My Teaching Philosophy

                I believe that the first step in effective teaching is to identify students' needs, interests, and learning styles and strategies.  At the  beginning of each semester my students  are encouraged to answer a  questionnaire about their background education and their IT skills. Their responds aim at opening a channel for  further interaction through both one- to –one interviews and group discussions. This ongoing dialogue  is hoped to promote a student-centered learning  environment and learners’ empowerment. Kojima  (2206:74)* , argues that in the student-centered classroom “our starting point is not the textbook but the learners. There should be always ongoing dialogue between teachers and learners.” In such an  environment, the relationship between the teacher and the student is more balanced than the  traditional norm where teachers are the only knowledge providers and learners are the passive recipients.

                I strongly believe that the more students do for themselves, the more learning will take place. The modules I teach are delivered through combination of lectures, interactive group work, hands-on activities  and directed self-study. In my classroom, I play a variety of roles beyond the information provider: I am a motivator, facilitator and supporter. I try to foster my students' interdependence as a first step to enhance their autonomy. Research suggests that the development of autonomy implies collaboration and interdependence, rather than learners working in isolation. I am  always trying  to enhance the classroom’s social climate and promote opportunities for the students to develop as a group.
                Classroom activities and tasks have  closely real-world relevance. I try to incorporate activities that match as nearly as possible the real-world tasks rather than decontextualized or classroom-based tasks.
                My students participate directly in the teaching process, which enhances the learning environment. Students’ contributions include designing mini-workshops where they introduce their peers to different applications and topics such as: Multimedia translation, Photoshop techniques, multimedia editing, communication and social networking applications, technology security and ethical issues etc.
                My classroom is technologically-enhanced with a smart board and web-connected PCs, yet I believe that technology does not hold all the solutions to our educational challenges. I do not see technological integration as a goal in itself, but as a “significant catalyst for change” (Tomei, 2008:16).As with any other teaching tool, I try to have clear, well-focused teaching objectives and goals for each classroom task and look for ways to engage my student through  these tasks.
Anatole France, the famous French poet and novelist, once said:
“The whole art of teaching is only the art of awakening the natural curiosity of young minds for the purpose of satisfying it afterwards.”
 
                                           
 
*Kojima, H. (2006). Learner Autonomy in Language Education: A Cross-Cultural Perspective. Bull. Fac. Educ. Hirosaki Univ. 96,  67:75
Tomei, L. A. (2008). Encyclopedia of information technology curriculum integration. Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference