My Teaching Philosophy

“True teachers are those who use themselves as bridges over which they invite their students to cross; then, having facilitated their crossing, joyfully collapse, encouraging them to create their own.”

I employ a humanistic approach to teaching by collaborating with, and teaching learners, as equals, guiding the them through the learning process.
Standing out from all the formal pedagogical and andragogical techniques available, from my experience of teaching adult learners, the “method” that works best with them is trust and confidence.
If you can get them to trust you as a teacher and trust in the learning journey they have just embarked on, (usually with some trepidation), whilst also instilling in them that they have the confidence within themselves to learn, then they will stay on that journey and they will learn.
In the evening classes that I teach in GMIT, which is comprised wholly of mature students, we have nearly 100% retention and pass rates. The other methods I employ are, encouragement, empathy and respect. “Our beliefs about the adult learner guide our methodological practice” (Rachal, 1994).
I used the same approach with the first year Science students this past academic year which allowed them to blossom and learn without fear.

References:

Rachal, J. R., 1994. Andragogical and pedagogical methods compared: A review of the experimental literature. Hattisburg: University of Southern Mississippi.

Thanks to my friend Paul Moore for his photos of the acorn and the Mighty Oak tree.

My Mother & daughter crossing the bridge in the Walled Garden, Kylemore Abbey