Teaching Philosophy Statement

My name is George Martin and I am the Academic Director at the National Sports College based in Co. Kildare.  This teaching statement is based on the NFQ level 4, 5 and 6 sport and fitness instructor programmes I present.  I tutor programmes in a practical, interactive way.  My teaching styles involve daily interaction with students, setting challenges, inviting constant feedback and making the learning environment fun and challenging.  Every year I “tweak” my programmes, picking up on something from the previous course that did, and did not go so well.  If I look back at the initial programmes I taught over ten years ago, they are much different to the programmes ran today.  Much like the student develops over many years, so does the tutor!

A teaching statement identifies what, how and why we teach and how we wish to grow as a professional teacher (Lyons, 1998).  My philosophy of teaching evolved from many years of trial and “learning”. During earlier years I was sometimes guilty of simply getting through courses, presenting the subject matter and not focussing on the desired learning outcomes.  As time progressed and as I in turn became more educated (both professionally and personally), I moved into the realms of a facilitator.  I feel as a tutor, I have a number of responsibilities which should be integrated into a programme:

1. To promote a positive and supportive learning environment.
2. To provide clarity throughout the programme, especially regarding assignments and assessments.
3. To make learning applied using real life situations when possible.
4. To provide a strong foundation for further learning.
5. To strive to ensure the learner enjoys attending the programme.
6. To engage in research to ensure best teaching.

I am lucky enough to teach in an area that I love.  Even though I teach a programme that repeats twice yearly, I still get excited when I see students evolve into trainers.  On my programmes I install a sense of value to the role of the fitness/personal trainer.  The personal trainer must have a wide knowledge base and strong people skills in order to deal with a wide range of clients, much like a tutor.  For learners to understand this and reach the required learning outcomes of the programme, I use a number of teaching vehicles developed in a purposeful manner.

As with the majority of teaching, we have syllabi to cover as part of our teaching portfolio (Hutchings, 1996, Lang, 1996).  How we communicate this syllabi and the academic freedom that we are allowed, will have a huge effect on how it is received.  Communicating well to students increases retention (Braskamp & Ory, 1994).  However, the vehicle in which we communicate may not always suit the learner so many vehicles should be utitlised.  Something as simple as moving the chairs in a classroom can have an effect on student participation.  Students perceive effective teachers as ones who have knowledge of the subject matter, as well as the ability to communicate that knowledge clearly and enthusiastically (Bernoff, 1992).  I assess students via verbal communication (discussions/presentations), group assignments/assessments, home assignments (questions papers/case studies) and short MC exams.  By using a variety of assessment protocols the student has a better chance of conveying knowledge and understanding of subject matter.  “If a fish is judged on his ability to climb a tree he will always fail”.  Learners learn in different ways.  The learner portfolio of evidence should cover a wide range of assessment processes to ensure fairness when grading.

I also believe that strong student-teacher relationships are essential for successful teaching.  Interest in, concern for and respect of each student is required for effective teaching (Bernoff, 1992).  All tutors and administrators should work closely with each other to ensure student supports are available and indeed, used.  A faculty statement displaying learner supports should be clearly displayed at the teaching institution.  Regular “check-ups” on student health (physical, mental and emotional) could be brought in to formative assessments, sometimes by simply asking the student “how do you feel you are getting on”.  The introduction of a class rep can also benefit learner feedback.  The whole idea is to create a strong learning environment throughout a teaching institution.

As tutors, we are often judged on how many students successfully completed a programme, or what overall grade was achieved.  There should however be more areas to assess in order to have a more holistic view of student learning.  We should be asking have we made a difference in the learners thinking, have we changed the learners attitude to the subject matter or education in general and did the learner take responsibility or ownership of the programme.  “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink”.  Responsibility must be taken by the student as early in the programme as possible to ensure successful completion.  The tutor can frame the programme to encourage such responsibility.

This statement of teaching philosophy required personal reflection on my beliefs in teaching.  The idea of learning is to think for oneself, for a learner to have a deep understanding.  That is the goal I set for every programme I teach.

George Martin

References

·         Bernoff, R.A. (1992).  Effective teaching techniques: A workshop.  Paper presented at the National Conference on Successful College Teaching and Administration, Orlando, FL.

·         Braskamp, L.A. & Ory, J.C. (1994).  Assessing faculty work: Enhancing individual and institutional performance.  San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

·         Lang, J. M. & Bain, K.R. (1996).  Recasting the teaching portfolio.  Evanston, IL: The Searle Center for Teaching Excellence at Northwestern University.

·         Lyons, N. (1998). With portfolio in hand: Validating the new teacher professionalism.  New York: Teacher College Press.

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