Educational philosophy

This is a very rough draft of my educational philosophy, in response to a prompt required by the San Bernardino Community College District for a tenure-track faculty position.

I confess; I feel a bit appalled that I never tried articulating a formal educational philosophy in writing. Granted, I've known it's more complicated than "make people less dumb". But even that four-word philosophy has a lot embedded in it. What are the better and worse ways of achieving that? Do you treat all people equally? How do you measure dumbness?

Hopefully, these (draft) principles seem less theoretical and are anchored in the practical.

Feedback welcome. I'll probably edit these shortly, but I have some tutoring to do, and wanted to solicit ideas before I submitted any sort of philosophy statement.

Educational Philosophy

1. Independence

The teacher’s goal ought to be to promote independence and mutual interdependence among the students. A teacher must fight the desire to be the center of attention and be prepared to cede the spotlight in order to develop students’ abilities. This does not mean a hands-off approach, especially in the early stages of learning. But it does mean structuring the class to provide greater opportunities for teamwork and collaboration, using current best practices.

2. Anchoring new topics to students’ existing knowledge/interests and fostering curiosity

Science is fundamentally about curiosity. I dislike the trend toward edutainment, in that it has, as a built-in assumption, that science in itself isn’t interesting enough without a song and dance. I do engage my students, and my broad background and interests mean that I can generally come up with surprisingly apt tie-ins that relate to their world. It might mean relating a topic to a popular movie, or a mechanical principle to a concept in business. This challenges an assumption that subjects are discrete and unrelated, and provides an opportunity for students to become curious across disciplines.

3. Combating phobias and stereotypes and developing confidence

Many students carry with them fears about being unable to comprehend topics like physics and advanced math. These are often traced to bad mentorship from teachers or family members. As a tutor, I drew directly from the principles of cognitive-behavioral therapy to encourage students to verbalize their subconscious (or conscious) insecurities, and directly challenge them. Although classroom instruction and the limits of time make it impractical to do this on an individual level (except through the incidental casual conversation), it is still possible—and absolutely necessary—to do so in a group setting. It is only by directly addressing and combating those fears and insecurities and actively working to develop confidence through mastery that a student can begin to own a new , more positive identity in regards to his or her ability to understand and “do” science.

4. Shaping through example

Although college ought to be about shifting learning from a hierarchical classroom structure to peer and independent learning, the professor still plays an important role. However, the role that a professor ought to be asked to play is that of facilitator and example, in addition to expert and source of knowledge. If I want students to have a more nuanced view of science and scientists (other than a one-dimensional point of view shaped by popular culture), then I need to be somewhat nuanced and complex. I may have to work against type, both to reduce the intimidation many students feel and to allow a broader group to feel comfortable identifying as a “scientist”, or to value science.

5. The importance of providing an example for how to succeed at school

Great educators can and do spend a great deal of time working on how best to communicate the subject matter to their students. I believe that we often neglect the reverse flow of communication: we can do better to train our students to not only know the subject, but to communicate that knowledge effectively. To this end, I feel it is important to use examples and sample solutions, both to illuminate the process of solving a problem and the process of conveying that mastery back to me.

6. The role of diversity in the scientific and educational enterprise

Diversity's relative importance is not reflected by its position on this list. It is practically axiomatic (though also supported by research) that better decisions are reached when there is a combination of a diversity of backgrounds and a common purpose. An educational setting, and especially a community college, is built for that confluence of factors. Students have diverse ethnicities, primary languages, ages, belief systems, sexual identifications, genders, and life experiences. I have had the challenge and opportunity to work across a wide variety of cultural, economics, and social lines, and one thing has become clear: there is an opportunity for every person to develop their awareness and appreciation of the universe. In so doing, the language of physics and astronomy provides a common experience and set of knowledge, one tied to the historical traditions of many cultures and peoples.

7. Economic mobility

Scientific education isn't just about nurturing the soul. It’s about nourishing the body. I know that many of my students will be immigrants and refugees. Most will be near or in poverty. STEM courses are a critical step in achieving economic mobility and entering into higher-skilled, higher-wage jobs. I don’t expect, or even wish, that my students pursue academic research science careers. Instead, what they need, and what I hope to provide, are the fundamentals of problem-solving, technical knowledge, abstract reasoning, and deductive logic that will be fundamental to their success, whether they pursue a STEM career or not. To that end, I will make certain that, in every aspect, my course accommodates students of limited means without limiting their ambitions for a better life.