The previous blog post featured two quotes advocating reflection about teaching philosophy and teaching practice. The goal is to discover discrepancies (if there are any) between what one believes about teaching and how one teaches. The problem? It’s darn difficult to be objective about one’s teaching. We just have too much of ourselves invested in [...]
Blog » Philosophy of Teaching
Keeping Teaching Philosophy and Instructional Practice on the Same Page
Posted Thursday, September 2nd, 2010 by Maryellen Weimer“Conscientious pedagogical reflection is necessary to produce a complete, well-developed teaching philosophy. The absence of pedagogical reflection can result in daily instruction that fails to reflect an instructor’s teaching philosophy or instructional belief system accurately. In particular, an underdeveloped teaching philosophy may translate into a teaching style full of inconsistencies, characterized by poorly coordinated and designed instruction.” (p. 182)
The Truly Heroic
Posted Tuesday, April 6th, 2010 by Maryellen WeimerA lot of books in my teaching library are now old; I’ve been collecting them for many years now. But I’m discovering there’s a timelessness to a lot of material on teaching—so much research has a really short shelf life but an instructional insight, or an approach (new if you haven’t tried it) can be just what you need. Its value is not compromised by the fact that somebody recommended it 25 years ago.
All That Teaching Entails
Posted Thursday, January 7th, 2010 by Maryellen WeimerThe February issue of the newsletter contains highlights from an amazing article—one written by a faculty member who describes himself as a “bad teacher.” The piece chronicles his transformation as a teacher. It’s one of the best articles I’ve read in a long while (and you know I read more than a few articles).
What I’d [...]
‘A Teaching Life’
Posted Friday, December 4th, 2009 by Maryellen WeimerOn a fairly regular basis, I reread what may well be my all time favorite essay on teaching—Christa L. Walck’s “A Teaching Life.” Walck’s essay draws heavily from one of my favorite books, Annie Dillard’s The Writing Life, in which Dillard describes how writing creates her life. Walck wonders if teaching does the same for [...]
This I Believe
Posted Thursday, November 5th, 2009 by Maryellen WeimerMore than half way through a course you don’t really you have time or the inclination to consider your teaching manifesto—that is, what you believe about teaching and how you realize those beliefs in your practice. But as the demands of the semester start to mount, it can be energizing to read what others believe, [...]
‘Pedagogy of Ironic Minimalism’
Posted Thursday, October 1st, 2009 by Maryellen WeimerThis fall marks Robert Nash’s 41st year in the classroom. When asked about retirement plans, he reports telling colleagues that he’ll go when they carry him out in a box and bury him on the main university green.
“So much of what I’ve learned about teaching in the academy over four decades can be summarized in [...]
