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I believe that teaching at all levels (undergraduate and graduate level) should be executed with Pedagogy of Care. According to Nel Noddings (2002), caring for your students is executed with being concerned with their well-being, in addition to having assignments that are geared to incorporate connectivity to their lives while teaching the lesson. Integrating meaningful assignments that can integrate academic disciplines within their personal lives, as I have found that my focal point is to help students develop into critical thinkers that can greatly contribute to their academic and local communities. Through designing a class that promotes a “growth mindset” helps my students realize that their ability to come to class is the initial step in their “growth mindset,” as a “deficit mindset” would have prevented them from coming to class at all. As an instructor, I am to utilize the time they attended the class in a way to equip them with the tools needed to complete the task.
My college classrooms are focused on providing Essential Learning Outcomes that was published in the Association of American College and Universities: Greater Expectations: A New Vision for Learning as a Nation Goes to College (2002). The principles are: (1) Knowledge of Human Cultures and the Physical and Natural World, (2) Intellectual and Practical Skills, (3) Personal and Social Responsibility, (4) Integrative and Applied Learning. These four principles work together to demonstrate my level of responsibility to provide an integrated classroom that allows me to take the time to learn more about the various student cultures in the classroom. I strive to integrate teamwork assignments that allow them to think critically and creatively about a task, while providing foundational and lifelong skills that foster continual learning throughout their lives.
In order for students to become their best self, I have integrated universal design for learning, which is a model crafted from Universal of Design Learning Center. This guideline presents three foci for learning that provides multiple means of (1) Representation, (2) Action and Expression, and (3) Engagement. In order to ensure representation, then the curriculum must incorporate multiple mediums for learning will allow all a diverse student body to be involved in the course material that demonstrates a variety of outcomes that includes the following learners who are: (1) resourceful, knowledgeable learners, (2) strategic, goal-directed learners, and (3) purposeful, motivated learners (UDL Center). Having assignments that require the use of audio, text, and video, which provides everyone to have equal access to the material. This is truly providing everyone an equal, quality education that strives to empower all students. Thus, assignments and andragogy are all focused toward integrating a variety of multi-modal learning assignments to create an interactive learning environment. They promote students’ ability to be resourceful. Students become forced to be strategic in their learning as their goals are directly incorporated in their assignments. Overall, students are becoming more intent on the ability to apply their knowledge to their world; therefore, theoretical knowledge is not efficient since they want the college curriculum to contribute to a meaningful life and classroom experience. Throughout my lessons, I am always trying to have the students apply the material in designing lessons. Essentially, what good is a theory if you are unclear on how to apply it in a real-life setting?
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