Steve Whitaker

Teaching philosophy

I teach as I believe. My philosophy drives my methodology and what I do as both an educator and a learner. Through my experiences, I have developed a series of theses that serve to convey my beliefs, and I am happy to share them with you here.
Education is a compact between learners and educators. The best teachers are those who are willing to acknowledge this, to consider their students as collaborators, and to change the power structure of their classrooms in order to place more control into the hands of learners. The most successful learners are those willing to acknowledge that they have an active role to play as well, to take on more ownership of the learning environment and content, and to critically examine what is being taught, and why.
Learning occurs through connections. One of the responsibilities of a good instructor is to help students understand the relationship between what they’re learning and their own lives. This isn’t just true for adult leaners, as Knowles proposes, but for students of all ages. The more relevant the connection, and the more obvious it is made, the more motivated a learner will be to engage with the content. For this reason, educators cannot dismiss the affective aspects of their classrooms – emotions help bring students closer to what they’re learning.
Different learning styles are real, and must be considered when planning and teaching. Students learn in different ways, and whether we refer to their natural inclinations as “intelligences” or just preferences, a strong teacher respects the fact that all students benefit from employing multiple modalities when representing information, varied methods of presentation and conversation, and a general willingness to avoid adhering to a single teaching style.
Students want to be inspired, challenged, and validated. My goals in teaching are not just to cover information or make sure that learners are able to demonstrate mastery. I also want to make students want to learn. I want to make them struggle at times so that they feel like owners of what they’ve mastered, and I want to give them experiences that will let them begin to believe that they’re capable of such mastery over different information and in different situations.
Learning is about the environment, too. The classroom environment contributes greatly to how effectively teaching and learning occur within it. The best classrooms are not just collections of individual students, but rather collaborative groups with common goals, regardless of how different the backgrounds are of those who comprise the groups. A good teacher facilitates relationships between learners, helps them to draw connections, and pushes them to see themselves as a unified cohort. A high-quality learning environment feels safe at all times, even when an instructor encourages risk-taking and asks students to go beyond their established comfort zones.The classroom should always be in a state of “perpetual beta.” The “Web 2.0” trend introduced the notion that a tool can still be useful and effective even when under development, and that user inputs may be used to make immediate, beneficial changes. In the classroom, I believe that every day should be the result of iteration based on reassessments of what learners need. My background in instructional design undoubtedly helps fuel this belief, and also allows me to have at my possession the tools that let me constantly gauge how things are going and to make changes as necessary.
Assessment does have a place. Evaluation of student work is important, and not just to ensure that state, local, or institutional standards are being met. Assessment should also provide important feedback to learners so that they understand where they can improve. In that sense, even summative evaluations can act as formative ones. Of equal importance, though, is evaluation of the learning experience. Students should be given opportunities beyond a traditional course evaluation to provide feedback so that instructors have the opportunity to make changes.
Teaching should be tiring. When I go home after spending time in the classroom, I’m exhausted. I throw all of my energy into my teaching, and I think that students draw from the enthusiasm I demonstrate and my love for what I’m doing.
I work very hard in my teaching to keep these theses in mind, and to demonstrate my commitment to them. I love teaching and working with learners, and I hope – and believe – that it shows.

I teach as I believe. My philosophy drives my methodology and what I do as both an educator and a learner. Through my experiences, I have developed a series of theses that serve to convey my beliefs, and I am happy to share them with you here.

Education is a compact between learners and educators. The best teachers are those who are willing to acknowledge this, to consider their students as collaborators, and to change the power structure of their classrooms in order to place more control into the hands of learners. The most successful learners are those willing to acknowledge that they have an active role to play as well, to take on more ownership of the learning environment and content, and to critically examine what is being taught, and why.

Learning occurs through connections. One of the responsibilities of a good instructor is to help students understand the relationship between what they’re learning and their own lives. This isn’t just true for adult leaners, as Knowles proposes, but for students of all ages. The more relevant the connection, and the more obvious it is made, the more motivated a learner will be to engage with the content. For this reason, educators cannot dismiss the affective aspects of their classrooms – emotions help bring students closer to what they’re learning.

Different learning styles are real, and must be considered when planning and teaching. Students learn in different ways, and whether we refer to their natural inclinations as “intelligences” or just preferences, a strong teacher respects the fact that all students benefit from employing multiple modalities when representing information, varied methods of presentation and conversation, and a general willingness to avoid adhering to a single teaching style.

Students want to be inspired, challenged, and validated. My goals in teaching are not just to cover information or make sure that learners are able to demonstrate mastery. I also want to make students want to learn. I want to make them struggle at times so that they feel like owners of what they’ve mastered, and I want to give them experiences that will let them begin to believe that they’re capable of such mastery over different information and in different situations.

Learning is about the environment, too. The classroom environment contributes greatly to how effectively teaching and learning occur within it. The best classrooms are not just collections of individual students, but rather collaborative groups with common goals, regardless of how different the backgrounds are of those who comprise the groups. A good teacher facilitates relationships between learners, helps them to draw connections, and pushes them to see themselves as a unified cohort. A high-quality learning environment feels safe at all times, even when an instructor encourages risk-taking and asks students to go beyond their established comfort zones.

The classroom should always be in a state of “perpetual beta.” The “Web 2.0” trend introduced the notion that a tool can still be useful and effective even when under development, and that user inputs may be used to make immediate, beneficial changes. In the classroom, I believe that every day should be the result of iteration based on reassessments of what learners need. My background in instructional design undoubtedly helps fuel this belief, and also allows me to have at my possession the tools that let me constantly gauge how things are going and to make changes as necessary.

Assessment does have a place. Evaluation of student work is important, and not just to ensure that state, local, or institutional standards are being met. Assessment should also provide important feedback to learners so that they understand where they can improve. In that sense, even summative evaluations can act as formative ones. Of equal importance, though, is evaluation of the learning experience. Students should be given opportunities beyond a traditional course evaluation to provide feedback so that instructors have the opportunity to make changes.

Teaching should be tiring. When I go home after spending time in the classroom, I’m exhausted. I throw all of my energy into my teaching, and I think that students draw from the enthusiasm I demonstrate and my love for what I’m doing.

I work very hard in my teaching to keep these theses in mind, and to demonstrate my commitment to them. I love teaching and working with learners, and I hope – and believe – that it shows.

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