T2P Week Two: Addendum

This is an addendum to my T2P Week 2 post. Having discussed a couple of different ways in which teachers view learning, and how this might affect their stance on teaching, let me first offer a couple of examples from class that are helping me to frame my stance on teaching.

In week two’s class, we discussed several different teaching styles that got me to think about how I’d like to teach. I was immediately turned off by the “whole brain teaching” video. I sympathize with those who make the point that there are some things we teach that simply need to be memorized. However, even though there may be basic knowledge that students must attain in order to understand material that will be subsequently presented, scaffolding can still be done in ways in which the teacher can assess whether understanding has occurred. If information is memorized, but not understood, then we do a disservice to students who will be incapable of applying the information to a different context.

The Dead Poet’s Society clip, on the other hand, really spoke to me.  Of course, on its face, it’s a lesson in challenging authority and bucking convention.  But the true story, to me, is of a teacher who respects his students too much to feed them dry, pre-packaged information.  Here is a teacher who inspires action.  Here is a teacher whose passion guides students to intrinsic motivation.  Here is a teacher who fosters critical thinking.

I believe that we should possess these qualities if we are to be great teachers. We must keep in mind that we are charged with numerous and important responsibilities. We are the decision makers in the class, and we are the ones who assess student work and understanding of material. We are also, at all times, moral figures. I think Hansen put it best when he said, “morals are caught, not taught” (Hansen, 1995). With all of this in mind, I’d like to offer what I’ve developed as my stance on teaching:

My first responsibility to my students is to facilitate learning. I will be attentive to the fact that students learn in different ways, and will do my best to offer variable means of instruction. It is also important that I provide an environment that is conducive to learning. And because the goal of public schools is to turn out well-educated students and conscientious citizens who will be prepared for a lifetime of learning and participation in our democratic society, I will be an ethical role model. My classroom will be student-centered, a place where student and teacher alike can expect a sense of fairness, respect, high expectations, and mutual enhancement.



Hansen, D.T. (1995). Teaching and the moral life of classrooms. Journal for a Just and Caring Education. 2, 59-74.