My Teaching Philosophy

Before discussing my teaching philosophy, I wish to introduce myself, not as a teacher, but as a human being first and foremost. I have experienced too many ups and downs in my life. I believe I am here because of two main reasons. The first one is the environment where I started my education. In this educational environment, you are given some books to read and then asked to solve already solved problems because the educational systems mostly care about knowledge instead of passion. Second, I discovered many more optimized online learning methods through open-learning programs, libraries, and real jobs as internship programs.
Throughout elementary, secondary, and high school, I was among the top students simply because you are given a set of instructions by the teacher which dictates your line of thought, does not allow creativity to flourish, and is not about passion and curiosity but about reading, repeating, and passing exams. This educational system is still used in many schools, even with the highest ranks.
After completing my preliminary education, I applied for a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering because it was considered a popular and promising field at that time. Until I was halfway through my master’s degree program in Electrical Engineering, I pursued this path. Luckily, at some point, I realized I needed to make a change in my life. I dropped out to follow my dream of becoming a master of programming. If I had been guided earlier in my life to follow my passion, I believe that it would have been far more rewarding and enjoyable. Therefore, I have decided to be “that guide” for others.

There is a quote from The Matrix about the oracle, “She is a guide, Neo. She can help you to find the path.” Rather than teaching students to be a master of memorizing others’ solutions, I want to help them find their own path by encouraging them to be curious and take the initiative. My way is to teach my students not to be afraid of Googling something they do not know about. In other words, I encourage my students to browse through all the resources at their disposal and never give up until they find the content they need.
I can share my teaching philosophy now that you know a little bit more about my background and beliefs.

I am the sign; the road is yours!

It is my responsibility to tell the truth. Instead of narrowing the road for students to give them a sense of safety, I will provide them with the information they need to stay safe on the road. I must hold the signs on the road and guide my students.
I train my students to be brave enough to find their path, even if it takes time or the road is narrow and almost impassable. I believe as human beings. We are capable of achieving anything we want if we dare to explore new possibilities. By helping my students to realize the available information in open-learning programs, anytime and everywhere, they will be given the ability to explore and experience the different routes with various challenges in approaching a target for themselves.

No borders, no boundaries!

If I want to talk a little more academically, my teaching approach is based on cognitivism philosophy, which means I focus on the “progress” of learning, not the subject. I train my students to be good researchers and focus on their analyzing techniques. In this way, they can find others’ solutions, analyze them and, with a greater view, create their own way. I believe in open-leaning systems, that all people in the world, no matter how old they are or how slow/fast they learn, have access.
I believe only a tiny portion of the learning in a class comes from the teacher. The remaining is work from the student’s side. Because of that, I believe they should be involved in the teaching process. Therefore, In a few minutes, I lecture about the keywords they should use to research a problem. Then I ask my students to team up in groups. Each group chooses a particular way to solve the problem, the way that most reflect their capabilities and creativity. On a weekly basis, I ask each group to discuss and explain their solution. In this way, I am constantly mentoring the students without directly intervening in their work, thereby giving them the freedom to explore and learn research methods without any fear of failing. Also, they can learn from each other and discuss better solutions.
I strongly believe that there is no “wrong way” to learn anything because if one does not make errors in learning, one may not understand the topic at its core. Eventually, the student will grow their knowledge and experience by hitting dead ends, pretty much like a toddler when trying to walk. It is thus very crucial, in my opinion, to give the students the freedom of exploration in approaching a particular problem.

All you need is curiosity, creativity, and commitment.

What makes me an exceptional teacher, aside from my degree and academic credentials, is that I know my students and their feelings, what they enjoy about school, and what they dislike. In addition, over the past decade, I discovered that there is nothing in this world that one cannot accomplish. As long as you want, all you need is curiosity, creativity, and commitment. I am always open to sharing my ideas and thoughts.

References

Berger, W. (2014). A more beautiful question: The power of inquiry to spark breakthrough ideas. Bloomsbury USA.
Brown, A. W., Kaiser, K. A., & Allison, D. B. (2018). Issues with data and analyses: Errors, underlying themes, and potential solutions. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 115(11), 2563-2570. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1708279115
World Bank. (2019). The education crisis: Being in school is not the same as learning. https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/immersive-story/2019/01/22/pass-or-fail-how-can-the-world-do-its-homework