Mine, Min Min Tay's Teaching Philosophy
How many of you keep your teaching philosophies on your studio website or printed in your teaching and studio materials?
Most University education classes require students to write their teaching philosophies.
Have you been updating it regularly?
For those of you who didn't write one during your University days, have you considered writing one?
Here are some reasons to encourage you why it is necessary that you should write one and if you are still using the one you wrote in University, why you should consider updating it regularly.
First and foremost, what is a Teaching Philosophy?
Teaching Philosophies are about your views on teaching and learning. They are about your goals as a teacher, your methods of teaching styles, your relationship with your students, and about the kind of learning environment that you are providing for your students etc.
Writing your teaching philosophies on paper allows you to reflect upon your goals as a teacher, and improve your teaching methods for reaching those goal at a practical and achievable level. It also allows you to refocus and adjust your methods of teaching to align with these goals.
Why should I update my Teaching Philosophies regularly?
- As University students, we have very little idea what our teaching philosophies really were, as we had very little teaching experience at that point
- The Teaching Philosophies should reflect the change in your teaching as your develop each year with more experiences along the way
- If you don't have a written Teaching Philosophy yet, why not try writing one. You might not be very satisfied with result at first, however the beauty of it being written down is that it allows you to revise it to more accurately reflect your teaching goals and values. It will become something valuable to you and benefit your students.
- I would encourage you to update your Teaching Philosophy once a year.
Getting Started
As a Rule of thumb, keep your Teaching Philosophy simple. It does not have to be lengthy.
Here are some ideas to get your started and help you to think about your teaching goals and values.
- What is the most important takeaway that you would like your students to walk away with after 1-10 years of lessons?
- What differentiates you from other teachers?
- What goals or expectations do you have for your students?
- How do you motivate your students?
- Are there particular methods or boos you use to help students to achieve their goals
- What kind of teaching environment do you maintain in your studio?
- What role does a parent play in their child’s music lesson?
These are some ideas to get you started. I encourage all teachers to have a Teaching Philosophy which is updated regularly. Enjoy the writing process.
Sincerely,
Min-Min