essay on my teaching experience

Essay on My Teaching Experience

Students are often asked to write an essay on My Teaching Experience in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on My Teaching Experience

Introduction.

Teaching is a rewarding job that offers an opportunity to shape young minds. My experience as a teacher has been both challenging and fulfilling.

Starting My Journey

I began my teaching journey as a volunteer at a local school. It was a valuable experience, teaching me patience and communication skills.

Challenges and Triumphs

Teaching is not always easy; it comes with its set of challenges. However, watching my students grow and learn has been the greatest reward.

In conclusion, my teaching experience has been a journey of learning, growth, and satisfaction.

250 Words Essay on My Teaching Experience

Teaching is an intricate and multifaceted profession that requires a deep understanding of subject matter and pedagogy, complemented by a profound commitment to nurturing students. My teaching experience has been a journey of self-discovery and growth, a continuous process of refining skills and techniques to stimulate learners effectively.

Personal Growth and Development

My initial teaching days were marked by a blend of enthusiasm and anxiety. Over time, I learned to convert this nervous energy into a constructive force, enhancing my ability to engage students. I discovered that teaching is not merely about disseminating information, it’s a process of fostering curiosity, instilling critical thinking skills, and inspiring lifelong learning.

Embracing Diversity

In my classroom, I encountered a diverse group of learners, each with unique strengths, weaknesses, and learning styles. This diversity necessitated a flexible teaching approach, tailored to individual needs. I learned to create an inclusive environment that respects and values differences, fostering a sense of belonging for all students.

Challenges and Rewards

Teaching is not devoid of challenges. From dealing with disengaged students to managing classroom dynamics, I faced numerous hurdles. However, the rewards far outweighed the challenges. Witnessing a student’s ‘aha’ moment, observing their progress, and contributing to their personal and academic development was deeply fulfilling.

In conclusion, my teaching experience has been a profound journey of learning and growth. It has reinforced my belief in the transformative power of education and the pivotal role of teachers in shaping young minds. As I continue to evolve in my teaching career, I look forward to more opportunities for self-improvement and to making a positive impact on my students’ lives.

500 Words Essay on My Teaching Experience

Teaching is not merely a profession; it is a vocation that demands a deep sense of commitment and a passion for learning and sharing knowledge. My teaching experience has been an enlightening journey, filled with both challenges and rewards. It has provided me with a profound understanding of the dynamics of the educational process and the significance of creating a conducive learning environment for students.

The Beginning of My Journey

My teaching journey began as a graduate assistant during my master’s program. Initially, I was overwhelmed by the responsibility that came with the role. However, I soon realized that teaching was not just about imparting knowledge but also about inspiring curiosity and fostering a love for learning. This realization made me approach teaching with a renewed perspective, focusing not just on the content but also on the process of learning.

As with any journey, my teaching experience was fraught with challenges. The diverse backgrounds and learning styles of the students posed a significant hurdle. I had to devise innovative teaching strategies and employ differentiated instruction to cater to the varied needs of my students. Despite these challenges, the triumphs were numerous. The moments when a concept finally ‘clicked’ for a struggling student or when a class discussion evolved into a profound intellectual exchange were truly rewarding. These instances reaffirmed my faith in the transformative power of education.

Teaching as a Learning Experience

Teaching is a two-way process. As I strived to impart knowledge to my students, I also learned a great deal from them. Their unique perspectives and insightful questions often made me revisit and rethink my own understanding of certain concepts. This reciprocal process of learning and teaching enriched my intellectual growth and honed my pedagogical skills.

The Role of Technology

In the digital age, technology plays a crucial role in education. My teaching experience was no exception. I incorporated various technological tools into my teaching to enhance the learning experience. From using multimedia presentations to facilitate understanding to employing online platforms for collaborative learning, technology greatly augmented my teaching methods.

In conclusion, my teaching experience has been a transformative journey that has shaped my understanding of education and its role in society. It has taught me the importance of fostering a love for learning, the value of embracing diversity, and the significance of leveraging technology in education. As I continue my journey in the field of education, I carry with me the lessons learned and the experiences gained, ready to face the challenges and embrace the rewards that come my way.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

• Essay on My Internship Experience
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• Essay on My First Experience on Stage

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My Student Teaching Experience

A publish.illinois.edu site.

Goodbye Student Teaching

When reflecting on this semester of student teaching, there have been so many challenges, so many celebrations, and so much that I have learned. I have been pushed beyond my comfort zone, and I have grown as a teacher immensely. It is hard for me to only talk about a few of the takeaways that I have gained from this semester!

First, I have learned the importance of messing up. I know, this sounds crazy, but I have found myself so nervous about screwing something up. I expected to always plan the perfect lesson, explain everything perfectly, and have everything go smoothly and as planned. And let me be the first to say, this is rarely the case. I have learned how important it is to accept that we are not perfect teachers, and neither are our cooperating teachers! We all have things to learn, and my student teaching experience has taught me how to learn from my mistakes rather than letting them eat away at me. I learned something from my cooperating teacher and from the students almost every day, and being open to this and vulnerable allowed me to grow, adapt, and think on my feet! Having these experiences is the true life of a teacher.

With being honest about my mistakes and imperfections, I was able to also form stronger connections with the students. This is another takeaway from the semester. I have always valued forming strong relationships with my students in order to create the best learning environment for them, but I was able to truly see the value of this throughout the semester. Being the first placement where I was able to be with the students every day of the week, I was able to see the growth of my relationships with them from day to day over the course of the semester. I was honestly intimidated working with older, gifted students coming in, but I worked hard to break down their walls and get to know them as individuals. I have loved getting to know each of my students likes, dislike, strengths, and weaknesses. I believe that this has helped me better teach them and has made my classroom a happier place to learn!

Finally, I have learned the importance of having an open mind. You can walk into any classroom and see completely different environments, teaching styles, student personalities, curriculum, resources, etc. It is so easy to have your own ways and your own approaches to teaching, disregarding anything else that you encounter. I have learned that opening up to approaches and styles that I am not particularly used to is beneficial to help me learn more ways that I can help my students and to also learn more about what I like and dislike as a teacher. Rarely does anyone have a perfect student teaching placement. I am fortunate to have enjoyed mine, but I have also learned that there is value in learning about what you do not want to do as a teacher just as much as learn what you do want to do. It is so important to continue being open minded so that you can leave room to grow into a more effective teacher!

I have really enjoyed my student teaching experience despite all of its hardships and challenges. I found myself in very low points but also in very high points throughout the semester, but I can clearly see how it has all grown me as a teacher, and I feel as though I can confidently walk into whatever classroom I will be teaching in next year. I cannot believe that the time has come for my own classroom; I can hardly wait!

Nearing the End

As the semester is winding down, I have been truly experiencing one of the best parts of teaching, the relationships that are formed. I am becoming so sad to be leaving these kids soon, and I am reminded of why I love this job so much. As teachers we spend the majority of the day with our students. While they may drive us crazy many days, it is inevitable that there will be relationships formed and connections made that leave lasting impressions. I will miss these kids and the adventures that they bring to me each day.

I have learned the value of making these connections from day one. My relationships with these kids have been building each day, and it is amazing to see how far they’ve come. I have learned how intentionally forming these relationships plays such an important role in the environment and community of the classroom. Because I was able to form these connections, getting to know my students on an individual level, I was able to see more success, more engagement, and more collaboration in my classroom. I have built mutual respect and rapport within my classroom, and I have seen the benefit of these relationships in several ways. First, I had a student simply tell me how great of a teacher I was and how they want me to stay. This was so incredible to hear, and I was so touched by this comment. Also, I have seen students opening up to me and instinctively coming to me with their comments and questions. I have loved watching this grow with my relationships formed. They truly consider me their teacher and trust me and my abilities enough to come to me rather than my cooperating teacher. I know that this is developed from my relationships with them and the openness that I have tried to instill from the very beginning. For example, we were working on vocabulary words, and each student would come to me with their questions. Whether that be, “Does this definition work?” or “What do you think of my stick figure drawings?” I have loved getting to experience the benefits of forming strong relationships with my students.

As a future teacher, I cannot wait to build these relationships with my own students. I realize the importance of forming this open and loving community, and I intend to begin intentionally forming these relationships and building respect and rapport in my classroom from day one. Although the end of the semester is sad and sentimental, I am happy to see how far I’ve come as a teacher and the development of my relationships with the students.

Sticking to Expectations

Something that I have realized is really difficult is having to stay 100% true to your expectations, especially when you are not a part of establishing the expectations from the beginning of the year. I was able to establish my own behavior procedures and expectations since I have been in the classroom, but I also struggle with breaking the students of old habits in order to follow these expectations. Part of this is a result of my cooperating teacher having different expectations than myself, but I have been working hard to earn my students’ respect throughout this semester, and nothing beats seeing breakthroughs!

One behavior issue that I have noticed from the very beginning is the talking and how they walk in the hallways. I have noticed that when the students are asked to be quiet, they usually take this as instruction to just be “quieter” rather than completely silent. I struggled with this because my cooperating teaching allowed this habit to continue on often, and I knew that this was something that I needed to break coming into full takeover. When I established my points system (where the students or myself gain a point based on their responsiveness to instruction), the students began holding one another accountable because they cared if they didn’t earn a point. I loved seeing the students take ownership of their responsibility, urging others to do the same. While this is still hard to manage at times, I have learned the value of simply waiting. This was hard to do at first knowing the many things we had to get through in a day, but when I stay patient and refuse to start the lesson without them being completely silent, they notice and remind one another to stay quiet. When they see me waiting or walking towards the point chart, the students say to one another, “Shhh. You have to be quiet” or “She’s waiting on us guys!” I have loved seeing this habit of theirs change!

I have also noticed that the students struggle to walk in the hallway in a line and quietly. This began to drive me crazy, so I started using the same approach as I did with their talking. I made sure that they knew the expectation, and then I would just wait. Some students caught on and said, “Get in line!” and “Guys be quiet or we aren’t going!” I once was waiting in the classroom to let them in, and a student noticed that they were not being let in when they normally would be. This student then reminded the others to get in a line and maybe they would be let in. When they did this, I let them in, and they have done a much better line doing this without multiple reminders! I have learned the value of patience and staying true to your expectations. This has helped strengthen the respect between the students and myself!

A Role of Influence

I have always valued the role I play as a teacher in the growth of my students. While the importance of academic growth in students is obvious, I also recognize the importance of each student’s social and emotional growth as well. As a teacher, I have a powerful influence on my students’ growth in each of these areas of their lives, and I was able to see the importance of this influential role during this past week.

There was a case of bullying involving several of my students this week. Apparently, there was an escalation of name calling in the lunchroom involving several of our students and several students from a different classroom. The students in my class refrained from sharing what happened for some time, but they eventually pulled my cooperating teacher aside and let her know. They were obviously upset because of it. When my cooperating teacher filled me in on this situation, she explained that she was going to hold a class meeting at the end of the day. I was curious as to how my cooperating teacher was going to address this situation and how the class/students involved were going to react.

When it came time for my cooperating teacher to begin the meeting, she started by sharing a personal story that occurred earlier that day. She had shared an article on Facebook in appreciation of a multicultural event at a local high school. She explained to the class, in tears, the harsh response that one of her family members left on this post. This interaction was shared with the intention of teaching the kids how to handle a situation where someone is bullying or disrespecting you. She was only able to share this emotional story before the bell rang, but we continued this discussion the following morning. Walking out of class, one of the students was in tears. I was happy to be able to show her that I am there for her and care for her. It was very interesting to both observe and contribute to a conversation with the class the next morning where students shared personal feelings and perspectives involving bullying. When discussing how to handle a situation where someone is being mean to them, one student shared, “You should ignore the person and just walk away.” Another student said, “You should be sarcastic back.” Finally, another student said, “You should be nice to them.” It was very eye-opening to see the various responses and experiences that these students had. This opened an important conversation on how to be an upstander, show kindness to others regardless of your feelings, and how to encourage one another to do this.

I had a mindset lesson planned immediately following this discussion, and I was able to alter the context so that it could relate to this important lesson on bullying that we were learning. I had the students each come up to the board and share a word or phrase of encouragement. They silently watched what each student was writing, and then we reflected on the different types of ways that people are encouraged. By the end of the lesson, I had the students write encouraging letters to “a discouraged person” in general, making sure to include that this person can be themselves. I agreed not to read the letters unless invited to, and I plan to return the letter to the student if they are discouraged throughout the remainder of the year. I was able to see the influence that this discussion and activity had on these students, realizing the important influence that we as teachers have on students’ social and emotional growth. I am thankful to hold this important role.

Managing A Full Plate

This week was anything but calm, and I definitely got to experience what a hectic week looks like as a teacher. This week, I had to balance edTPA, full takeover, and interviews. It was hard and exhausting, but I was able to accomplish a lot. With that being said, I averaged about 2 hours of sleep a night and was definitely thankful for the weekend to come.

I finally turned my edTPA in this week, and I have been working day and night to get everything done just the way I wanted it. It was a good experience going through it, but it took a lot of time and hard work. I learned the value of reflecting on your teaching and purposes for your lessons, and this experience definitely allowed me to think about my teaching in a way that I never had before. I was able to connect my choices and practices as a teacher to my knowledge of the students and to ongoing assessment of their success. Although the edTPA drove me insane at times, I do see the benefit of intentionally planning lessons, reflecting on your teaching, and using assessments to guide further instruction. I was able to learn more about my students through this experience as well. With all that being said, I am very happy that I am done with it!

This past week was my first week of official full takeover. I was very nervous going into this week, but I quickly realized that full takeover is not as intimidating as I thought! It’s crazy how prepared you actually are for it, even more so than you’d expect. I basically was already in full takeover, so it was a smooth transition, and I am thankful for that. I really enjoyed having the class all to myself. Honestly, it is hard sharing responsibilities with my cooperating teacher because its easy be on different pages about some things and to plan days differently. We needed to be in constant communication, which is fine, but it is nice being able to plan my days exactly how I want them to look. I realized though, full takeover means dealing with the hard and not-so-great aspects as well. I have been dealing with behavior management and parents leading up to this week, but it was tough fully taking over those responsibilities. I learned about how to manage poor behavior while still keeping the rest of the class on track. It is definitely hard to handle certain situations while still keeping the rest of the class focused, but having full takeover has been a good way to experience the big picture of what everyday teaching looks like.

Also thrown into this week were two interviews. I had one interview at a local elementary school with a interview team of 8 teachers and a principal. This was intimidating, but it was definitely a good experience. I also had an observation interview for a position at a local school, and I liked this better, but I was also a nervous wreck leading up to it. For the interview with the interview team, I was very nervous about the questions they were going to ask and how I would respond. I prepared as much as I could with practice interview questions and research on the school, but I learned that just relaxing and being yourself is what goes the furthest. To my surprise, I found myself laughing and joking with the interviewers and walked away a lot more comfortable than I started. With the observation interview, I was really nervous planning the lesson. I was overthinking it and trying to make it very elaborate. My cooperating teacher advised me to just do what I normally do. This seems simple, but she was right. My normal teaching is what the principal wanted to see, and he ended up loving it! After the fact, I learned the value of just being myself despite the pressure of an interviewing setting.

The “Not-So-Shiny” Part of Teaching

This past week I was able to experience the challenge of dealing with difficult behavior and difficult parents. This is the not so joyful part of teaching, but it has definitely been teaching me a lot. After having helped complete this trimester’s report cards, I knew that some students were going to be upset and some parents were going to reach out with their concerns. Sure enough, I was faced with some e-mail that I needed to respond to, and I feel as though I had a positive experience learning how to interact with parents in this way. I also had to write up several students for the first time as they were misbehaving during one of my lessons. While this was hard to do, it was a good lesson for both my students and myself on expectations and establishing the respect and rapport in the classroom that is so important.

After sending home the report card grades, there were a few that I knew the parents were not going to be so excited about. These students hold themselves to high expectations, as do their parents. I had a few parents reach out with questions regarding their child’s grade, and my teacher allowed me to send the e-mails in response. I learned how I was able to address the parents’ concerns in a way that was respectful and backed up by data. It was challenging to determine the best possible wording and points to include, but with my cooperating teacher’s help, I was able to successfully send out e-mails that satisfied the parents’ concerns and continued building respect between them and myself. It was very encouraging to see such positive responses from them, and I have learned a lot about how to approach difficult conversations with parents.

Another difficult situation that I was faced with was dealing with misbehavior in the classroom. I had a group of four girls at a table in my classroom who were clearly not focused on the lesson and were writing notes to one another. I noticed this, and gave them a verbal warning to stay on task. Later on in the lesson, I saw them continuing to write notes to one another. So, I collected the sheet of paper they were writing on, and read through it. It was not about the lesson whatsoever, and it even had a part where one of the girls told the others to flip the paper over if I walk by so that they do not get written up. I knew that I had to get them minor slips for this, especially since I had warned them. They know the expectations. At the end of the lesson, I gave them their slips and explained to them why they were receiving them. They argued and were upset, but I stood my ground and respectfully reminded them that they knew the expectations and were warned already. This was a very difficult situation for me because, of course, no one likes disciplining their students. I want to have positive relationships with them. I know that although they were not happy with me at the time, that this will strengthen our classroom environment moving forward and will help with my development of behavior management skills.

Conquering the Interview

As I mentioned in my last entry, I had my first official job interview, aside from the job fair, this past Friday. I was a nervous wreck going into this interview for several reasons. First, I didn’t know what to expect. Second, I was afraid of not knowing how to answer a questions or answering it incorrectly. Third, I was nervous that I was going to show how nervous I was. I just wanted to go in having the confidence and knowledge that I needed to win over the interviewer’s heart, but I realized after the fact that it’s definitely possible to overthink how to approach an interview.

I prepared myself very well for this interview. I met with two principals and a vice principal to seek advice about interviewing, I researched all of the common questions asked and ways to best answer them, I researched information about the district, I went through a mock interview with my principal, I practiced at the job fair and reviewed my conversations there, I made a long list of buzzwords, I practiced my responses, I carefully thought of several lessons that I could specifically bring up, I wrote down tips to keep in mind, and I picked out the perfect interviewing outfit. It was exhausting! While I know that preparing is a good thing to do when you have an upcoming interview, it didn’t take long for me to realize that it’s all about knowing yourself and trusting your experience thus far.

My principal gave me good advice that calmed me down. He said, “just going in, be personable and make small talk. Connect with the interviewer and just be yourself. You know what you know, so don’t pretend like you know something you don’t.” I loved this advice because it is true and realistic. So often, people try to pretend like they’ve have experiences or know information that they don’t. Do your research, of course, but I realized that the key to having a good interview is to reflect. Realizing this made me wonder why I didn’t realize this earlier since being an Elementary Education major means constantly reflecting, but it’s true! After simply reflecting on my experiences, what lessons went well, what did not, relationships I have had with my kids, with staff, with parents, how I have experienced behavior management, etc., I was able to not only more quickly and effectively share personal examples of why I believe the things I believe, but how my perspectives and passions as a teacher have played out. I realized that talking about these experiences naturally brought out my excitement and passion for teaching rather than just speaking hypothetically about how I will run my classroom.

It was such a wonderful experience to realize that I am prepared and I am a teacher. It is easy to slip into the mindset that all we can talk about is what we will do when we are teachers, but we have been trained well and have had so many rich learning experiences, and nothing beats being able to reflect on those and how I’ve grown as a teacher and allowing my potential future employer to see this shine through me as well! Overall, the interview was a success in my eyes!

The Job Hunt

It has been crazy but also exciting beginning the job search process. I have been learning about the characteristics of good resumes and cover letters, how to interview well, and how to fill out the insanely detailed job applications. I will also be attending my first ever job fair tomorrow, so I have been learning about how to prepare for it and what to expect.

I never thought that I would be editing my resume for as long as I have been. I have been changing minor details here and there, but I was shocked to see how many different opinions on resumes there are. I took it to my principal, vice-principal, and then to the principal of another school in my district that I know well. All three of these administrators have very different opinions of what changes to make to my resume, and I found myself in a stressful situation where I didn’t know whose advice to take. I have learned that all administrators will have different opinions and perspectives on what a high quality resume looks like, and that it takes my own judgment to decide which pieces of advice to take and which to leave. I also have been learning a lot about writing cover letters. Writing these have been very time consuming because I am trying to personalize each cover letter to the district that I am applying to. This has been tedious, but I think that it will be beneficial to not only be educated on each district, but to paint a picture of why I am a good candidate for them. It has been difficult keeping both my resume and cover letters brief, but I have been able to reflect on all of my experiences and which points take priority over the others.

I have been so lucky to have administrators at my student teaching placement that want to help me succeed so much. They have been so helpful, and I have already been observed by my principal and we have a mock interview set up. They have given me helpful interview advice, and I feel more prepared entering the process of searching for a job, especially since I will be having my first official interview in less than a week!

Prepping for the job fair has been interesting because I do not really know what to expect. I am kind of imagining it like speed dating for the education world. I know this sounds crazy, but we will get just a few minutes at each district’s booth to impress them and hopefully make a connection with the representatives. I have been preparing by finalizing my resume and cover letters for each district I am interested, packing them nicely in a padfolio, picking out a professional outfit, and determining what I am going to say when I go to each booth. I am excited and nervous all at the same time, but getting my feet wet in this process has taught me a lot about my strengths and weaknesses and the importance of reflecting on my teaching experiences so that I can eloquently share them with potential employers!

The Balance of Friend & Teacher

Something that I’ve been learning throughout student teaching is the importance of connections, and by connections I mean with the kids. While it is important to establish and maintain the role as a teacher in their eyes, it is also so important to connect with them and be their friend to some extent. I have had teachers throughout my life who do a great job at this, and I have also had teachers who have not. The school years that have left the greatest impression on me have been with those teachers who really took the time to get to know me and showed me that they cared. To be honest, I normally feel like I do this well with my students throughout all of the placements I have had thus far. I felt like I had a slightly more difficult time doing this as much as I’d like to this semester. I feel like I came in kind of intimidated by the fact that they were gifted students and were older than any other grade I’ve worked with before, so I think that I subconsciously had this expectation that they were going to be unwilling to connect with me and were going to care more about what I teach them as opposed to our relationship. With tht being said, I am happy to say that I was wrong and that these kids are longing for connections that I’ve been so grateful to give to them.

I have learned that although these students have the label of “gifted” on them, they still need a teacher who will love them and not just worry all of the time about pushing them further academically. Yes, this is important, but I have made it my personal goal this semester to break these kids and relate to them personally. Doing this and reaching out to them individually has been such a wonderful experience. I have learned about the students’ likes and dislikes, what they are nervous about, how they work and what issues they are dealing with. I have loved being able to make them smile by asking about an event they mentioned they have over the weekend or by simply greeting them in the morning and asking how they are doing. As I mentioned earlier on, I started a behavior management system called “Mystery Student” where I can award a mystery student a prize at the end of each day if I believe he or she followed expectations. I have had so much fun with this, but I realized how this has also given me the opportunity to show them that I know them and care for them personally. I have been able to pick out interests of individual students and give them a prize that I know they would love. For instance, I just gave a kid a spatula as a prize yesterday! I know, it sounds crazy, but this kid was ecstatic. He has some obsession with spatulas, so recognizing this and giving him this spatula as his reward was so fun to witness. I have also been able to notice the mutual respect that the students and I share based on our conversations. The students will ask me about my likes, will joke with me, and will even encourage me! I was observed yesterday, and as a student was leaving the classroom to go to him math class he said, “Good luck Miss Salerno. You can do it!” It is moments like these that make me so happy.

In summary, I have loved getting to know these students. I was discouraged at first because I felt like it was taking longer than normal to connect with them, but I feel like we have gotten to a really good place where we have mutual respect and care for each other. Forming these connections is not only personally valuable, but it creates such a positive environment for the entire class. Creating friendly community within the classroom plays such a role in the class’s success, and I have loved learning this throughout my placements.

Teacher Tips

As were quickly approaching the half way point of student teaching, I have learned a lot about planning and organization. I have not always been the most organized person prior to college, but as I prepare to be a teacher, I have learned the importance that planning ahead and being organized holds. I have had my fair share of experiences with teachers who are not organized, and this not only is overwhelming for the teacher, but for the students as well. On the other hand, I have also encountered many teachers who were more organized that I knew was possible. There are so many lessons, data, files, etc. that teachers need to keep track of over time, so being organized is a must. Along with organization comes preparation. Planning is also something that I have had a lot of practice with so far during student teacher, and nothing feels better than feeling like you are in control of your teaching life.

Am I perfect at this? No. I find myself scrambling at the last second to find something I need or will wait a little too long to plan a lesson, but planning and being organized is often an overlooked skill that teachers must practice and get ahold of. I chose to write about this because we are in a time of extreme busyness with lesson planning, edTPA, and classes. I constantly feel overwhelmed with everything that is on our plates and will often let that stress get the best of me, but I have also found ways to tackle this workload head on.

As for organization, I created a binder with tabs for all things that I had to keep track of at the beginning of the semester. This has helped me both physically and mentally separate all of the tasks and assignments that I need to keep track of. Also, I wouldn’t survive without my planner. Having a place where you can write daily notes and reminders as well as keeping a constant to do list from week to week has been very helpful for me and my sanity. These two things, along with also having a place both at school and at home to organize your teacher supplies are ways that I have learned to be organized.

As for planning, I have found it very beneficial to keep a schedule and do my best to stick to it. It is so important to keep constant communication with my cooperating teacher and to make good use out of any plan time that I get. One reason that I wanted to talk about planning is because we had a teacher planning day this past week. As a soon-to-be teacher, I now realize the greatness of extra time to plan. We had a full school day without kids dedicated to planning. It was amazing! I have learned the importance of staying on track and being mindful of how I spend my time. It isn’t easy, but it is worth it.

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Teacher Interview: Tell me more about your teaching experience – Sample answers & More

Experience. Everybody needs to get it somewhere, in a teaching job. Yet in almost every interview in education, they will ask you about your experience in the field. As if you were born with ten years of teaching experience already , or perhaps worked as a teacher in one of your past lives (should you believe in reincarnation). Regardless of whether this question makes sense or not (and in many cases it does not make sense), you will have to deal with it in your interview. So, what does the school principal, or whoever leads the interview with you want to hear from you?

First of all, that you have some experience. Perhaps you taught as a part of your college studies . Or you gave private classes to younger students , in your favorite subject, a subject you excel in. What I try to convey here is that you do not have to work as a teacher to gain teaching experience. In a true sense of a word, we are all teachers . Thinking about raising children for example. No doubt you try to teach them how to behave, how to act towards the others, how to be happy in life, and many other things (such as how to go the toilet, eat food on their own, etc). Do not hesitate to mention such teaching experience should you miss any other…

And secondly, they want to hear enthusiasm in your voice , feel your love for teaching. No doubt teaching isn’t an easy profession , especially nowadays. And no doubt you had your share of problems, challenges you faced with your students. Nevertheless, the positives outweigh the negatives , and you see a meaningful purpose in your teaching role. Let’s have a look at 7 sample answers to this interesting question.

7 sample answers to “Tell me more about your teaching experience” interview question

• I’ve been teaching for seven years . Four years at elementary school, and three years at secondary school. Learned a lot along the way, especially what teaching methods work best with various classes and subjects , but also how to deal with problems with discipline , something every teacher faces in this district. I will be honest with you–it wasn’t always an easy ride, and I experienced a few really bad days, days when I considered quitting teaching . But luckily I’ve never done that, because when I look at the bigger picture, and all the good things that happened with the students, I still see teaching as my mission , and as a dream job to have.
• I’ve worked as a Montessori teacher for a year . It was a great experience, and allowed me to experiment with unorthodox teaching methods, something I’d love to apply also in mainstream education–at least to some extent. Teaching by playing , putting emphasis on communication and creativity, I really feel it is the best we can do for the children , to help them develop their full potential. It is the only experience I have so far, but at the same time I believe my education, and all the courses I went to, prepared me for the role of a teacher at an elementary school.

Special Tip: This is just one question you may face while trying to get a job of a teacher, and to be honest, it isn’t the most difficult one . If you want to learn how to answer the really tricky questions , and actually practice your answers and get immediate feedback from a life-like AI interview coach , check out this practice page on our partner website, Real Mock Interviews . Just enter your email, pick one of the interview questions for teachers, and start practicing FOR FREE . It’s fun and you’ll thank me later :).

• This is my first job application , but it doesn’t mean I have no experience with teaching. Since I have always excelled in Math–something many people struggle with, I was earning some extra cash giving private lessons to my classmates at the college. The most important thing I learned during this teaching experience is that individual approach is the key . And I’d love to benefit from this in my first real teaching job, ideally with your school. I cannot wait to get to know the students, and try to help them reach their full potential, and also to enjoy their time at school!
• It may look like I worked only in retail for the past 12 years, but I want to ensure you that as a mother of three, I have had my share of teaching experience . You love your children, but you also want them to become good citizens, and also to teach them many skills so they can do activities without you. And now I do not talk only about bathroom duties. It is also about preparing basic meals, learning to ride a bicycle, taking care of a dog, and other things. I taught my children all these skills and believe I did a good job as their “teacher”. Now, when I feel I am too old to work in sales, I’d like to finally benefit from my French skills, and become a French teacher . And while I never taught anyone French language before, I had great teachers myself, and can benefit from everything I learned from them , from our lessons.
• My teaching experience is mostly from the corporate sphere . Working as a training specialist, I helped new hires learn how to work with the information system we used in the company , and also to ease into their new role. Over the years I worked with all kinds of personalities , and believe to know how to work with adults, how to teach them, which is one of the main reasons why I apply for this job with you. If I should characterize my teaching experience in three words only, I’d call it extensive and eye-opening .
• The only experience I have comes from the obligatory 180 hours we had to teach in the last year at the University. I was assisting teachers in different classes, mostly in History and Geography. And I learned a few important things during this experience. First of all, that we should not idealize our job . Regardless of how hard we try, some students won’t pay attention, and some students will fail to pass the exams. It is how it is, and we have to focus on effort, instead of on results we achieve with the students. Secondly, that I really love this job , and want to teach for years on end, ideally at a high school level. And last but not least, that students have higher expectations nowadays , and unless we want to face problems with attention and discipline, we have to mix it up with innovative teaching methods, and cannot rely on lecturing only.
• I’ve never taught anywhere , but I’ve studied at so many schools and language institutes, and had so many different teachers in life…. And since I am a great observer, I believe I learned how to teach effectively from a position of a student. I saw what worked, and what didn’t in the classes. How the student reacted, including me, when we learned the most, and when we didn’t learn anything. I know it is a bit unorthodox preparation for the role of a teacher. At the same time though, I am ready to prove my words in the job , and I am sure neither you nor the students will be disappointed with me as a teacher…

Ready to answer this one? I hope so! Do not forget to check also 7 sample answers to other tricky questions you may face in your teaching interview :

• Tell me about yourself – teacher interview.
• What are your strengths and weaknesses as a teacher?
• Teacher interview – Where do you see yourself in 5 years from now?
• Why do you want to be a teacher?
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My Best Teaching Experience

Turning Classroom Misbehavior Into Triumph

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Teaching can be a demanding profession. There are times when students can seem uninterested in learning and disruptive to the classroom environment. There are plenty of studies and educational strategies for  improving student behavior . But personal experience may be the best way to show how to turn a difficult student into a dedicated pupil. I had such an experience: one where I was able to help change a student with major behavioral issues into a learning success story. 

Troubled Student

Tyler was enrolled in my senior American government class for a semester, followed by a semester of economics. He had impulse-control and anger-management issues. He had been suspended many times in previous years. When he entered my class in his senior year, I assumed the worst.

Tyler sat in the back row. I never used a seating chart with students on the first day; this was always my opportunity to get to know my pupils before assigning them to specific seats after a few weeks. Every time I talked at the front of the class, I would ask questions of students, calling them by name. Doing this—sans seating chart—helped me to get to know them and learn their names. Unfortunately, every time I called on Tyler, he would respond with a glib answer. If he got an answer wrong, he would become angry.

About a month into the year, I was still trying to connect with Tyler. I can usually get students involved in class discussions or at least motivate them to sit quietly and attentively. By contrast, Tyler was just loud and obnoxious.

Battle of Wills

Tyler had been in so much trouble through the years that being a problem student had become his modus operandi. He expected his teachers to know about his  referrals , where he was sent to the office, and suspensions, where he was given mandatory days to stay out of school. He would push every teacher to see what it would take to get a referral. I tried to outlast him. I had rarely found referrals to be effective because students would return from the office behaving worse than before.

One day, Tyler was talking while I was teaching. In the middle of the lesson, I said in the same tone of voice, "Tyler why don't you join our discussion instead of having one of your own." With that, he got up from his chair, pushed it over and yelled something. I can't remember what he said other than that it included several profanity words. I sent Tyler to the office with a discipline referral, and he received a week-long out-of-school suspension.

To this point, this was one of my worst teaching experiences. I dreaded that class every day. Tyler's anger was almost too much for me. The week Tyler was out of school was a wonderful hiatus, and we got a lot accomplished as a class. However, the suspension week would soon come to an end, and I dreaded his return.

On the day of Tyler's return, I stood at the door awaiting him. As soon as I saw him, I asked Tyler to talk to me for a moment. He seemed unhappy to do it but agreed. I told him that I wanted to start over with him. I also told him that if he felt like he was going to lose control in class, he had my permission to step outside the door for a moment to collect himself.

From that point on, Tyler was a changed student. He listened and he participated in class. He was a smart student, something I could finally witness in him. He even stopped a fight between two of his classmates one day. He never abused his break time privilege. Giving Tyler the power to leave the classroom showed him that he had the ability to choose how he would behave.

At the end of the year, Tyler wrote me a thank you note about how well the year had gone for him. I still have that note today and find it touching to reread when I become stressed about teaching.

Avoid Prejudgment

This experience changed me as a teacher. I came to understand that students are people who have feelings and who don't want to feel cornered. They want to learn, but they also want to feel as if they have some control over themselves. I never made assumptions again about students before they came into my class. Every student is different; no two students react in the same way.

It is our task as teachers to find not only what motivates each student to learn but also what causes them to misbehave. If we can meet them at that point and take away their reason to misbehave, we can go a long way toward achieving more  effective classroom management  and a better learning environment.

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My Student Teaching Experience: Lessons Learned

The student teaching experience allows you to put everything that you’ve learned about education and your subject matter into action. You get to test the waters under the supervision of an experienced teacher who can guide you along and help you become the kind of teacher that you want to be. If you embrace the opportunity, you can learn a lot from the experience. In fact, here are some things that I learned during my time as a student teacher .

Prepare for the Unexpected While Student Teaching

During my student teaching experience, I spent a lot of time preparing each lesson plan . I worked hard to research different ways to present the information for each lesson. I looked for activities that my students would enjoy, and I made sure that I had all of the materials and other things that I needed before class started. Even then, there were always things that would go wrong. Technology would fail. Students would complete activities quicker than planned. Or students would require much more time and explanation than expected.

As such, I realized that I needed to be prepared as much as possible, but, more importantly, I needed to prepare to be flexible. You never know what’s going to come up or what will catch the students’ attention. When creating lessons, remember that you need to be prepared for changes. Figure out alternative activities in order to help your day go as smoothly as possible and allow your students to gain the most from the lessons.

Make Friends

Teaching is difficult. You’re going to have rough days, and you’re going to need help sometimes. Introduce yourself to the librarian, cafeteria staff, administrators, custodians, secretaries, and other teachers. Of course, finding a teaching mentor is always a good idea. As I talked to other teachers about lessons that I was working on, they had plenty of suggestions for activities that I could use. I loved getting ideas for tried and true activities for my students, but I also enjoyed the tips and ideas that they could provide to help me grow as a teacher. They could also help you land a teaching job, too.

Not only can making friends prove to help you as a teacher, but it can also make your day more fun. Rather than eating lunch in your room every day to catch up on work, go to the lunch room and mingle with other teachers. Talk to teachers on the playground. Use the time to get to know others, and you just might end up making a friend for life.

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“dare to disturb the universe:” be fearless as a student teacher.

In high school, I had a teacher who always encouraged us to “dare to disturb the universe” as quoted from T.S. Eliot’s poem, “ The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock .” To me, this meant that we shouldn’t be afraid to do something different or to think outside of the box. When it came to student teaching, I found that I needed to listen to this advice again. I wanted to excel. I wanted to get great recommendations from my cooperating teacher, and I wanted my students to really learn the concepts.

What I found was that student teaching was the perfect time to think outside of the box and try different things. If they didn’t work, they didn’t work. At least, I got to try them in a safe environment. And in the process, I got to work on vital skills for teaching, such as classroom management. Luckily, I had an awesome cooperating teacher who set me free to try new things. Of course, it was always helpful to have my cooperating teacher review my lesson plans and advise me on things that I could do to improve my ideas to ensure that they were viable in the classroom.

Show Confidence

Confidence is crucial for a great student teaching experience. Students need to see that their teacher knows what he or she is talking about. They need a teacher that demands respect. When I first started as a student teacher, I was awkward and unsure of myself. I wasn’t sure what my cooperating teacher would think, and I worried about how my students would perceive this teacher who didn’t look old enough to teach in the first place.

As I fell into my groove and gained more confidence as a teacher , I found that my students not only respected me but felt more comfortable talking to me, too. Confidence meant I could be myself while still demanding respect from my students and colleagues.

Get Involved

Immersing yourself and taking advantage of every opportunity afforded to you can really enrich your student teaching experience. One of my biggest regrets as a student teacher was that I didn’t get involved more. Sure, I attended all of the meetings and met with parents. With the amount of work I put into creating lessons, I chose not to volunteer in after school activities, for example. I wish that I would have taken the opportunity to get more involved. You can gain more experience, meet more people, and find a new niche within the teaching community.

Seek Feedback on Your Student Teaching

One of the most important lessons that I learned was the importance of feedback. During your student teaching experience, you want to find ways to improve your teaching skills. Don’t be afraid to ask your cooperating teacher for advice. When observing you in action, he or she will notice things that you hadn’t noticed before. Maybe you use too many filler words, look at the floor too often, or stand in one place the entire time. Your cooperating teacher can point out these things to you, so you can make the necessary changes to improve.

More than just asking for feedback, you need to have a good attitude about the information that you receive. What will you do with this information? I found that when I was teachable and willing to hear criticism, I saw greater improvements in my teaching and increases in my confidence.

Student teaching was a great experience. It had its ups and downs, but I became a better teacher by working to make the most of my experience and looking for opportunities to learn.  

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The Biggest Lesson of My First Year Teaching

A veteran teacher shares how she learned the value of prioritizing relationships when she was just starting out in the classroom.

Overwhelming is the word that best describes my first year of teaching. I wasn’t prepared for the multitude of things on my plate. I didn’t have a handle on classroom management, and I left each day feeling exhausted and defeated.

My time was spent learning new curriculum, developing personalized learning techniques, modifying lessons, and analyzing data. I knew this was important work, but I also knew that something was not working. I felt a disconnect in my classroom and knew I could do better.

I looked around and saw that there were some teachers who seemed to just take everything in stride and really enjoyed what they were doing. Their classrooms ran smoothly, and their students looked happy. To figure out what they were doing that set them apart, I made an effort to study three teachers during my first year.

I asked if I could sit in and observe their classes. Over a few months, I observed these teachers around five to seven times, for approximately 20–30 minutes each time. I usually planned these observations during my prep or lunch, but on occasion I was able to bring in a substitute teacher for my classes to create observation time.

I also watched teachers interact with students outside of the classroom: on the playground, during lunch, in the hallway, and in assemblies. I paid attention to conversations, comments, and attitudes.

Lessons Learned

I started to see that the highest priority for these teachers was forming relationships with students—everything else fell into place after that.

One teacher played basketball with kids every Friday during lunch. Another sat with kids in the lunch room a few times throughout the year. There was the teacher who liked to walk during her lunch and would invite different groups of kids to join her for conversation. I watched a kindergarten teacher meet a different parent in the pickup line after school each day to let them know of something great that happened with their child.

Some of what I noticed was more time intensive. One colleague did 15-minute morning meetings and ended the day with a short reflection, asking kids to share one thing that went well that day and possibly one goal they were working on for the remainder of the week.

One teacher attended their students’ sporting and musical events, while another came early every day to meet a struggling student and preview the math lesson for the day.

I knew I wanted to model myself after these teachers, so I made a gradual, conscious shift—changing my priorities to make my relationships with students my main focus. I started out with a morning meeting. This was something I could implement easily. I started to gather my students in a circle at the beginning of the day. We did different class greetings and then had either a game or a discussion. I used this time to give short announcements and go over the day’s schedule.

Making this shift changed me as a teacher, and it changed the vibe in my classroom. I began to feel happier at school, and I could see that my students were happier too. They were more prepared to tackle the day.

They trusted me and felt more comfortable asking questions and taking risks. They were reaching out for help and clarification more than ever before. The discipline problems I had been having started to decrease, and honestly, the school day was so much more enjoyable for all of us. We were building trust and friendships, and the students knew that I was on their side and willing to help. Parents would reach out more, and I started to hear that kids really enjoyed being in my class. I never abandoned my work on curriculum, data, differentiation, and all of the other things that are essential in a classroom, but I did shift my priorities.

How to Make Time for Relationships

I’ve been teaching for over 15 years now, am National Board certified, and serve as a mentor to other teachers going through the National Board certification process. New teachers often ask me where I find the time to build relationships in the classroom. I always tell them that it should be the first thing they build into their plans. Prioritize it at the beginning of the year and continue it each day. Just as one allocates time to teaching procedures, an equal amount of time should go into building community and getting to know students.

I let teachers know that it’s helpful to spend time at the beginning of the year telling students about themselves. To the level that they’re comfortable with, educators can let students know about their pets, family, and things they like to do outside of school. And vice versa, it’s helpful to find out information about students. Sending home a parent questionnaire enables caregivers to share personality traits, strengths, and weaknesses—valuable insight into students’ lives and how they learn.

Building in a morning meeting each day is a great way to foster relationships and to gauge students’ emotions.

Scheduling fun small group activities so that kids can get to know each other and feel comfortable working with different students is a small commitment with a big payoff.

One of my favorite classroom games is Who Is It? Each student writes two to three unique things about themselves on a Post-it note with their name. I collect the notes and read them to the class, and they have to guess who wrote it.

Trying out one new thing is a great starting point. For new teachers, it’s important not to overcommit. Burnout is too serious of an issue. A simple conversation, a question, a walk, or a game can make the classroom a great place to be.

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Reflecting On Your Experiences with Remote Teaching: Making Meaning of Pandemic Teaching

Whether you are seeking to recover the joy of teaching after an online pivot during the pandemic, be a better online teacher , be more responsive to student needs, prevent teaching burnout , or plan ahead to teach an in-person, hybrid, or fully online course, it can be important to hit pause. Taking an intentional moment of pause affords you an opportunity to reflect back on your teaching experiences, evaluate your approaches, and consider how your course design decisions impacted your students’ learning. This meaning-making process allows us to use what we have learned from past experiences and data interpretation to inform future practices (see Dewey, 1910; Schön,1983; and Kolb, 1984 – works that define the reflective process). 

This resource provides suggestions, tips, and questions to guide your self-reflective process. Interwoven are Columbia faculty insights shared during the 2021 Celebration of Teaching and Learning , which can offer context and community for processing the last year. 

As you plan ahead, consider how you might:

Raise your self-awareness

• Examine your practices and online course design

Watch yourself on video

Explore other data.

• Plan forward
• Incorporating Reflection Into Your Practice

Cite this resource: Columbia Center for Teaching and Learning (2021). Reflecting On Your Experiences with Remote Teaching: Making Meaning of Pandemic Teaching. Columbia University. Retrieved [today’s date] from https://ctl.columbia.edu/resources-and-technology/teaching-with-technology/teaching-online/reflecting-on-your-experiences/

Reflecting Back to Reflect Forward: On Becoming a Remote Instructor

Looking back on the transition to remote teaching and your pandemic pedagogy, consider:

• what you discovered about yourself as an instructor and your teaching strategies; 
• how you managed your time and the teaching workload; 
• what you learned about your students and their learning; and 
• what affordances of instructional technologies supported your teaching and your students’ learning.

Watch Dr. Yesilevskiy talk about his teaching at the 2021 Celebration of Teaching and Learning .

Teaching and learning during the pandemic shed light on access and equity issues, as well as  the need to rethink teaching norms and pedagogical practices that better meet the needs of diverse learners. Principle 5 in the Columbia Guide for Inclusive Teaching reminds us that reflecting on personal beliefs about teaching can help to maximize self-awareness and commitment to inclusion. Think about the identities you brought to your remote teaching, and how your students perceived you.

What implicit or explicit biases were present in your remote teaching? If challenging moments arose, how did you handle them? To what extent did the activities used via Zoom and in CourseWorks foster inclusion or disinclusion?

When asked, students were open about the challenges of being in front of a screen for extended periods of time, and how much they appreciated opportunities to connect with peers, instructors, guest speakers when possible; flexible course policies, and accessible course materials and activities.

What did you learn about your students, their needs, and from their experiences as remote learners? How did your course structure impact students’ ability to take responsibility for their learning and complete asynchronous work?

Examine your practices and online course design 

With the pivot to remote teaching, consider the changes you made to your practices (e.g., updated communication approach, made course policies more flexible, experimented with new engagement strategies, reimagined assessments, made expectations and learning outcomes more explicit, integrated instructional technologies, etc.).

Which of the changes you made were most effective? How do you know? What sources of information can inform your evaluation of these practices? (e.g., self-assessment, student feedback, student performance).

Evaluate the design of your course using the Quality Matters Course Design Rubric Standards ( Higher Ed. Standards ; accessible version ).

How well did the course components – learning objectives, assessments, instructional materials, learning activities, and instructional technology – align and help students achieve the desired learning outcomes?

Watch Dr. Weaver talk about her teaching at the 2021 Celebration of Teaching and Learning .

Additionally, reflect on the asynchronous components of your course: 

How well did your use of CourseWorks promote student engagement with content and peers, and student learning? Which CourseWorks tools were particularly effective? To what extent were the organizational structure and modules clear and effective?

“… we were able to adapt some of our prior lessons to the virtual environment, and create new virtual learning tools that were more engaging and efficient for our learners. My main takeaway from this experience is that more isn’t better, better is better. We all likely have materials that are not as efficient in teaching as they could be, and ways we could maximize the learning in our sessions that do occur.”  – Dr. Beth Barron , Associate Professor of Medicine, Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons, CUIMC. 

Watch Dr. Barron talk about her teaching at the 2021 Celebration of Teaching and Learning .

Other elements you may want to reflect on include: course planning, communication practices, community-building strategies, course climate, student engagement / interactions, organization of course material and its accessibility to students, and inclusive teaching practices.

Reflect on your synchronous class sessions–look for what worked and the impact of your teaching on your students’ learning. With hours of Zoom class recordings (stored in Panopto) to choose from, watch class sessions in which you tried something new, or ones that you suspect did not go as well as you had hoped. Consider strengths and areas for development. Use the following questions to guide your viewing.

Before viewing:

• What did you hope to accomplish in this class? What did you want students to learn, do, and/or value?
• To what degree were the goals met? / Did students learn what was intended? How do you know?
• To what extent were students engaged in learning activities? 

While viewing:

• What are your observations? 
• What specific teaching practices are you doing effectively that are helping your students meet the learning goals of the class session?  
• What practices were not as effective as they could have been? What do you see on the recording that makes you think this is the case?
• What segments of the class do students seem to be most engaged? Least engaged? What might be the cause(s)?

After viewing:

• If you could teach this class session again, what would you do differently? Why? 
• Should the session goals and strategies be revised for the next iteration?  
• What is the key thing that you would like to improve for next time?  
• What are your action steps to making this change? (e.g., schedule a consultation, revise class session plan)

Interpret student feedback 

Consider all the feedback that you collected from students whether through early and mid-semester student feedback or end-of-semester course evaluations. 

How did your students perceive the course? What was the students’ experience? Were the course learning objectives and expectations clear to the students? Does your interpretation of the course align with that of your students? 

As you explore and interpret the data, consider taking these actions: 

• Identify patterns or common themes in the comments.
• Note what students found most useful in supporting their learning. Based on what students thought worked well, what practices will you continue doing? 
• Reflect on the insights gained, and decide on the areas for improvement that would enhance the student learning experience. What changes to the course design and/or teaching practices might be needed?

“…I would really continue to work on and develop my asynchronous lectures. (…) the response from the students was that the asynchronous lecture was really beneficial in preparing for the course. And it also allows for a richer discussion and collaboration within the classroom. (…) I want to continue to keep up on current technology, being prepared with the technologies for this was very beneficial.” 

– Dr. Amanda Sarafian , Assistant Professor of Rehabilitation and Regenerative Medicine, Occupational Therapy. 

Watch Dr. Sarafian talk about her teaching at the 2021 Celebration of Teaching and Learning .

Discussing your evaluations with a trusted colleague or CTL consultant can help make sense of the data and put it in perspective (especially any negative comments, outlier or contradictory feedback). Schedule a CTL consultation by contacting [email protected] . 

Explore course analytics and student performance

CourseWorks Course Statistics , Course Analytics , and Panopto Analytics (see How to View User Statistics ), provide a glimpse into student performance and engagement with assignments, discussions, quizzes, or course videos. For components that lacked student engagement, consider what improvements might be needed in the future (e.g., improved communication, clearer instructions, guidance or expectations). 

How did students perform on assessments? Did students achieve the desired learning outcomes? To what extent did students actively engage with asynchronous content and learning activities outside of class? 

Plan Forward

Looking ahead to the next time you teach this course or material, consider the lessons learned from remote teaching and what changes are needed to maximize student learning. 

What might you carry forward from your online teaching experience into other modes of course delivery (e.g., in-person, hybrid) or future online iterations of the course? 

As you reflect forward, consider taking these actions: 

• Develop an action plan in which you outline what changes you will make, how you will make them, and by when. 
• Identify the new approaches to course design, community building, engagement, and/or assessment that you will use, and the instructional technologies and tools you will carry forward from your remote teaching experiences.

Watch Dr. Cruz talk about her teaching at the 2021 Celebration of Teaching and Learning .

Incorporate Reflection Into Your Practice

This resource has focused on your personal reflection and the interpretation of your students’ perceptions to inform your practice. However Brookfield (2017) suggests the use of four lenses of critical reflection – colleagues’ perceptions, theory, students’ eyes, and personal experience – to see your teaching practices from different angles (p. 61-77). 

To make critical reflection part of your ongoing practice, consider the following:

• Think about your personal experiences (e.g., how your experiences as a learner shaped your teaching practices). Build in time for metacognitive work (see CTL’s resource on metacognition ). Set aside time before, during, and after a course to reflect. Keep track of things to keep or modify for next time. For instance, after every synchronous class session, annotate class session plans or briefly engage in reflective writing (in a journal or digital space). Ask yourself: what worked well? What could be improved? What would I do differently the next time I teach this class session? And document what changes you plan to make.
• Check in with your students, and ask them how they are experiencing the learning. Collect feedback from students early in the semester (see the CTL’s resource on Early and Mid-Semester Student Feedback ). This can be done via an anonymous survey (e.g., using Google Form, Qualtrics, or other survey tool). Reflect on the data and share back with students the changes that you will make based on their feedback.
• Ask your TAs (if applicable) to provide feedback. They provide valuable insights into how students may be experiencing the course and common questions or issues that students bring to the course.  
• Talk to colleagues about teaching issues or challenges, and brainstorm solutions. This can help place our teaching in perspective. Join us for an upcoming synchronous CTL event to connect with colleagues across campus. Learn from colleagues and their experiences experimenting with innovations in their classrooms. Read, listen, and watch Columbia colleagues share their reflections and experiences through the Voices of Hybrid and Online Teaching and Learning initiative; the 2021 Celebration of Teaching and Learning Symposium (see select quotes below); and Faculty Spotlights . 
• Open up your classroom to peer feedback. Invite colleagues to observe your class (live or a recording), review your CourseWorks site, or review course materials (e.g., syllabi, assignments, activities). Prior to the peer review, discuss the goals and the desired feedback. 

Explore the teaching and learning literature to discover evidence-based approaches to incorporate into your practice. Various journals publish the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) and Discipline Based Education Research (DBER); access e-journals through Columbia Libraries . (To learn more about SoTL and DBER, see the SOLER faculty guide ).

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• For the undergraduate student perspective on teaching and learning, explore the resources developed by our student consultants or ask a student !  Submit a question and one of the CTL’s Students as Pedagogical Partners will share their thoughts and experiences. 

Blumberg, P. (2014). Assessing and Improving Your Teaching: Strategies and Rubrics for Faculty Growth and Student Learning . Jossey-Bass. 

Brookfield, S.D. (2017). Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher. Second Edition . Jossey-Bass.

Darby, F. (2021). 8 Strategies to Prevent Teaching Burnout . The Chronicle of Higher Education. January 13, 2021. 

Darby, F. (2020). How to Recover the Joy of Teaching After an Online Pivot . The Chronicle of Higher Education. March 24, 2020. 

Darby, F. (2019). How to Be a Better Online Teacher . Advice Guide. The Chronicle of Higher Education. April 17, 2019. 

Dewey, J. (1910). How we think . D. C. Heath & Co. https://doi-org.ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/10.1037/10903-000

Fink, L. D. (2012). Getting Better as Teachers. Thriving in Academe. NEA Higher Education Advocate. 

Kolb, D. (1984). Experiential Learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Prentice-Hall. 

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Teaching English as a Foreign Language: Experiences Essay

Teachers hold a critical but significantly undervalued purpose in modern society. With the wider availability of information and developing communication technology, the perception and role of teachers are rapidly changing. There are various challenges as well as rewards that are inherent to the job. In order to grow and improve as a teacher and a person, it is essential to reflect on my personal feelings and education practices that define them as a unique instructor.

Being a teacher is a lot of responsibility and accountability. Those with any experience of education realize that the job requires not only the mastery of the subject being taught but also an understanding of human psychology, necessity to maintain self-control, and upkeeping utmost organization. To be honest, it is overwhelming and exhausting at times. However, the job brings incredible satisfaction and tremendous pride in the profession. There is the excitement of planning and executing projects with your class or taking advantage of a new teaching method that a more experienced educator has shared. The most rewarding moment is seeing a student’s eyes light up after comprehending a complicated topic that they have struggled with and finally understanding how a concept works.

I have had a variety of teaching experiences, ranging from working as a tutor to coaching tennis. In each position, there were nuances and learning curves in the teaching process and approach to students. However, once I became accustomed to the job, it became a passion. The famous maxim attributed to Confucius, “choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life” applies to my experience with teaching. The profession fits with my identity of helping people and giving back to the community. Good teaching is more than a simple transfer of information and skill. It is based on empowerment and support for students, as a teacher can provide the opportunity and confidence to apply their knowledge. I believe that teaching fits perfectly with my caring and supportive character that seeks to empower others to achieve their objectives.

Through this course, I have been able to learn about a wide variety of practices for teaching English as a foreign language. Linguistics can be quite difficult, and it requires an approach that would maintain student interest and encourage participation. Some of the sessions in the course that focused on needs analysis and exploiting dialogue are techniques that can be tactically applied in a learning environment. They increase participation and student awareness of the practicality for their knowledge of English. The use of “do-it-yourself” grammar lessons that encourage independent thinking and utilization of learned knowledge is an effective method to support the difficult acquisition of English grammar. Furthermore, I would like to practice certain techniques such as gamification or the “teach-back” approach that would provide some diversification to traditional instruction methods and would be used to reinforce specific concepts.

I believe that there are no wrong teaching methods. In a real-life classroom situation, one can never know what particular approach can be helpful for individual students to understand a concept. However, there are some aspects that I believe would be inappropriate in teaching English as a foreign language. For example, relying on self-learning as the foundation for language learning (as it is commonly done in many college courses) is ineffective since it would discourage the systematic approach necessary in linguistics. Furthermore, I believe that placing students in situations where they would feel forced or uncomfortable to perform dialogues should be done with caution to prevent discouragement. Language acquisition is a long-term process which should occur naturally and supported by the classroom teaching methodology.

Overall, teaching is my passion, and I look forward to being able to practice it on a daily basis. Participation in the Peace Corps teaching program will also provide me with an opportunity to make a difference in the world and empower individuals with knowledge of critical language skills. Despite the possible challenges that come with the position, I remain optimistic as it will help to contribute to my personal growth as well.

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IvyPanda. (2021, June 26). Teaching English as a Foreign Language: Experiences. https://ivypanda.com/essays/teaching-english-as-a-foreign-language-experiences/

"Teaching English as a Foreign Language: Experiences." IvyPanda , 26 June 2021, ivypanda.com/essays/teaching-english-as-a-foreign-language-experiences/.

IvyPanda . (2021) 'Teaching English as a Foreign Language: Experiences'. 26 June.

IvyPanda . 2021. "Teaching English as a Foreign Language: Experiences." June 26, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/teaching-english-as-a-foreign-language-experiences/.

1. IvyPanda . "Teaching English as a Foreign Language: Experiences." June 26, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/teaching-english-as-a-foreign-language-experiences/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Teaching English as a Foreign Language: Experiences." June 26, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/teaching-english-as-a-foreign-language-experiences/.

• To Grammar or Not to Grammar: Teaching Grammar in Context
• The Study of Grammar: An Overview Summary
• Presentation of the Target Grammar
• Using Corpus Linguistics to Improve Teaching of Grammar
• Grammar and Vocabulary in English Lesson Plans
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Home — Essay Samples — Education — Teaching Philosophy — My teaching philosophy

My Teaching Philosophy

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Published: Mar 25, 2024

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Teaching Philosophy: Fostering Lifelong Learning and Critical Thinking Skills

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Guest Essay

An Octopus Took My Camera, and the Images Changed the Way I See the World

By Craig Foster

Mr. Foster’s film, “My Octopus Teacher,” won the Academy Award for best documentary feature in 2021. He wrote from Simon’s Town, South Africa.

I was gifted with a new way of seeing the day I got mugged underwater. I had been filming creatures living in the Great African Sea Forest off the coast of South Africa about a year ago when my camera was grabbed straight out of my hands by a young octopus thief. Wrapping her arms around her bounty, she zoomed backward across the ocean floor.

This was not the first time I’d found myself at the mercy of an eight-armed robber. A couple of years earlier, another curious octopus stole the wedding ring off my wife’s finger, never to be recovered. Octopuses love novel shiny things. Peering into their dens, I’ve found earrings, bracelets, spark plugs, sunglasses and a toy car with a revolving cylinder that the octopus spun round and round with its suckers.

As I wondered how to get my camera back without alarming my young friend, something surprising happened. She turned the camera around and began to film my diving partner and me.

The intriguing images she captured — videos of her own arms draped over the camera lens with our bodies in the background — had a profound effect on me. After many years filming octopuses and hundreds of other animals that call the Sea Forest home, for the first time I was seeing the world — and myself — from her perspective.

We must have looked strange to her in our masks and with our underwater flashlights. But in that moment I remembered that despite all our technology, we are not so different from our animal kin. Every breath of air, every drop of water, every bite of food comes from the living planet we share.

Monday is Earth Day, and I am tempted to ask myself how humanity can save our wild planet and undo the devastation we have unleashed upon the natural world. Where I live, in the Cape of Good Hope, I am privileged to be surrounded by nature, but we are grappling with pollution and dwindling numbers of shellfish, fish, raptors and insect species. Worldwide, we are at a tipping point with an estimated 69 percent decline in wildlife populations.

When I consider the vast network of living creatures on earth, it’s clear that “saving the planet” is the wrong goal. Unless earth gets obliterated by an asteroid or experiences some similar catastrophic event, the planet could go on for several billion years. But without the biosphere that makes it possible for us to eat and breathe, humanity could not survive.

The question we should be asking is what caused the precipitous increase in species loss and what can we do to reverse it. To me, it all started when we disconnected from our wild origins. While agricultural and technological revolutions have enabled massive population growth and innovation , they have also instilled the belief that we can control nature, that our planet is an infinite resource to be mined for our advancement, comfort and entertainment.

Today 56 percent of the world population lives in urban areas, a percentage expected to grow to nearly 70 percent by 2050 . That means that more than half of us are cut off from reminders that we are still part of nature and utterly dependent on its health. It’s only when something truly devastating happens, like the recent flooding in Dubai, that we remember that even the greatest human advancements can be brought to a standstill by nature’s power.

I am not calling for us to leave all modern comforts behind, just pleading for us to get to know nature better, rather than try to “save” her.

In the past decade I have taken more than 4,000 dives in the Sea Forest. My encounters with mollusks, sharks and jellyfish there have convinced me that there is much we will lose if we do not value the tremendous abundance of life on earth.

We do this first by protecting biodiversity hot spots and by restoring degraded ecosystems; the enormous regenerative power I see every day in nature is what gives me hope for the future. It also means learning from and supporting Indigenous people who protect 80 percent of the world’s biodiversity and who have, over millenniums, developed many innovative ways to live with the land and sea. One promising example of partnership is a recent grant from the National Science Foundation to support collaboration between Indigenous ecological knowledge and Western science.

Activities that cause long-term destruction of the sea and earth, such as strip mining , deep sea mining and industrial trawling, need to be halted immediately. Farming methods have to change, with greater emphasis on soil recovery and regeneration . We must continue to find alternatives to fossil fuels and push for a worldwide reduction in the production and use of plastics.

But each of us has a role to play, too; it starts with challenging ourselves to reconnect with the wild. So much of our modern world seems designed to tame us: to dull our minds, to separate us from the natural world, to convince us that what will help us survive is more consumption.

Like my octopus friends, we fill our houses with shiny new things. But our piles of stuff are much bigger and the cost of acquisition much greater.

We can break free of this tame conditioning. When we dedicate even just a few minutes per day to observing wild creatures on their own terms, in their own homes, regardless of where we live, we connect with the concept of biodiversity not simply on an intellectual level but also on an emotional level. We see the world differently — and ourselves, too.

How strange it is that one silly primate can see itself as separate from all those it shares this world with. What might happen if we remembered we are a part of this wild world — and let that understanding and humility guide every choice we make?

Craig Foster is a co-founder of the Sea Change Project and the author of the forthcoming “Amphibious Soul: Finding the Wild in a Tame World.” His film “My Octopus Teacher” won the Academy Award for best documentary feature in 2021.

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