Teaching Philosophy
Background
In my transition from clinical practice to academia I quickly realized how little I knew about how to be an effective instructor. I taught the way I had been taught. Students were assigned readings prior to class. Outlines were provided to supplement the teacher-centered lectures. Little time was allocated for in-class discussion or other learning activities. My unspoken expectations included beliefs that all of the students were 1) highly motivated, 2) devoid of competing priorities, 3) skilled readers, 4) able to discern relevant from irrelevant information, 5) able to effectively manage time, 6) able to effectively manage stress, and 7) comfortable to ask for clarification or help when needed. These assumptions were valid for precious few.
Faced with student feedback that I knew “nothing” about teaching, I began to consider the similarities between teaching and the practice of occupational therapy. It occurred to me that therapists are inherently teachers. Therapists provide information, influence attitude, impact motivation, teach new ways of thinking and doing, and help clients make positive connections between past experience and current realities. Therapists seek to understand barriers to performance and goal attainment. Therapeutic instruction is grounded in the basic assumption that learning is enhanced when instruction includes opportunities for practice accompanied by feedback. Client feedback is used to adjust and modify treatment. Therapists identify their clients’ areas of weakness, their strengths, and select activities that provide the “just right challenge”. Effective therapists continually update skills and make practice decisions based on evidence. They are lifelong learners. I had more learning to do!
In 2009, I enrolled as a doctoral student in the Fischler School of Education at Nova Southeastern University. Professors, peers, readings, and prior experience have influenced and contributed to my current teaching philosophy. Clear and frequent communication between instructors and students are essential elements for effective teaching. Students must know what to expect of their instructors and what is expected of them. These expectations should be established at the beginning of the relationship to avoid misunderstandings. Assumptions are to be avoided. Assessment of students’ prior knowledge can improve both effectiveness and efficiency of instruction. Learning should be meaningful. Meaningful learning occurs when an individual is able to relate new information to information that has previously been learned. Student motivation and effort appear stronger when I provide an explicit rationale for the selection of specific learning activities or assessments. Formative assessments enable me to identify struggling students and build confidence for students who have mastered skills. The occupational therapy assistant curriculum includes content representative of cognitive, affective, psychomotor, and interpersonal learning domains. Learning objectives directed toward the knowledge and comprehension levels of the cognitive domain as well as some psychomotor skills are more efficiently achieved through the use of teacher-centered directive instructional approaches. Student-centered instructional strategies based on constructivist learning theories are well-suited for the development of higher-order, more complex skills. Students build upon their mastery of foundation knowledge and increasingly are challenged to be self-directed in their learning. Over a two-year period, my relationship with individuals within student cohorts evolves from teacher to mentor to colleague and often terminates in friendship.
Faced with student feedback that I knew “nothing” about teaching, I began to consider the similarities between teaching and the practice of occupational therapy. It occurred to me that therapists are inherently teachers. Therapists provide information, influence attitude, impact motivation, teach new ways of thinking and doing, and help clients make positive connections between past experience and current realities. Therapists seek to understand barriers to performance and goal attainment. Therapeutic instruction is grounded in the basic assumption that learning is enhanced when instruction includes opportunities for practice accompanied by feedback. Client feedback is used to adjust and modify treatment. Therapists identify their clients’ areas of weakness, their strengths, and select activities that provide the “just right challenge”. Effective therapists continually update skills and make practice decisions based on evidence. They are lifelong learners. I had more learning to do!
In 2009, I enrolled as a doctoral student in the Fischler School of Education at Nova Southeastern University. Professors, peers, readings, and prior experience have influenced and contributed to my current teaching philosophy. Clear and frequent communication between instructors and students are essential elements for effective teaching. Students must know what to expect of their instructors and what is expected of them. These expectations should be established at the beginning of the relationship to avoid misunderstandings. Assumptions are to be avoided. Assessment of students’ prior knowledge can improve both effectiveness and efficiency of instruction. Learning should be meaningful. Meaningful learning occurs when an individual is able to relate new information to information that has previously been learned. Student motivation and effort appear stronger when I provide an explicit rationale for the selection of specific learning activities or assessments. Formative assessments enable me to identify struggling students and build confidence for students who have mastered skills. The occupational therapy assistant curriculum includes content representative of cognitive, affective, psychomotor, and interpersonal learning domains. Learning objectives directed toward the knowledge and comprehension levels of the cognitive domain as well as some psychomotor skills are more efficiently achieved through the use of teacher-centered directive instructional approaches. Student-centered instructional strategies based on constructivist learning theories are well-suited for the development of higher-order, more complex skills. Students build upon their mastery of foundation knowledge and increasingly are challenged to be self-directed in their learning. Over a two-year period, my relationship with individuals within student cohorts evolves from teacher to mentor to colleague and often terminates in friendship.
The OTA Journey
Just as the responsibility for supervision is shared between occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants, I believe that instructors and students should share the responsibility for teaching and learning on their “OTA Journey”. The “OTA Journey” is a presentation shared with new students during the orientation meeting. The Journey depicts an analogy between the two-year OTA program and a whitewater rafting trip. As the “head guide”, my responsibilities include planning and oversight of the “trip” (curriculum), and collaboration with the “trip leaders” (full-time faculty) and “raft guides” (adjunct instructors and lab assistants) to ensure that the “rafting customers” (students) arrive safely at the destination. Although the “guides” (instructors) plan the route, provide basic gear, and negotiate the inevitable obstacles and hazards that are encountered on the Journey, the work of “paddling” is the responsibility of the “rafting customers” (students). “Rafting customers” (students) who fall out of the raft (find themselves in danger) are advised to notify someone that they are in need of assistance. However, the ultimate responsibility for rescue lies with the “rafting customer” (student). This analogy highlights perhaps the most important feature of my teaching philosophy, that learning and fun are not mutually exclusive!