Yashwant Prakash Vyas Teaching Philosophy
I am conscious of what draws me to education and why I am interested in teaching. My educational attainment has enabled me to improve my life outcomes and those of my family through better employment and civic engagement. I teach because I want to share the gift of education with others and aid their ability, in some way, to achieve their goals. Empowering individuals through education is personally meaningful to me and my contribution to our global community. As an educator, I strive to be a resource for learners and community members.
Teaching can be approached as a science as well as an art. While I take a scientific approach to teaching, I continue to develop my art of teaching. I value and commit to creating inclusive, equitable, empowering, and intentional learning spaces.
First, it is important to me that learners in my classroom feel included, valued, and empowered to fully engage in the learning opportunity, thereby creating opportunities for enriched dialogue and synergy. I co-create a learning space by identifying and communicating mutual expectations for everyone involved in the learning process. I model inclusive language. I affirm my commitment to access, equity, and inclusion by including various statements and wellbeing resources in my syllabus and Learning Management System (LMS).
Second, I intentionally design my instruction and course materials to engage learners. Per instruction, I incorporate visual aids such as diagrams, illustrations, pictures, etc. to visually engage learners. I facilitate class discussions by posing questions, small in-class group discussions, debates, pair share techniques, etc. to auditorily engage learners. I provide reading materials, handouts, writing assignments, in-class activities that involve articulating learning experiences through writing, etc. to support learning through reading and writing. I integrate several in-class activities such as role plays, creating presentation and videos, etc. to support kinesthetic learning. Per course materials, I ensure they represent work of scholars from various backgrounds and provide diversity of perspectives.
Third, I orient learners to the educational opportunity and align learning expectations to help them understand why they are learning what they are learning. I ensure learners understand what and why they are learning through reflective exercises and establishing the relevance of the learning outcomes. Clearly defining the learning outcomes for my teaching sessions also provide a road map for instruction and assessing learning.
Furthermore, I am committed to constantly assessing my teaching abilities and pursuing development opportunities to continue to improve as an educator. The opportunity to engage in the learning process as an educator itself is an opportunity to learn. I value feedback that specifically evaluates my ability to structure, deliver, and assess content. I incorporate the feedback from my learners into my teaching style to improve as an educator. I consider learner success as one of the indicators of my ability to teach i.e. how well learners understand and apply the content I teach. Another indicator of my teaching abilities is repeated invitations to facilitate learning. Additionally, I continue to identify and engage in development opportunities related to improving as an educator. For example, I hold the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (CIRTL) Associate Certificate. This certification program required me to attend several training sessions focused on improving and developing teaching skills. It required classroom observations and reflecting on the teaching styles of other educators.
I am fortunate to have received incredible educational opportunities. My education has proved to be more than just job training, it has empowered me to actively engage as an informed citizen and has planted the seed to be a curious and lifelong learner. It is the ability of an educator to facilitate learning that determines the positive impacts of education. Thus, I consider the opportunity to teach a privilege that comes with a vital responsibility – the responsibility to create value for learners by providing a meaningful learning opportunity.
Teaching can be approached as a science as well as an art. While I take a scientific approach to teaching, I continue to develop my art of teaching. I value and commit to creating inclusive, equitable, empowering, and intentional learning spaces.
First, it is important to me that learners in my classroom feel included, valued, and empowered to fully engage in the learning opportunity, thereby creating opportunities for enriched dialogue and synergy. I co-create a learning space by identifying and communicating mutual expectations for everyone involved in the learning process. I model inclusive language. I affirm my commitment to access, equity, and inclusion by including various statements and wellbeing resources in my syllabus and Learning Management System (LMS).
Second, I intentionally design my instruction and course materials to engage learners. Per instruction, I incorporate visual aids such as diagrams, illustrations, pictures, etc. to visually engage learners. I facilitate class discussions by posing questions, small in-class group discussions, debates, pair share techniques, etc. to auditorily engage learners. I provide reading materials, handouts, writing assignments, in-class activities that involve articulating learning experiences through writing, etc. to support learning through reading and writing. I integrate several in-class activities such as role plays, creating presentation and videos, etc. to support kinesthetic learning. Per course materials, I ensure they represent work of scholars from various backgrounds and provide diversity of perspectives.
Third, I orient learners to the educational opportunity and align learning expectations to help them understand why they are learning what they are learning. I ensure learners understand what and why they are learning through reflective exercises and establishing the relevance of the learning outcomes. Clearly defining the learning outcomes for my teaching sessions also provide a road map for instruction and assessing learning.
Furthermore, I am committed to constantly assessing my teaching abilities and pursuing development opportunities to continue to improve as an educator. The opportunity to engage in the learning process as an educator itself is an opportunity to learn. I value feedback that specifically evaluates my ability to structure, deliver, and assess content. I incorporate the feedback from my learners into my teaching style to improve as an educator. I consider learner success as one of the indicators of my ability to teach i.e. how well learners understand and apply the content I teach. Another indicator of my teaching abilities is repeated invitations to facilitate learning. Additionally, I continue to identify and engage in development opportunities related to improving as an educator. For example, I hold the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (CIRTL) Associate Certificate. This certification program required me to attend several training sessions focused on improving and developing teaching skills. It required classroom observations and reflecting on the teaching styles of other educators.
I am fortunate to have received incredible educational opportunities. My education has proved to be more than just job training, it has empowered me to actively engage as an informed citizen and has planted the seed to be a curious and lifelong learner. It is the ability of an educator to facilitate learning that determines the positive impacts of education. Thus, I consider the opportunity to teach a privilege that comes with a vital responsibility – the responsibility to create value for learners by providing a meaningful learning opportunity.
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