SECTION A - INTRODUCTION

Purpose Statement

This teaching portfolio has been assembled for the 2022 Academic offering of the Post Graduate Diploma in Education programme at the UWI, St. Augustine.  More particularly, it is a requirement of the course Pedagogy as Process (EDMA 5700), whose main objective is to shape the teaching practitioner into a professional that merges theory and practice.  This portfolio showcases much of the academic work that has been covered in the Dip-Ed programme.  It consists of traditional teaching elements such as unit and lesson plans, but also delves into personal materials such as “My Philosophy of Teaching” and “Letter to Self”.

This repository should highlight some of my technological, academic and professional skills, as well as give the reader a sense of my professional identity and development as a result of participating in this programme. 

It will serve as a portal whereby fellow educators may assess the quality of my work and get a gauge of my teaching style, beliefs and philosophy.    

Letter to self

#4 Singh Trace

Don Miguel Road

San Juan

July 20th 2022

Dear Dayle,

I started teaching Secondary school mathematics at the age of 23, and have been a teacher at various levels for the past 18 years.  When I was a child, I had dreams of becoming a pilot.  As any typical youngster, I was fascinated by planes and the idea of travelling to multiple destinations around the world had always intrigued me.  The plan was to complete a degree in Aeronautical Engineering then pursue a pilot licence thereafter.  Of course, things didn’t quite pan out the way that I had imagined.  In my first year of university, I took a liking to Mathematics, and subsequently completed a degree in that field.

So what led me to become a teacher?  I come from a family of teachers though, and based on the opportunities that were available to me at the time, I had made the decision to give teaching a chance.  I must say in retrospect, it is a decision that I have never regretted. 

A major benefit that this profession provides is job security.  This was highlighted by the Covid pandemic, where I never worried that my job was in jeopardy.  The profession is also fairly relaxed; there are rarely urgent timelines, unlike in the private sector when deadlines and targets are a norm.  With sufficient time management skills, the job of a teacher is therefore relatively straightforward.  There are also numerous occasional days which may be applied for, and they truly help to alleviate any stresses that may occasionally accrue during the school year.  Finally, the extensive vacation periods that are provided on an annual basis, truly offer a platform for de-stressing, while simultaneously granting opportunities for disconnecting from work, and reconnecting with family. 

There is a fundamental reason for which I am proud to be a teacher; I believe that I am making a difference in children’s lives.  I have seen the impacts of my labour in random encounters with past students, now grown men and women, who have forged high impact careers in various elements of society.

I’ve chosen to pursue the Diploma in Education as a vehicle for professional development and growth.  I am hoping that the theories learnt will reinforce personal best practices and simultaneously highlight any deficiencies that may exist in my current work and teaching strategies.  In terms of personal development, I am expecting that the exposure to philosophical, historical and sociological issues will broaden my worldview, and make me a more reflective, empathic and understanding individual.

My overall and specific goals are linked to my ambitions for personal and professional development.  However, I am also hoping that an increase in empathy will foster an improvement in my personal disposition, and enable me to foster more meaningful relationships with my students.

I am excited to be in the Diploma in Education programme, and am looking forward to see what this year’s study brings.

Sincerely,

Dayle.

My Philosophy of Teaching

I am enamoured with William Arthur Ward’s quote, “The mediocre teacher tells.  The good teacher explains.  The superior teacher demonstrates.  The great teacher inspires.”  It is along these lines that I see my role as a teacher, which is similar to that of a tour guide.  While I am not able to travel the world with my students, I believe that I have the capacity to inspire my students, by navigating them through numerous concepts and ideologies in Mathematics.  I am constantly driven to inspire my students, both inside and outside the classroom.  In my opinion, there is no student who is incapable of attaining excellence in any given course or in any given academic discipline.  Granted, some students will necessarily expend more effort to achieve the same academic proficiencies, but with sufficient guidance, each student can become sufficiently inspired and motivated to achieve academic success.

It is my philosophy that teaching is not solely about the recitation of methodologies, ideologies and theories.  The teacher is a key stakeholder in any learning process, and must therefore ensure that rigorous ideas are presented in a manner that is both intellectually stimulating, as well as palatable to the student.  This can be achieved by utilizing a multitude of teaching techniques, appealing to students with a variety of learning styles; visual, auditory, kinesthetic or otherwise, so that learning is optimized and the majority of students engaged.  While this may seem idealistic, I am confident that these objectives can be achieved by guiding the students using a blend of useful manipulatives and strategies.

To further motivate and pique the students’ interests, theory must be brought to life, and students must be shown how the material presented may be used in application of real world problems.  Thus, an additional facet of my curriculum delivery is the incorporation of examples structured as mathematical models, where applicable, and solved using techniques shown in class.  This has the advantage of merging theory with practice, demonstrating to the student that there is de facto applicability in the material learnt. 

Next, it is my belief that an effective teacher provides a comfortable learning environment for his students.  To facilitate this, I lecture with an engaging tone of voice, field questions during and after class, and maintain a policy whereby students can interact with me outside of class. 

In summary, a successful educator must be both a teacher and a guide, helping students to develop their true potential, while simultaneously preparing them for the challenges of the 21st century.  I have been blessed to have excellent, passionate educators who have served as mentors and guides throughout my academic career.  I am also fortunate to participate in the Diploma in Education programme, where I myself am being guided.  In the same vein, I am eager to provide my knowledge, expertise and passion to new generations of students, as they procure the competencies necessary in navigating through a competitive world.