Teaching Philosophy

As a Structured Learning Assistance (SLA) facilitator, I was able to observe students in a

lecture setting, as well as a discussion setting. I saw many students struggle to sit through
lectures, but then thrive in discussion settings. In the Chemistry Success Center, I helped many
students who simply didn’t understand the example their professor gave them and needed a
different example or another explanation. By tutoring individual students and leading large group
discussions, I developed a progressivism teaching philosophy, so I believe curriculum should be
tailored to the student’s needs, students should be active learners in the classroom, and
curriculum should be relevant to the world around us.
As a CHM 109 SLA facilitator, I was able to meet with my discussions two times a week.
This allowed me to form relationships with many of my students. I was able to hear about their
struggles in chemistry and then tailor class to help them. I found that some of my most successful
discussions occurred when I based my activity or worksheet on what my students struggled most
with in class or what my students felt they did not understand. In order to plan these discussions,
I implemented multiple strategies in the classroom. One idea I had was to send the students a
Google survey containing the topic from the last few lectures. Students would select whatever
topics they did not understand, and I would create content based on the survey responses. I also
would give the students exit tickets as formative assessments, and if the students did poorly on
certain topics on the exit ticket, I would include that topic in the next discussion.
In some of the lectures I attended as an SLA facilitator, I noticed that students’ focus
would often drift away from the lecture and drift towards social media or other homework. This
showed that the students were acting as passive learners. They were not comprehending and
learning the material like they should have been. On the other hand, in my discussions, the
students’ focus would stay on the activity, and they begun to learn the content. In discussion, the
students were acting as active learners. This led me to believe that if students were interested in
the material or the activity, they would focus in the classroom, which would lead to a deeper
understanding of the content. Additionally, this made me think that traditional teaching methods,
such as long lectures, do not always allow for active learning. If active learning is prohibited, a
different method of teaching is needed. In my future classroom, I hope to teach using inquiry
labs and activities, as I believe it allows for more active learning.
In addition to being active learners in the classroom, I believe students have an easier
time learning material when it relates to the world around us. Chemistry is difficult for so many
students because so much of the content is microscopic, and if they cannot see it, they cannot
understand it. By relating content to the world around us, student can attach the chemistry
content they’re learning to an idea they are already familiar with, allowing the student to learn
the content a little easier. Additionally, students have plenty of previous knowledge about
modern culture and current events. By tying the content to previous knowledge, students will be
able to retrieve the concepts from their memory easier than if the concept was not tied to
anything. This also keeps the chemistry concepts relevant and fresh, which should help in
creating active learners in the classroom.
Due to my previous tutoring experiences, I developed a progressivism teaching
philosophy. I believe that if content is tailored to student needs, students are active learners in the
classroom, and the content is relevant to the world around us, students will gain a deeper
understanding of chemistry. By having a deeper understanding of chemistry, students will be as
prepared for their next steps as they can be, showing that I have done my job as a teacher.