Sample Essay on Critique: My Pedagogy

Critique: My Pedagogy

It is always the desire of every teacher to create a meaningful and engaging school experience for the students. This is the only way in which they can meet their interests while at the same time achieve their goals as teachers. A philosopher’s pedagogy was developed after conceptualization of the methods that fitted most on the lessons that each teacher achieved with their students (Westbrook, Durrani, Brown, Orr, Boddy & Salvi, 2013). There are various approaches that teachers can use and each represents their area of orientation to the content of philosophy. However, it is important to mention that the effectiveness of a particular pedagogy that a teacher uses most often depends on the subject matter that they are teaching (Li, 2012). This will help them to understand better the varied needs of the learners/students while at the same time adapt to the conditions within the classroom. As a teacher, I have to ensure that I use a pedagogy that will enable both the student and I acquire academic achievement, technical skills, general knowledge and ability to be used in the society and also emotional and social development. My pedagogical teaching approach includes learner-centered pedagogy which involves the learner playing an active role in the process of learning and in this paper I describe this process in details including its effectiveness in my career.

Task Description: The Learner-Centered Pedagogy

The learner-centered approach of teaching is a philosophy which may be focusing on the students/learners in their process of learning, but as a teacher, it is their role to oversee everything they do to acquire academic achievement (Frankena, Raybeck & Burbules, 2002). This process requires that the students use the knowledge that they had previously acquired to learn and incorporate it into the new experiences that they will acquire in the classroom. This will enable them to create an appropriate knowledge that would catalyze their learning experience both in class and outside the classroom. It is the role of the teacher to facilitate the entire process but has specific structure and conditions that the students will have to follow while learning (UNICEF, 2010).

The curriculum or the syllabus used in the learner-centered approach is mainly based on the ability, local culture, interests, backgrounds, and skills of the students (Attard, Iorio, Geven & Santa, 2014). It is the role of the teacher to explain to the students/learners the checklist of the curriculum to promote their sufficient contribution towards the subject.  It also means that the students will be involved in developing the lesson plans based on their interests which will be guided by their teacher. The learning objective will be the focus when developing the relevant teaching plan. The appropriate lessons for learner-centered approach could be practical in nature where the teacher helps the student to evaluate evidence or solve problems (Thomson, 2002). At the same time, the same time, communication lessons are also appropriate because it enables the students to generate the right hypothesis while analyzing arguments while the teacher guides them through to ensure acquire the right knowledge needed to expand their learning in future.

Critique Analysis of the Learner-Centered Approach

The learner-centered approach of teaching has been found to be effective in providing the students with the right skills and techniques to solve problems analyze various arguments and develop the right proposition for learning. At the same time, the student gets the chance to learn from each other while the role of the teacher is to provide his/her expertise while helping them to solve various problems (Weimer, 2012). However, the most important aspect of this teaching approach is that the collaboration is not only among the students but also with the teacher since they can also learn from the students (Pedersen & Liu, 2003). The teacher develops the right structures that will promote sharing of learning activities leading to commitment among the students (Kember, 2009). Learning can, therefore, be done collectively to achieve the educational experience that the teacher intends. The teacher will ensure that the students are in the right environment where they can all benefit from different approaches to learning such as individual learning or group work which can be done outdoors or indoors on the floor. Apart from identifying the right environment, the teacher’s role is also to evaluate the lesson and ensure that the learning experience of every student is smooth and appropriate (Jones, 2007).

Reflection on my Philosophy

As a teacher, I have always believed that when students get involved in the learning process, they not only acquire the right knowledge but also have great academic experience. This is the reason I believe that learner-centered approach is an effective method for teaching students and I intend to apply it in future in my communication and practical classes. The approach minimizes the chances of students being “spoon-fed” instead it encourages them to dig deeper on the subject of study and come up with appropriate techniques that they can use to solve problems or analyze various arguments. As a student, I love when I am given a task and the instructor gives me a chance to explore on various ways to solve the problem. This not only makes me learn fast but also challenges me to conduct further research that will help in my studies. I believe that if this approach of teaching is applied to other students, they will definitely acquire technical skills and the right knowledge and ability that they can use to develop themselves and the society at large.

Pedagogies Used in Implementation of Lessons

The teacher will have to provide the right learning activities to enable the students to build and discover new knowledge for themselves (Brown, 2000). After acquiring the knowledge, they will develop it based on their understanding of the principles and the concepts on the subject they are learning. The students can be guided by their teacher by providing them with appropriate questions that will guide their learning process. By solving the problems, the learners will be exploring new knowledge while at the same time learning more about their environment especially in the case where they are required to perform various experiments (Hannafin & Hannafin, 2010). However, it is the role of the teacher to provide the students with the right materials that they will use during their learning process or find the right answers. It means that even though the learner-centered approach of learning is focusing more on the student, the teacher must be present with them all through the process to allow effective learning (Wright, 2011).

Justification of the Best Pedagogical Approach

When a student applies more energy on a subject they are learning, they will acquire marvelous skills that they need to learn. At the same time, the learner must have interest in learning for the learner-centered approach to be effective (Jambor, 2013). However, learner-centered pedagogy is the best approach to learning because it involves self-evaluation for both the student and the teacher. It enables the learner to know their skills and potential based on self-evaluation since the teacher does not do much in their learning process. When a student learns that they are talented in various sectors, they will not only be motivated but also develop more interest in learning making them be more engaged in the process of learning (Brown, 2001).

Methodologies Used to measure teaching Success

It is the joy of every teacher to learn that their approach of teaching is successful for both the student and them. However, they have to identify the right measures to ensure that their pedagogy is right and brings about success. Some of the methods they can use are evaluating the level of interest of students in learning. Students who are motivated with the technique that the teacher uses will always have strong desire and interest in learning (Makaiau & Miller, 2010). At the same time, the teacher can check whether they have achieved their education goals if not, they will realize that their approach to teaching is not right.

Relevant and Current Literature

The current literature review mainly focuses on the learning approaches that are being used by teachers at the classroom and the school levels. The main sources that reviewed the learning approaches include academic books from college, peer-reviewed journal articles, government curriculum guidelines, online documents and online electronic sources (Curren, 2006). The studies mainly focused on the thinking skills and knowledge of the students and the manner in which their relationship with the teachers facilitated it. Collaborating learning which involves learner-centered approach was found to facilitate constructive knowledge among the students while increasing their social and cognitive abilities (Gutek, 2009).

In conclusion, the philosopher’s pedagogy are approaches that teachers apply to facilitate the effective learning experience for the students and also to enhance their teaching career. Each teacher has their own pedagogy approach that they apply on different lessons. The method used on the lessons depends solely on the approach that they use. As a teacher, I have been using the learner-centered approach which involves allowing the students to take part more in the learning process. This method has been effective in my life thus hope to promote it by ensuring that students are more focused on their study by learning how to solve problems and analyze main arguments.

 

 

Lesson Plan Review

From the beginning, the lesson plan is clearly articulated and progressively developed based on the learner centered pedagogy as intended. The plan begins with a clarification of technical details such as the grade and the class to be taught, the subject, lesson topic, time and duration as well as the date of the lesson and the teacher that will be responsible for the lesson. From these details, one can sense that the lesson has a sense of direction. Subsequent sections of the lesson plan also satisfactorily address the needs of the learner, the teacher as well as anyone who would like to read the lesson plan. From an observer’s perspective, it is possible to follow the lesson through and understand the teacher’s intentions and the expected outcomes. Besides this, the lesson plan clearly indicates the expectations held by the teacher prior to beginning the lesson hence indicating that there has been a progressive journey in the subject.

Based on what is represented in the lesson plan, it can be argued that there is a clear rationale for the lesson. For instance, not only does one know that one of the objectives of the lesson is to enable students to understand what savings are and the different types, but that they should have learned about disposable income prior to this particular lesson. While the instructional plan is workable as well as effective in contributing to the achievement of instructional goals, it can be said to be a bit simple for the ninth grade. For instance, the teacher indicates that one minute would be taken to train the students on some power teaching techniques, the technique outlined is however not applied anywhere during the lesson. This makes it appear to be a time-consuming practice for the teacher to be used.

Through the lesson plan, it can be said that the plan satisfies various requirements of an effective lesson. For instance, the plan provides a set that engages the students at various times during the lesson. Additionally, it also outlines an assignment structure that not only evaluates the understanding of the lesson concepts but is also clear and manageable based on the lesson objectives. The assignments are also administered towards the end of the lesson where they give the teacher an opportunity for closure. Neither the assignments nor any part of the lesson deliverables offers information on the teacher’s achievement. On the students’ part, however, the plan does not clearly state how individual attention is addressed during the lesson. This may be indicative of unbalanced learning capacity among the students by the end of the lesson.

The lesson plan is coordinated excellently based on the details it contains. The teacher provides their intentional procedure of delivery and also includes all the requirements that would make the lesson more understandable. All the required items such as bank logos and other pictures, bristle boards, economics notes and wrapped box are all easily available and cheap. On the negative side, the lesson plan provides an evaluation procedure for the students without providing a corresponding procedure for the teacher’s use.

The effectiveness of a lesson can be determined based on its impact on the learners. In the lesson, the children’s social, emotional, ethical, moral and mental needs are catered to satisfactorily. While the mental needs are catered for through new knowledge, the social needs are addressed through pair work and interactions with teachers; the emotional needs through engagement while the ethical and moral needs are addressed through identification with the students’ religious backgrounds i.e. Islam. It can thus be concluded that the lesson was worthwhile and that the 40 minutes was well utilized successfully for the benefit of the students.

 

References

Attard, A., Iorio, E., Geven, K. & Santa, R. (2014). Student-Centered Learning SCL Toolkit. Brussels: European Students’ Union.

Brown, H. D. (2000). Principles of Language Learning and Teaching. White Plains: Longman

Brown, H. D. (2001). Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy. Longman: White Plains.

Curren, R. (2006). A Companion to the Philosophy of Education. New York: Blackwell Companions to Philosophy.

Frankena, WK., Raybeck, N., & Burbules, N. (2002). Philosophy of Education. New York, NY: Macmillan

Gutek, G.L. (2009). New Perspectives on Philosophy and Education. Pearson: Pearson Education, Inc.

Hannafin, M. J., & Hannafin, K. M. (2010). Cognition and student-centered, web-based learning: Issues and implications for research and theory. New York: Springer US

Jambor, PZ. (2013). Learner attitudes toward learner centered education. United Kingdom: University of Birmingham.

Jones, L. (2007). The Student-Centered Classroom. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Kember, D. (2009). Promoting student-centered forms of learning across an entire university. Higher Education. 58 (1), 1–13.

Li, N. (2012). Approaches to learning: Literature review. London:  International Baccalaureate Organization.

Makaiau, AS . & Miller, C. (2010).The philosopher’s pedagogy. Educational Perspectives 44(1), 8-20.

Pedersen, S., & Liu, M. (2003). Teachers’ beliefs about issues in the implementation of a student-centered learning environment. Educational Technology Research and Development 51(2), 57-76.

Thomson, I. (2002). “Heidegger on Ontological Education”. In Peters, Michael A. Heidegger, Education, and Modernity. New York, NY: Rowman and Littlefield.

UNICEF. (2010). Inclusivity learner centered teaching & learning health and safety. Maldives: Ministry of Education Publishers. Retrieved from https://www.unicef.org/maldives/learner_centered_teaching_and_learning.pdf

Weimer, A. (2012). Five characteristics of learner-centered teaching. Missouri: The Teaching Conference.

Westbrook, J., Durrani, N., Brown, R., Orr, D. Boddy, J. & Salvi, F. (2013). Pedagogy, curriculum, teaching practices and teacher education in developing nations. New York: University of Sussex.

Wright, G.B. (2011). Student-Centered Learning in Higher Education. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. 23 (3): 93–94.

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