Finished my terribad teaching philosophy. I felt free to invent a couple buzzwords of my own (namely "learning-positive environment", you know, a nice cuddly place where knowledge just sort of finds its way into students' brains without any sort of nasty shoving from the teacher, and "horizontal" as opposed to "vertical" education.)
I have been drawn to the educational field since childhood. As the son of a humanities educator myself, I see education not as a calling but as a career; not as a livelihood, but as a way of life; not as a paycheck, but as a purpose. However, I am acutely aware of the need to synthesize the age-old wisdom of the academy with modern educational science to deliver impactful, student-centered instruction that will prepare students for the challenges of an increasingly connected twenty-first century world. It is my earnest belief that by uniting modern innovation and psychological insight with tried-and-true practices that have guided teachers through the centuries, contemporary educators can create effective curricula that empower students to succeed in the new millennium.
Far from being a stodgy relic of an obsolete past, Latin is as relevant as any other language when considering the demands of the modern world. You cannot hope to know where you are going without knowing where you came from; in the new knowledge-based economy, good writing skills and cultural literacy are as important as they have ever been. The vocabulary and eloquence imparted by a sound knowledge of Latin assure pupils a solid foundation in the former; the history, philosophy and literature of antiquity still resonate today. One can hardly understand modern American government, the development of Western civilization, or contemporary moral philosophy without making reference to their classical origins. Knowledge of ancient culture enhances students’ ability to analyze the modern world and think globally.
Teaching a subject like Latin- which, regrettably, too often conjures up images of students in blazers hunched over musty books reciting grammatical paradigms- presents both challenges and opportunities in the context of modern instruction. In my view, although the subject material- Latin grammar and vocabulary, opening the way up for real appreciation of Latin authors- has not changed, modern teaching methods constitute the best way of creating a learning-positive environment. I believe that this is best achieved through creating a student-centered environment; the contemporary educator must be a guide on the side, not a sage on the stage. I envision my classroom as a haven of student-centered learning in which students happily learn from each other in a shared space that focuses on horizontal, rather than vertical, education; my role is that of a trusted advisor and fellow learner, whose expertise, not authority, is key to the enterprise. I am merely a senior partner in a team of equal learners, acting as a mediator between the material and the pupil, and helping to ensure that students of diverse learning styles master Latin language, culture and literature.
Additionally, I believe that the modern classroom cannot fully empower students to engage impactfully with the dawning age of global interdependence unless it also embraces the technological innovation which has made this interdependence possible. Although today’s students are, by and large, digital natives, their instincts must be guided if they are to make the most of classroom technology. The emerging wave of iPad schools, in both affluent and underprivileged settings, has given many educators an extremely powerful, but too often underutilized, tool. The best way to use technology is as part of a wider synthesis with traditional methods. For example, the oft-lauded and widely used Cambridge Latin Course, which uses inductive methods to help students acquire Latin with a minimum of rote grammar work, has developed an entire online module which supplements and reinforces traditional coursework. In an iPad school, then, introductory levels of Latin could be taught in a flipped classroom, in which reading and grammatical work are done at home, while school iPads are, under my judicious and time-effective guidance, used during classroom time to reinforce these concepts in a collaborative environment. iPads and other forms of technology could also be used for such varied activities as mythology video projects; research for student reports; and even designing and constructing virtual shoebox dioramas. While we cannot allow technology to entirely rule our lives, the modern instructor can ill-afford to remain stuck in the mud; if we do not immerse our students in an innovative environment, we cannot ensure that they will develop the tools necessary to become twenty-first century leaders.
Above all, the modern educator must develop tools for measuring his charges’ progress, ensuring that I not only meet district objectives, but go above and beyond them. In addition to existing methods of measuring student and instructor achievement, such as standardized testing and administrative evaluation, I intend to develop holistic tools which fully measure the academic development of all students. To avoid the negative effects of traditional evaluations such as tests, which may be unfair to pupils who are naturally less inclined to them, I intend to utilize a variety of evaluations and evaluative processes. For example, while traditional test-takers might do well on a standard grammar test, collaborative and kinaesthetic learners might be better evaluated by producing short videos or presentations of the same material, or by giving group evaluations which do not abandon the collaborative processes that students will need to refine well into adulthood. In my view, the destination must take second place to the journey; the appreciation of Latin must be made available both to traditional grammar-whizzes and to more intuitive types. By allowing all students, as well as the educator, to bring their particular skills and aptitudes to the table as equals, the Latin classroom can become a setting for life experience, not just the second conjugation.
by Evelyn Waugh. Actually, no, everyone should read
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Topic: Things that made you go "WTF?" today o_O (Read 14948834 times)