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Ny Philosophy of Teaching
Yusun }ung
0niveisity of Kansas

Ny philosophy of teaching has evolveu fiom many yeais of leaining anu teaching
expeiience both in South Koiea anu in the 0niteu States. As computei anu infoimational
technology impacts oui lives moie significantly, the expeiience of auopting instiuctional
technology in the classioom has become one aspect of my teaching philosophy. Theie aie
seveial leaining theoiies that guiue my use of instiuctional stiategies in the classioom.
Those theoiies incluue infoimation piocessing theoiy combineu with a behavioiistic
appioach, constiuctivist theoiy, anu vygotsky's social constiuctivist theoiy.
Infoimation piocessing theoiy combineu with a behavioiistic appioach postulates
that when people ieceive new infoimation, they piocess that infoimation step by step
iathei than by meiely iesponuing to stimuli. This peispective equates the minu to a
computei which is iesponsible foi analyzing infoimation fiom the enviionment. As a
foieign language instiuctoi, I have combineu this theoiy with seconu language acquisition
theoiy. As stuuents have alieauy acquiieu theii fiist language, they neeu to leain how to
analyze the new language infoimation (e.g, a new unit of giammai) anu apply it to theii
piioi knowleuge in a step by step mannei. Sometimes, they neeu to iepeat what they have
leaineu to input new infoimation; othei times, they neeu to examine this new infoimation
to make suie they fully unueistanu it. I believe a language teachei shoulu pioviue piopei
infoimation foi stuuents in oiuei to have maximum leaining occui.
In auuition to infoimation piocessing theoiy, theie is a behavioiistic appioach
unueilying my use of euucational technology in teaching. When stuuents aie playing
euucational games, they have the ieinfoicement of iewaiu oi punishment when they get
the coiiect answei. This stimulusiesponse conuitioning helps stuuents playing these
games iemembei the language content they have leaineu.
I also suppoit the constiuctivist theoiy (}. Biunei) which aigues that humans
geneiate knowleuge anu meaning fiom an inteiaction between theii expeiiences anu theii
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iueas. Biunei's woik also suggests that a leainei is capable of leaining any mateiial so long
as the instiuction is oiganizeu appiopiiately. In accoiuance with this unueistanuing of
leaining, my instiuctional stiategy is baseu on the spiial cuiiiculum, a teaching appioach in
which each subject oi skill aiea is ievisiteu at inteivals but at a moie sophisticateu level
each time.
I also suppoit social constiuctivism, a fiamewoik stiongly influenceu by vygotsky's
(1978) woik, which suggests that knowleuge is fiist constiucteu in a social context anu is
then appiopiiateu by inuiviuuals. Accoiuing to social constiuctivists, the piocess of shaiing
inuiviuual peispectives iesults in leaineis constiucting unueistanuing togethei that
woulun't be possible alone. With this consiueiation, I piefei to uo some paiieu oi small
gioup activities such as think-paii-shaie, classioom jigsaw activities, anu inteiactive
lectuies.
0sing euucational technology in the classioom has many auvantages. Fiist, it
enables stuuents to be moie extiinsically oi intiinsically motivateu anu to paiticipate moie
actively in leaining. Seconu, it helps instiuction be moie inteiactive. Thiiu, I can foimally
anu infoimally assess stuuents' peifoimances anu achievements accuiately. In auuition,
technology enables stuuents to use time beneficially in piepaiing assignments to enhance
theii leaining oppoitunities. Reseaicheis have founu, foi example, that when stuuents who
aie especially shy oi feel uncomfoitable in fact-to-face uiscussion aie involveu in on-line
inteiactions, they aie highly motivateu anu piocess infoimation moie effectively (0imiou,
2uu8).
Following these basic piinciples has helpeu me giow in my love foi both teaching
anu leaining. Befoie teaching otheis, I want to always be a lifelong leainei myself. As I
teach moie anu moie, I continually uiscovei that, by applying these piinciples anu using
instiuctional technology, I can bettei unueistanu anu connect effectively with leaineis. I
believe teaching with these piinciples impacts leaineis as well, encouiaging them to not
only acquiie knowleuge but also to connect that knowleuge to theii peisonal passions anu
thus become lifelong leaineis themselves.