TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

TEACHING STATEMENT Jennifer Gale Ruiz

One of the things that gave me a passion for learning was when participation was an encouraged element. An educator that trusts their students, giving them the freedom and responsibility to participate in their education, helps the student respond to intellectual obstacles. This partnership will create an encounter of critical thinking and an exchange of new ideas.

In my own experience this nature of teaching gave me a passion for history. As a first year student at Yavapai Community College, I took a history class that successfully stimulated the class by student participation. This class was no longer a requirement, it was a passion for a subject that so many of the students had previously detested. Active participation requires creativity and motivation by the educator, one of the ways that my instructor stimulated student participation was that, he required the students to make some of the multiple choice questions for the exams. This practice required the student to have knowledge of the subject, so that the answers would not be in conflict, it further gave some relief of the anxiety of failing the exams. Before each exam we would quiz each other on our questions, encouraging open classroom discussions, creating a better understanding of the subject matter.

My aspiration in teaching will be to encourage learning by learner participation, helping to make the students more than just passive recipients. In my studies, I will continue to explore new ideas and approaches to engage student involvement during my path to becoming a teacher of history.