students know from the very first day of class that I will never do that to them. I have come to believe that my first responsibility as a teacher is to provide a safe environment in which students can learn free from fear or intimidation. With every new class, I make it a point to tell my students that I want them to feel comfortable and safe in my classroom. I promise them that, while I will invite them to stretch and step out of their comfort zones from time to time, I will never intentionally do anything to ridicule, threaten, or hurt them. I do not control the amount of learning that takes place in my classroom – that is something that students determine. I do, however, have the ability to create an environment that is comfortable, safe, and conducive to learning.

The second experience that shaped my philosophy of education occurred several years later. I was given the opportunity to host a visiting student from Argentina. I took her on a tour of campus, pointing out the various facilities and services it offered. As I looked over at her I was startled to see huge tears in her eyes. In a voice brimming with emotion she exclaimed, “Why is this here? People in my country would give anything to be able to study in a place like this! Do these students have any idea what they have? Do they take advantage of this amazing blessing?”

I have since reflected a great deal on that experience. I realize that there are many people who would love to have the opportunities my students have. I also realize that students do not always take full advantage of those opportunities. When a student fails to make every effort to become educated, who suffers?

I teach at a religious institution. At this institution, students pay only a relatively small percentage of the actual cost of their education. The sponsoring church pours many millions of dollars into this and similar institutions around the world. These funds come primarily from the tithes and offerings of church members around the world, many of whom will never have the opportunity to attend or send their children to a university. I have come to the conclusion that very few students shoulder the entire burden of their education. Even students at state universities often benefit from financial support from families, private groups, and the state.

Many teachers say that the primary responsibility for learning rests with the students. I take this idea one step further. I believe that the opportunity to become educated is a stewardship. Families, communities, and the state make an investment in students, an investment for which they have the right to expect a return. Members of my church, for example, do not pay to supplement the education of students at church schools because they feel that these students deserve special privileges. They do so because they understand that a well educated person can return more to the broader community, and can extend his or her influence for good in ways that a person lacking education can not. It is expected that that person will use the education he or she has been blessed with to bless the lives of others.

Please note that I say that students who are blessed to have this investment made in them have the obligation to become educated, not simply get good grades. Most students know how to “play the game.” They become adept at reading the teacher, giving him/her what he/she wants, and getting the grade. I have this discussion with my students every year, and they agree that for most of them it is very possible to get a good grade in a class and not learn or retain anything. I believe that in order to be faithful to their stewardship, students must actively seek out opportunities to become educated, whether or not those opportunities have points attached. The power of universities as communities of learning is that they can provide so many such opportunities, within and without the formal academic structure.

At a teacher, I can guide and influence students in their quest to become educated, but often the best learning occurs in my classroom when I share a vision of where students can go with the material, and then get out of the way. Students who are informed, safe, enthused, and responsible will take the class in directions I never would have chosen, but which are every bit as rewarding as what I would have done.

My philosophy of teaching and learning, then, is ultimately fairly simple. I believe that my primary role is to provide a safe, comfortable environment in which learning can occur. I believe that students have an obligation to the larger society, of which they are a part, to become educated, and then use that education for the benefit of others. These ideas have shaped me as a teacher. They have changed the way I see students and the way I interact with them. They have altered my course content and the degree to which I exercise power and authority in the classroom. I now seek to guide and influence students, but I see them as agents unto themselves who must be allowed to make choices. Those choices may not always be similar to those I would have made, but that does not make them worse.

Advertisement