Teaching Philosophy
Teaching is an activity to transfer not only our knowledge, but also our attitude towards the learning process, to the students. Therefore, I prefer using the way with which the students understand things rather than enforcing the way that is conventionally believed to be the best. I am always excited to explore easy ways to understand complex concepts.
Gaps in teaching and learning process
Based on my teaching experience, I recognize several "gaps" that have tremendous effects on how the students develop their understanding in their study, particularly in physics or other physical sciences. These gaps must be drawn into our attention as early as possible in order to transfer our knowledge successfully.
- The "language" gap
In science and engineering we use mathematics, such as vectors and calculus, to describe important ideas. In this case, the math serves as a "language" rather than a calculator, the function of which the students in elementary and high schools are not so familiar with.- The gap between teaching and learning process
In modern schooling, it is customary to teach the students "top down", such as lecturing the principles of physical laws. On the other hand, the nature of learning is "bottom up", starting from the pieces of experience to the generalization into a big picture.- The misconception gap
As a matter of fact, the students come from many different backgrounds. The students come to the classroom already with concepts in their minds, which tend to reject "different ideas" or "different angles" about a course subject. The situation is even worse if they are occupied by a misconception, either caused by their own experience or somehow misled in the past. Replacing the misconception is found harder than teaching something new to the students.- The gap between theory and application
In many occasions, the link between theory and application breaks down during the learning process. This happens more seriously in physics lectures, as physics is generally considered as a not-so-easy theoretical field. While conventional physics is closely related to daily experience, many students fail to know this fact.The most important thing I do to overcome the gaps is working with the students. Knowing the needs of most students is the best way to start with. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the way of delivery of the course from time to time to facilitate the learning process. Frequently, those gaps cannot be treated separately, because they are so intertwined that have to be simultaneously treated.