Teacher World View

As part of our practicum prep class for this semester, we have been asked to reflect on the bc teachers’ competencies. These competencies outline what is required to engage in the workforce as an educator in a professional setting. The first competency outlined is to examine one’s own worldview to develop awareness of it and how it might interact with others’ worldviews. The purpose of this post will be to engage in an examination of my own teacher identity as well as to reflect on a series of questions regarding my own worldview

What does it mean to be effective?

Being effective simply comes down to achieving a desired result. So then the question is how one sets goals and what the means are to achieve them. Are these goals reasonable? And will they lead to a desired outcome? Because of this, effectiveness can be achieved in many different ways. However, overall, it boils down to what the desired result is. And did you achieve it efficiently?

What characteristics does an effective teacher have?

I believe that an effective teacher could have any number of characteristics. As long as they engage with the principles of effective teaching outlined by Harry Wong. Effective educators can come from different backgrounds, have different styles, and engage in different projects and teaching methods, as long as they employ the strategies of effective teaching. One common thread between them would be a will to be effective in their practice and to be intentional about how they use their time. Another common theme you may find between these educators is good classroom management skills. More about that here.

What kind of teacher do I want to become?

Well, it is unlikely that I will become a full-time teacher, as I will be pursuing a degree in counseling psychology after my bachelor’s in education. I would imagine that I would employ Harry Wong’s previous strategies to be an effective teacher and teach from a place that values humor and connection.

What do I need to learn to become an effective teacher?

To become an effective teacher, I need my own classroom and to focus only on the first two weeks of school to set the tone. I will also need time to learn to employ the classroom management strategies that I have learned. Furthermore, to be effective in the classroom, I will need procedures that my class learns and follows, and a set of class rules that are easy to follow and co-created with students. ultimately these rules always boil down to. respect yourself, respect each other, respect the space.

What is my teaching philosphy?

My teaching philosophy could be boiled down to, the more you do, the more you learn. Whoever is doing the work in classrooms is often the one doing the learning. Teacher burnout is becoming an increasingly serious issue every year. Teachers leave their classes at the end of the day exhausted because they do all the work! In my class, students will lead the work and projects, and I will facilitate the learning, but ultimately the responsibility will be theirs.

Reflection

What is a worldview?

A worldview is defined as “a particular philosophy of life or conception of the world” (Oxford Languages 2020), that is, the way we interpret and interact with the world around us. While one’s worldview is personal, it is shaped by experiences, culture, and socioeconomic status, among other things.

How would you describe your worldview?

I would describe my worldview as community and labor-based. The working class is responsible for the production and maintenance of all facets of our society; therefore, they should be the ones who reap the rewards. Community is what strengthens humanity as a whole, and cooperation and sustainable living are the cornerstones of developing social equity for all.

While thinking about your own worldview, also consider the impacts of your ethnocultural, socioeconomic, geopolitical, and spiritual identities.

These identities are always worth focusing on when examining one’s own worldview, as each category plays a role in shaping one’s experience. Although I do consider these things in developing my worldview, it is impossible to separate oneself entirely from them, as they are fundamental to one’s existence. Examining bias and the impact of identity is effective to understand that you view things through a different lens from others; however, eliminating one’s own bias from these categories is impossible, as even that is done through a lens that has been created by one’s own ethnocultural, socioeconomic, geopolitical, and spiritual identities.

Why, as a teacher, is it important to be aware of your own worldview, as well as those of your students and school community?

One needs to consider their own worldview and how it developed in light of power dynamics in the classroom and the community at large. As an educator, one must understand that each student and person in the community interacts with the world in a unique way, cares about different things, and holds different views. As an educator, it is essential to present all sides of an argument or piece of information in a way that is informative, then allow your students to formulate their own view of the world through this information, picking up what’s useful and gathering more data from other educators, family, and friends.

What can you do, as a teacher, to ensure that your worldview does not impede the success of the diversity of learners in your classroom?

Being aware of one’s worldview is the first step toward ensuring it does not impede one’s learners’ progress. However, there are also questions one could ask themselves during the construction and delivery of lessons to reduce bias and, ideally, present a more complete picture. For example, does this lesson interact with facts or my opinion of an issue? Does this lesson allow students to think critically and come to their own conclusions through inquiry? Could I present this without a Western framework, thereby making it more accessible to more learners? Frequently engaging in these questions is another step in the right direction when examining my own worldview within the context of educating others.

When do you consider it to be necessary to challenge the Western worldview as it impacts the K-12 education system?

I think the practice of challenging one’s worldview and its impact on the education system should always be considered. Classrooms are seeing more diversity than ever, which means learners from different cultures and belief systems. Education should be accessible and welcoming to all individuals and their families. Therefore, it is necessary to ask questions and change systems. At the end of the day, we work for the students.

What aspects of the BC curriculum reinforce or challenge a Western worldview?

I think that weaving in Indigenous ways of knowing and learning challenges the Western worldview. The curriculum has also shifted significantly to include social-emotional learning, communication, and broader frameworks. While this helps teachers maintain autonomy and teach in a style that suits them, as long as the ideas are within the curriculum. The challenge is that instructors working within that system need to constantly challenge their own biases and incorporate other perspectives so that all the material isn’t presented through a Western lens.