My revised teaching philosophy

When I entered the Dip.Ed. Programme my objectives as a teacher were clear; I wanted to create
students who will ultimately make strong societal contributions and awaken a passion for
Economics in my students. My objectives as a teacher has not changed over the course of the
programme, however I think my method of achieving these objectives has been refined. In
several ways I believe that I was not getting the most from my traditional teaching techniques.
These are some of the ways my teaching technique has been refined:

Planning- Hopefully the Ministry of Education is not monitoring these portfolios because
quite frankly at my school we are not required to submit lesson plans or even unit plans.
Therefore it will come as no surprise when I say that the most significant growth I have
experienced in this programme was learning how to plan a lesson. Prior to Dip.Ed. I
would follow my syllabus and scheme of work closely but I never really took pen to
paper and planned my lesson beforehand. It became clear to me throughout the Dip. Ed.
that I was better able to achieve my lesson objectives once I had them clearly laid out.
The truth be told, I needed to set clear objectives, so I could see where I was going so I
could more effectively get there. Additionally, planning allowed me to ensure that
affective goals were included in my lesson. The affective domain really helped me reach

students on an emotional level and this will help with their future societal contributions.
Teaching Strategies- The Dip. Ed. Programme has really opened my eyes to the plethora
of teaching techniques that are available, of which I was ignorant to. Prior to Dip. Ed. I
was mainly a chalk and talk teacher with a little extra spunk here and there. I really tried
to make Economics applicable to the students by using real world examples and case
studies, however there are so many other teaching strategies that I had not known.

Implementing the new teaching strategies has brought great student results and for me as
a learner as well. I feel like I was just equipped with more up to date tools to better
execute my task and I am truly grateful. I am able to reach the students better and retain

their interest.
Learning from other teachers- I think that invaluable information was gained from field
days in Dip.Ed. For one, we were given exposure to different types of students with
varying socioeconomic circumstances, some of which we may not have been accustomed
to. Furthermore, while we did not teach on all field days it was valuable to look at other
teachers, their various teaching techniques and styles, some of which were effective and
others ineffective. Members of our group became quite comfortable and we were able to
criticise without being too harsh and also to offer suggestions to one another. Coming
from a school where teachers tend to hoard information, it was truly a breath of fresh air
to learn the power of sharing. Ultimately, I benefited from my colleagues criticism and

my students benefited from any improvements they experienced in my teaching.

Setting boundaries- In my previous teaching philosophy I described myself as the fun,
entertaining, easy going teacher and I really am. At times the demarcation between
student and teacher is not always clear, especially in our out of the classroom
interactions. It was during HFLE that I realised that I was giving my students too much of
a lax environment. I needed to ensure that students were clear on the level of respect that
I expected of them although they are young adults. I am preparing them for the world of
work and for interactions with employers and lecturers and I should be more of a mentor
than a friend. I resolved to always maintain my position as an authority figure with them
no matter how tempting it may be to get lenient and overly friendly with them. If I

wanted to achieve my goal of them contributing positively to society I needed to reflect a

hierarchy of authority, just as the wider society has.

Reaching students where they are- The Dip. Ed. programme especially the field days has
taught us that we must reach students where they are. Children are all different and they
all learn differently, so we must be flexible so that we can meet all different types of
learners at the point where they are. While I may have a passion for Economics and all
the quantitative aspects that comes with it, I cannot force a liking for math on the students
and I must be able to deliver the lesson from the point where the students are rather than
where I expect them to be.

Overall I think that there has been considerable changes to the way I would normally execute
a lesson but my teaching outcomes have remained the same, I am just better equipped to
achieve them.
As your Dip Ed journey is coming to an end, remember your statement above children are
all different and they all learn differently, so we must be flexible. All the best.

Ms. Lystra Stephens-James

Business Curriculum Instructor
School of Education
The University of the West Indies,
St. Augustine Campus, Trinidad and Tobago.