Chapter 7: Thinking About Teaching and Learning

My personal teaching philosophies mainly rely on the needs of the students in my classroom. The most important element is success, and therefore my main focus is what will be most effective in creating a successful and constructive environment. A few ideas presented in chapter seven fit into these teaching theories. The book "Joy of Teaching" displays some of Ralph Tyler's creative ideas about curriculum. His theory includes the following strategies:
"1. Define appropriate learning objectives.
2. Establish useful learning experiences.
3. Organize learning experiences to have a maximum cumulative effect.
4. Evaluate the curriculum and revise those aspects that do not prove to be effective." (Hall, Quinn & Gollnick, 2008, p.266)
These concepts create an organized and professional classroom. Another really important idea that is expressed in this chapter is the idea of teaching students to think. Within the English concentration, it is incredibly important to encourage thought process in students to help with the development of their work. This is something I would fully incorporate into my curriculum to lead to success in student writing. Another important value brought to my attention in this chapter was the importance of letting go of knowledge that maybe no longer be useful in the classroom. With technology today, certain pieces in the curriculum may be found unnecessary or no longer useful, which may be the opposite of promoting success. It is important to recognize these elements and know the students well enough to know what the most effective lessons and lesson deliveries are. Keeping up with the needs of students is a concept that will be very appropriate for my teaching philosophy.