In my last post I talked about starting a series of monthly sessions to prepare a teaching portfolio. When I was unable to get started on the first task by the day before it was due I withdrew from the training. I did discover I am teaching in at least two, possibly three, different environments. Perhaps it would be better to say I teach in two different environments. In one of those environments I have two different styles or approaches or teaching philosophies. While I suspect my classroom style and method are similar, I think the demands of the courses and the vocational needs of the students are different enough that I come to the courses with two different philosophies.
I would like to be able to discuss these thoughts and ideas with a group of college teachers. I am finding that I work in a vacuum as far as teaching methodology goes. As I think I have mentioned here before I think college-age / post-secondary students should move and should be encouraged to move beyond other-directed learning to self-directed learning. Yet there does not seem to be any interest in discussing these "philosophical" issues. I had a short-lived discussion with a couple of people in what I might call the centre for instructional development. Even though they invited others to participate, no one did.
Most of the Professional Development that is advertised has to do with technique: how to do "thus and so" in the classroom or how to take advantage of the technology. Sometimes there is training about more general things like learning styles or generational differences. But beyond encouraging me to use as many different methods to present information as I can, I feel I have learned little from this training.
About 2/3 of the students that start first year in our faculty return for second year in our faculty. Some of the reasons for this high non-return rate are personal (students in wrong programme and they switch faculties, students run out of money, get good job, etc.) Some of the reason for the high non-return rate is the students don't make a connection between themselves and learning and/or between learning and future employment success. Perhaps the college or the faculty admissions process is not selective enough. And perhaps there are other things that can be done in the college classroom that will encourage more student success. (Students who are succeeding usually return.)
What does this have to do with discussing teaching philosophy? I wonder how much of student success is built upon the model of education that teachers carry in their heads and reveal to students every time they are in front of a class. Yet it seems as if very few college teachers want to talk about that. We would rather share stories of "today's silly student" than talk about why we do the things we do.
