"Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them become what they

are capable of becoming." Goethe

Teaching Philosophy
Though it seems trite to say that teaching is more than a profession, it is, as a matter of
fact, an art and skill that requires passion, integrity, and commitment. There are, of course, many
reasons why I love and care about teaching as the most valuable career. Yet I do not believe that
teaching is something innate, rather I consider teaching a skill to be learned. Certainly this
learning does not happen without effort. When I think about teaching, I try to answer this simple
question: how does learning take place?i
Teaching/learning is not only a one-way flow from teacher to students. Instead, it largely
depends on the collaborative efforts of everyone involved. Almost all of the recent studies
correspond the fact that a portion of student success may be attributable to factors innate to the
student, however another portion is due largely to outside influences. To me, teaching is one of
the most significant of the outside influences. When I reflect upon my academic journey as a
student, it becomes evident that my educational bearing has been largely influenced by how I
have been inspired by my teachers devotion to their craft. Now, as an educator, the best I can do
is to inspire my students to meet their fullest potential in their areas of interest. In addition,
teaching is not by any means to show off my scholarships on the specific subject, instead it
provides a fair opportunity for continual learning and growth, both for students and for me.
One of the main reasons for pursuing a career in academia is that I will have the
opportunity to work with future generations of social scientists. Teaching is, therefore, a learning
opportunity for me. Furthermore, my teaching philosophy is based on the key assumption that
the best learning comes out of a student-centered approach. For this reason, I like to craft a
variety of discussion and assignment questions and encourage students to engage critically with

the questions to make their learning more stimulating and exciting. I support the following
statement with regard to discussion in class room: guided discussion is a self-negating concept
if it means guiding talk toward a particular position or point of consciousness. When it happens,
it means that certain perspectives and information have been excluded at the outset (Brookfield
1999). I define this counterfeit approach as pedagogic subterfuge, because this approach is
adversative to full potential of learning. A classroom stripped off such a trait cannot impart true
teaching. Therefore, in my class, I love to shift the focus of activity from me to the students.
Again, I hold one central question in my mind: does my teaching method permeate
students intellectually? Does it challenge their intellect? Ensuring that my teaching technique
does not curtail students democratic rights and creative impulse is my foremost concern in the
pedagogy. I have always believed that students are entitled to quality instruction in an active and
inspiring learning environment. I also believe that learning is not something imposed on
students, it is something students should be capable of doing. My goal as an instructor is to
provide an adequate ambience for students to learn.
In order to cultivate the habit of critical inquiry and analytical thinking, I encourage
students to consider the alternatives to any given situation. To me, the most effective type of
teaching is not the one that relies only on serious reading, but the one that also analytically
engages with learning. In the social science, this method is known as dialectic method. For
instance, one students opinion is followed by a counter-opinion which eventually paves the
possibility for a new opinion for the class to think about. The main objective of this technique is
to foster the normal trajectory of the thought pattern so that students go beyond their general way
of thinking to a more concrete and diverse perspectives through a rigorous brain storming. It

illustrates the reflexive monitoring of the learning process which helps students searching for
connections.
I embrace Brookfields assertion that students are always affectionate about critical
thinking insofar as they are framed and encouraged to believe that critical thinking is a
productive and progressive activity. Visual aids, flipped techniques, a general-to-specific
teaching approach, and critical discussion in class ensures a bottom-up learning method rather
than a top-down method of inculcation. I prefer using those aforesaid mediums and techniques as
a means to reach my end, a stimulating and enjoyable learning environment.
In conclusion, at the core of my pedagogical and learning philosophy, I keep myself open
to exploring when and how learning works best. However, I dont want to be prophetic; as
Weber stated, academic platform is neither for the prophet and nor for the demagogue. Hence, I
have mentioned only the overarching things about my teaching and learning philosophy that I
have learned thus far. Teaching is a form of learning, and learning is not a product; it is a
process.

My philosophy about teaching and learning has been largely shaped by the writings of different eminent

scholars, Stephen Brookfield (Discussion as a Way of Teaching: Tools and Techniques for Democratic
Classrooms; The Skillful Teacher: On Technique, Trust, and Responsiveness in the Classroom; and, What
is Means to Think Critically.), James Zull (The Art of Changing the Brain: Enriching Teaching by
Exploring the Biology of Learning), Ambrose et al. (How Learning Works: Seven Research-based
Principles for Smart Teaching), Gilbert Kelser (Transforming the Classroom: Teaching Subtle Sexism
Through Experiential Role Playing), are only a few to name.