Teaching Philosophy

The ultimate goal in my teaching philosophy is to push the students to reach their
maximum learning potential. This is not only in regards to the course material. As an
automotive technology teacher my teaching objectives are as follows: (a) to teach students the
automotive curriculum; (b) to enhance the students critical thinking abilities; (c) to make the
students understand the importance of teamwork and how it affects them and their fellow
classmates; (d) to make the students understand how to analyze a situation and understand what
the desired outcome is in order to know where to start the repair process; (e) teach them how
work under pressure; (f) teach them test taking abilities and processes; (g) teach the students to
value their training and the importance of continued training; (h) to teach students that each thing
they work on may be a little different then the last and the importance of using foundational
knowledge of the system to enable them to understand the differences and how to properly repair
the system even though they have not been formally trained on it; (i) the importance of
accountability and responsibility and the role it will play in their career and life as a whole; (j)
the importance of details and how to think about and cover all angles whenever they are dealing
with things, and that the result of this attention to detail and carful thought process will result in
less errors in general.
When assessing students I always use higher order questions which challenges their
intellect. I use many real life scenarios or situations which forces them to think from both the
repair side and the customer side. I use many technician A and B questions which helps to
sharpen their test taking skill. When performing a hands on test I watch the students through the
entire test to ensure that they have performed each and every part of the repair process
satisfactorily. My hands on tests are timed which puts some pressure on the students but also
makes them realize that in an actual shop environment these are the pressures they will face and I
believe this will only make them stronger.
I also emphasize having a specific career path or goal in mind and to always work toward
that goal. I teach the importance of life outside work and how it affects their job and impacts
their career path. The fundamentals of balancing their occupation with their outside life and
having strong character and how these things are essential to a successful career.
It is very important to me that each student values his/her teachings and understands that
many things they learn apply to their career but also to the rest of their life as well. That strong
character and selflessness will create a better overall environment no matter where they are and
what they are doing, so in essence this will apply to their time at school, work and home.