Philosophy
Teaching
I believe that effective teaching involves three pillars: building relationships, eliminating barriers, and promoting student agency.
Teachers should prioritize building relationships with each of their students. This could be as simple as a direct message introducing themselves. In the classroom, it could be a simple “How has your day been?” Speaking from experience as a student, I definitely tried harder in classes for teachers that I knew cared about me as opposed to those who didn’t.
I believe that teachers should do everything in their power to eliminate barriers to learning. Differentiating learning techniques and sheltering content is essential to fully engage and teach a wide array of learners. This could range from making sure you have online and paper copies of the same assignment to providing support for students with disabilities. It could involve the way you communicate with your students online. Some students may prefer a direct messaging app such as Slack, or they may prefer a Zoom video call.
Student agency is essential to a successful learning experience because, at the end of the day, it’s the students who are being educated. Make them feel like they have a voice. They should feel responsible for their own learning and help to create and maintain the expectations of the learning environment.
Instructional Design
As an instructional designer, it is my duty to provide inclusive, accessible, and engaging learning solutions to all learners.
In order to provide a learner-centered approach, I always strive to use the learning model that best fits a particular design. The most influential learning models that guide my own instructional design process include the ADDIE model and Horton's absorb/do/connect model.
The ADDIE model of analyzing, designing, developing, implementing, and evaluating is essential for instructional designers to follow in many scenarios with SMEs.
Horton's model of absorbing, doing, and connecting is essential for instructional designers who wish to provide an engaging and meaningful learning experience.
I am fully committed to a journey of continual growth and development in instructional design, knowledge, skills, and attitudes.
