Sibusiso Mdletshe

Personal Teaching Philosophy

1. Student Engagement

Engagement with the students in higher education is critical to success in their studies. Effective engagement is enhanced by effective communication between the lecturer and the students. Student-staff interaction inside and outside the classroom assists the students in learning how the lecturer thinks, while also sharpening the students’ problem-solving skills (Kuh, Kinze, Shuh & Whitt 2005).

My definition of student engagement is based on that given by Strydom, Mentz and Kuh (2010) which has two components. The first component relates to the amount of time and effort students spend on academic and other activities that lead to the experiences and outcomes constituting student success. The second component has to do with the allocation of institutional resources and the organisation of learning opportunities and services while ensuring that the students participate and reap benefits from such activities

My teaching philosophy has its foundation on the belief that student engagement positively impacts on how they learn and therefore assists them in various aspects of their learning and assessment. My philosophy is in agreement with Strydom, et al. (2010) who have shown that student engagement is one of the significant predictors of student satisfaction and success. It is also in agreement with Huang and Chang (2004) who highlight that student engagement in both academic and co-curricular activities significantly improves cognitive skills, communication skills, interpersonal skills and self-confidence.

 

It is for this reason that my teaching philosophy has a view of developing the person as a whole and nurturing the learners to realise their potential both inside and outside the classroom. My philosophy speaks to the teaching and learning strategy of the UJ which is ‘learning to be.’ As learners learn to be, I believe it is important to develop them as a whole. Whether in classroom or outside the classroom, I always strive to engage the students using various approaches. Some of the approaches that I use to engage the students include group / class interaction, one-on-one interaction (formal and non-formal consultations), social media platforms and feedback given on assessments. One example of the social media platform I use is Facebook (FB) where I have a created an account named Radiography Thirdyr Diagnostic which students can link up with for communication with me and their peers on any matter (appendix 1). Students also have access to me via work email, private email, work telephone, personal FB account and my cell phone (for calls, whatsapp and smses) (appendices 2A and 2B). In addition, at the end of each lecture, I allocate at least five minutes for students to come and talk to me if they have questions of any nature. I also allow student free access to my office i.e. they do not to have made a prior appointment to come and see me. However, students who prefer to make an appointment are also accommodated accordingly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As I engage the students, it affords me the opportunity to build a relationship with them resulting in a significant impact on the three important domains which are also highlighted by Jones (2008):

• Behavioural domain – which has to do with student’s habits and skills.

• Cognitive domain – which has to do with beliefs and values of the students.

• Emotional domain – which has to do with student’s motivation and feelings.

 

With my approach, the students therefore have the opportunity to improve their skills while reflecting on their habits, are able to manage their emotions better, and their beliefs and values are shaped such that they contribute positively to their learning.

I have two important pillars in my teaching philosophy which are reflected below.

 

1.1 Communication

Communication promotes engagement and the building of relationships between individuals. Traboulsi (2011) argues that the importance of communication in building relationships and social relationships in self-development is unchallenged by social psychologists. As indicated above, I use various platforms to ensure that students are afforded sufficient communication platforms with me, and where indicated, with their peers.

 

1.2 Building Relationships

Jones (2008) argues that when students observe that their lecturer/mentor cares about their future, they tend to show increased effort. I have observed this in my classroom where students will be joining my class as average students at the beginning of the year. However, due to the engagement that they have with me, the same student will finish the year as a top achiever in my modules while exhibiting confidence and motivation to achieve (appendix 3A – 2nd paragraph).

 

 

 

 

 

Rimm-Kaufman (2011) reports that improved student-lecturer relationships have important, long-lasting and positive implications for students’ academic, emotional and social development. The same author argues that a student who feels connected to the lecturer experiences frequent communication and guidance from the lecturer, and will display the following:

• Increased trust of the lecturer.

• Increased engagement in academic content presented.

• Better classroom behaviour.

• Achievement of higher levels academically.

 

I constantly witness the level of trust that the students display by the nature of issues that students engage with me and these include but are not limited to: social, spiritual, psychological, academic, emotional and personal issues.

I also use the building of relationships as a class management tool because I believe that learning should be fun-filled and students should feel that they are in a free environment where each of them can be themselves without fear. I ensure that every student in class is able to express him / herself through various approaches. This environment creates an effective learning platform and the results of this relationship building are well summarised by Jones (2008) as shown in the table below.

 

 

 

 

 

One of the things that I do to encourage students within this relationship building environment is that I always start a lecture with a ‘thought’. Such a thought is usually a quote from some source or my personal quote / motto and sometimes I ask them to come up with a quote to share with the fellow students and myself (appendix 4 slides 3, 4 and 6). After the thought is presented, I allow the students to reflect on it and then I pose a question ‘what does this mean to you as an individually.’

 

 

 

 

 

The students are then given an opportunity to comment on the thought presented. When students are commenting, the principle is that no one is wrong; it’s a matter of how each person perceives what has been presented. I then summarise by explaining to them my perception of that thought and how I see it applying in my personal life and their lives. Often students come back to me even after completing their diploma to express how the sharing of these thoughts helped motivate them and shape their career.

I therefore believe that my engagement with the students sets them on a better platform as they learn to be. I am attaching appendices 3A; 3B; 3C; 3D; 3E; 3F; 3G; 3H; 3I and 3J as evidence of how the students have experienced my teaching philosophy and the impact that it has made on them concerning their life-long learning and growth as individuals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1.3 Summary

This section presented my personal teaching philosophy. In the next chapter I will present the detailed activities that I use for my TLA strategy while ensuring that I adhere to my teaching philosophy.