Teaching Philosophy

Teaching is a fine art between facilitation and subject expertise. Learning takes place through collaboration, research, and experiential engagement. Learning styles research is essential in the varied ways teaching and learning occurs. Using technology is an important addition to learning today as whatever roles graduates play in the future, computers will be a significant part of their experiences. Distance education is a growing avenue for education and will only increase as time goes on.

When working with adults, it is important to present the big picture first, then work task by task to accomplish the objectives. In working with younger persons, the big picture does not play as significant a factor in learning settings. With adult learners, setting the stage with the end goal facilitates the step-by-step learning that takes place in the individual learning activities.

Passion for Teaching
Helping others find their own path to learning is my passionate goal for all persons. Learning is really a path of discovery. I believe that true assessment occurs in the achieved outcomes of individual learners. As students who participate in an engaged course, real learning occurs as a by-product and students discover learning in the end result. Learning for the most part is not memorization, but experience. Teaching is mostly an experience of facilitation and direction, particularly with adult learners. Real learning changes us for the better, making the world and culture a better place.

Learning Styles
When designing course material and experiences, an instructor or designer will naturally design from their own natural learning style. Learning styles theory is  based in both personality theory and information theory. Visual, aural, reading/writing, and kinesthetic learners have different needs for a positive learning experience. Instructors need to design experiences to reach multiple styles whether in class or online.

Collaboration
Group projects, online and face-to-face collaboration, and other team activities prepare learners for their roles in the future. Younger students and teachers usually are comfortable with online collaboration and see little, if any, difference between email, instant messaging, and electronic discussion board engagement than with face-to-face collaboration. Older students and teachers tend to feel  that there is less engagement in these electronic media.

Research
Much of today's research takes place via the internet and electronic databases. Many scholarly journal providers have made their full-text available through library-based electronic journals. Libraries support these journal through significant funding. In addition, many journal publishers will make select articles available in full-text at their websites. This availability requires more advanced searching skills. Boolean searching (and, or, and not) will further enable finding the targeted articles. While libraries may be less visited in person, the research shows increased use of libraries through these electronic resources. Your library can help you gain the skills to use their databases.

Distance Education
Quality education should always be delivered regardless of the mode of delivery. Learning should be the primary motivator in designing educational experiences, not the technology. Technology needs to server as an enabler of great education. Distance education enables students from other worldwide geographic areas to access learning at institutions that otherwise would be unavailable to them. Updated skills and tutorials enabling instructors and learners will be more and more key in delivering education via the internet.

Copyright © 2007 Sarah Lelgarde Swart