TeachingPhilosophy OliverGough

WhenIreflectonmyownteachingpractice,Ifindithasbeenheavilyinfluencedbymytime spentasacoachofyouthsports.Iseemanyparallelsbetweenmypositionasacoachandmyposition asafutureeducator.Forexample,Iamafirmbelieverthatteachingthefundamentals,arethe foundationforlifelonglearning.Moreover,Ibelievestudentsshouldhavetheconfidencetoexploreand challengethemselvesinaneducationalsettingthatwillstandthemingoodsteadforfutureendeavors. Myphilosophyandapproachtolearninglendsitselfmuchtomyhistoryincoachingyouth sports,butalsotomyownparticipationwithinstructuredsportsandschooling.Inbothcasesthe contentwasdeliveredinaverytransmissivestyle,whichwasrigidanddidnotleavemuchscopefor investigation,creativityorimagination.Eventhoughwealltakeoninformationdifferentlyreactto learninginaplethoraofways,Ifeelaconstructivistwayofteachingiswellsuitedforstudentstotake skillsonfromschool,thataretransferrable,intomanydifferentfacetsofadultlife. Therefore,itismybeliefthatmyareaofconcentration,PhysicalEducation,hastheabilitytobe agreatarenatoteachstudentsskillsthatwillhelpthemfarbeyondthegymnasium.Centraltothisideais teachingthestudentscorrectlocomotorandnonlocomotormovementswhichunderpinmuchofPhysical Education.Ibelievecognitiveskillslikeproblemsolving,criticalthinkingandcreativityarekeyaspects thatcanbegainedfromwellpreparedandchallengingclasses.Moreover,thePhysicalEducationsetting isidealfordevelopingandpromotingsocialskillswhichincludebutarenotlimitedtorespect, cooperation,communication,teamworkandsportsmanship. TherearemanyapproachesandsituationsIbelievestudentscanlearn,fromguideddiscovery andcollaborative,toprojectbasedandtaskbasedlearning.Ifeelstudentsgainmorefrom.the studentcenteredapproach,whichallowstheretobegreaterfreedominstudentlearninganddoesnot

limitthestudenttorigid,emotionlessclasses.Also,IbelievethatnotonlyconcentratingonPhysical Educationcontent,butbutinvolvingothersubjectareaswithinthegymnasiumcanheightenlearningfor thestudents.TheabilitytoincludeMathforscorekeepingandpercentagescanhelpamultitudeof sportsandskilltasks,whilstnutritionandhealthhashugeimplicationsonperformanceacrosstheboard physically.Sobeingcognizantofinterdisciplinaryopportunitiesandcollaboratingwithfellowteachersis crucialtoenablingthebestpossiblelearningenvironmentforstudents. Moreover,IbelievethatPhysicalEducationhastheopportunitytobeculturallyresponsiveand engageallstudents,providingthelessonstructureandcontentisapplicable.Ifeelhavingbackground knowledgeofyourstudentpopulationiskey,tocreatingcurriculumthatrepresentthestudentswithin yourclass,thisthenallowsfordiscussionsandconversationsthatdelveintosocialissuesand contemporaryissuesinsport.TheOlympicsforexample,isanidealgatewayforstudentstoengagein manysportingdisciplines,whilstalsolearningaboutthehistoryofsport,participationandglobal involvementfromnumerouscountries.Thekeyisnottoostracizestudentsbasedoffthebackgroundsor culturesbuttointegrateandembracesportingskillsandgamesfromtheirculturesandheritage.The reasonbeing,istherearemanyskillsfromabstractorlesscommonsportsaretransferrabletomore commonAmericandominantsportswefindinthiscountry,examplebeingcrickettobaseball.Sothe teachingandunderstandingcandevelopfromtransferrableskillsandcommontrendsinsportsfrom aroundtheglobe,thuscreatingadiverseintegratedperspectiveonteaching. IbelievethatthereshouldbemultiplewaysthatassessmentshouldoccurinPhysicalEducation, itisnotacceptedtomerelyassesastudentbasedofftheirphysicalperformance.Studentsmustalsobe assessedbasedofftheirabilitytounderstandconceptsandthemechanicsthatgointoperformingskills. Assessmentisimportantforteacherstoallowforstudentgrouping,measuresstudentskill/knowledge,

helpsevaluatecurriculumandprograms,whilstshapingfuturelessons.Moreover,forthestudent assessmentcanmotivate,giveknowledgeonperformanceviafeedbackloopsandpromotesautonomy andselfandsocialresponsibility.Acaseinpointmanytoplevelcoaches,haveincredibleabilityto unpacktechniqueandbreakdownform,toproducefeedback.Therefore,asateacherIneedtoassess studentsacrossthepsychomotor,affectiveandcognitivedomains.Idobelieveinusingbothformative andsummativeassessment,whichhelpstoanalyzeprogressionandunderstanding.Someformative tasksIwouldutilizeare,peerchecklists,preskilltests,entry/exitslipsandhomeworkassignments, whilstincorporatingsummativetestslikepostskilltests,endofunitwrittentest,fitness/exerciseprogram plansandportfoliosandplaybooks. Iamalsoafirmbelieverinyouneverstoplearning,whetheritbecontent,tasks,teaching methodsorclassroommanagement.Ifeelworkingalongsidemypeers,professionaldevelopmentand ultimatelyunderstandingwhatthestudentneedstocontinuetheirdevelopmentandgrowth.Essentially,I havetheuniqueopportunitytoempowerindividualstodiscovertheirpotentialandtheabilitytoequip themwiththeknowledgeandskillsnecessarytoreachtheirpotential.