"Empower teamwork skill, enrich creativity, instil values, and inspire people everywhere"
TEACHING & LEARNING
MY TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
As a child, I always knew that I wanted to be a teacher, just like my father. From a young age, I would accompany him to his classes and observe how he inspired and motivated his students. His students respected and admired him, and I knew that I wanted to have the same impact on others. I would often play teacher-student role-play games with my relatives, and enjoyed tutoring my friends in school. I found great satisfaction in seeing my students grow and develop, and I always strove to foster this growth in them.
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My teaching philosophy is centered on facilitating student learning and helping them achieve their goals. I believe in the constructivist approach, and strive to equip my students with the skills they need to continue learning on their own. I challenge and motivate them to do their best and believe in their ability to self-learn, through the use of problems and projects that they must solve. I also place a strong emphasis on developing creativity, and encourage my students to learn about multiple disciplines so they can be well-rounded and successful in their future careers.
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In my classroom, I use a combination of flipped classroom and cooperative learning strategies, which I call "flipped-cooperative learning." This approach combines technology-based learning with group-based projects in heterogeneous groups, to foster teamwork skills and interactions among students. I also promote high order thinking skills and good values, and encourage my students to help one another through the use of active learning strategies. All of these elements are align with my course outcomes and assessments, and I strive to create a meaningful and engaging learning experience for my students.
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Don't just take my word for it, see for yourself by checking out this article I wrote on creating meaningful learning experiences: https://www.nst.com.my/education/2017/11/305966/create-meaningful-learning-experience
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Join me in the classroom and let's embark on this exciting journey together!
ACTIVE LEARNING
As a teacher, I strongly believe in the power of active learning to engage and challenge my students. That's why I utilize the bookend approach in my classrooms, combining in-class activities with traditional lectures to keep my students engaged and motivated.
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To start the lesson, I use advance organizers to tap into my students' prior knowledge by asking them key questions about the topic. This helps them to make connections and build a foundation for the new material that we will cover.
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Throughout the lesson, I also incorporate intermittent activities such as think-pair-share, in-class polling, and guided worksheets to keep my students engaged and encourage critical thinking. These activities usually only take a few minutes, but they are powerful in helping my students to stay focused and absorb the material.
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Finally, at the end of the lesson, I make sure to provide proper closure by summarizing the key takeaways and reminding my students of the learning objectives we set out to achieve. This helps to solidify their understanding and ensures that they leave the class feeling motivated and accomplished.
TEAM-BASED LEARNING / COOPERATIVE LEARNING
Cooperative learning is a team-based approach that helps students develop critical skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking, and teamwork. It is based on five main principles: positive interdependence, individual accountability, promotive face-to-face interaction, group goal processing, and interpersonal skills application. I have used a variety of cooperative learning strategies in my classrooms, including jigsaw, group investigation, complex instruction, team games tournament, fishbowl discussions, and open-ended problem solving. One of the challenges of implementing cooperative learning is consistently engaging all students and helping those who may struggle to work in a team. However, the benefits of this approach are significant, as it helps students develop the real-world teamwork skills they will need in their future careers, as well as honing their problem-solving and critical thinking skills.
FLIPPED CLASSROOM
Flipped classrooms are a great way to engage students and promote critical thinking and problem solving skills. By using this approach, I have been able to create a more interactive and hands-on learning experience for my students. Instead of simply lecturing to them, I give them videos and quizzes to complete before class, which helps to reinforce their understanding of the material. Then, when they come to class, we can focus on more interactive and collaborative activities that help them to apply their knowledge and skills. These activities may include group projects, case studies, or problem-based learning tasks. By flipping the traditional classroom structure, students are able to take a more active role in their own learning, and are better able to understand and retain the material being taught. This approach is particularly useful for promoting lifelong learning and self-directed learning, as it empowers students to take control of their own learning and be proactive in deepening their understanding.
PROBLEM BASED LEARNING
Since 2016, I have implemented the cooperative problem-based learning (CPBL) model in my classrooms. In this approach, teams of four students are given an open-ended problem to solve over the course of 3-4 weeks. The students are asked to analyze the problem, identify any learning gaps they have in order to solve it, and create their own teaching materials based on what they have learned. Once they have a deeper understanding of the problem, they are then tasked with finding a solution. At the end of the process, the students present their work to the class. As the facilitator, my role is to craft the problem, support the students in their thinking and problem-solving, and provide debriefing afterwards. This approach is valuable in nurturing complex problem-solving skills and teamwork, as well as fostering motivation for learning, as humans are naturally driven to solve problems.
SERVICE LEARNING
Service learning is a teaching method that combines community service with academic learning. It is an approach that I have implemented in my class to give students the opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills to real-world problems while also building their character and values. In this approach, students work on projects that address the needs of the community, and they are encouraged to take an empathetic approach to problem-solving. One example of service learning that I have implemented is the Engineering Team Project (ETP), where students worked in teams to identify and solve problems in a local village community. By visiting homes and speaking with residents, the students were able to understand the needs of the community and develop prototypes to address those needs. This approach not only allows students to learn about different cultures, but it also helps them develop empathy and learn how to apply their knowledge to real-world situations.
EMPATHETIC ONLINE LEARNING
One approach I took during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the shift to emergency remote teaching (ERT) meant that students were using technology to learn and interact from home, was to prioritize empathy in online learning. I recognized that many students faced challenges such as limited access to data and connectivity issues, especially those in remote areas. They also had to contend with additional demands from family members while being at home, as well as social and economic challenges. Therefore, I adapted my teaching strategy to meet the specific needs of my students. This included a blend of formative and summative assessments, as well as thoughtful consideration of the amount and frequency of assessments given. Overall, my goal was to ensure that my students received a supportive and understanding learning environment despite the challenges posed by ERT.
For more information about my professional experience, please get in touch.
