Exemplary Teaching Practices and Philosophies
Julie F. Harlin
Becoming a great teacher isn't a gift, it is a learned skill:
Just as some believe that leaders are made, not born, I too believe that
effective teaching behaviors and skills can be learned through modeling,
repetition, practice, and observation. After all, I work with those preparing
to become agricultural science teachers in public schools; so I must believe
that my students have the potential to become great teachers themselves.
Students come to me as they are and it is my duty to mold them into becoming
an effective teacher by exposing them to effective teaching strategies,
modeling these behaviors myself, and preparing them for life long learning.
The measure of effective teaching is not evaluated through "teaching
activities," rather it is evaluated by student learning:
I hold myself to the standard that I must not merely EXPOSE students to
material; I must make learning REAL for them. By putting concepts into a
context, providing relevant learning activities, and demonstrating enthusiasm
for the content I teach, I can help increase student learning.
I, the teacher, am the most significant variable to determining the success
of my students:
I believe that I am the key factor to student success in my classes. I
take this role very seriously and work to ensure that students understand
the content and know how to apply it. If I do my job well, students will
excel in my course and later as they become teachers in their own classrooms.