Learning is defined when the student can apply new concepts of knowledge, solving problems, and developing critical thinking. I believe the best way to achieve this goal is to access previous experience, building the understanding through inquiry, connection, and interaction with peers and teachers, and creating the responsibility of self-learning. The opportunity to practice and apply problem-solving promotes self-assessment where students can reflect in their understanding, in other words, where they need to work more to achieve their goal.
I believe teaching is a process to facilitate students’ understanding. I think that a successful teacher knows how to engage students in learning and select the content and activities to facilitate the learning process, promoting sharing, discussions, and interactions between students. Indeed, social interaction through discussions builds successful content, students, and teacher engagement. According to my philosophy, starting teaching by inquiry is essential. It allows access to existing students’ knowledge and curiosity. The teacher in this process develops critical coaching, facilitating students to build new ideas, concepts, and achieve a better understanding. Furthermore, teachers can assist students in reflecting on their learning process through activities, providing clear feedback, and creating students’ self-assessments in what worked, and what needs to be improving. Each individual is responsible for their understanding by intuitive and deductive thinking, resolving inconsistencies, testing ideas, and seeking new information. Finally, the teaching process is dynamic and cyclic.
It is also essential to highlight that students have different needs in learning, causing the necessity to work in a broad perspective and interdisciplinary. I have a passion for teaching integrating critical thinking and values to motivate a better future individually and collectively. My frame is a sustainable education through ecological intelligence. Think, predict, and act. My purpose is to design a curriculum to create a relationship between feeling and intellect, bringing in mind our affinity for life.
As an instructional technologist, I believe that the use of technology in education provides a better understanding of knowledge through problem-solving and critical thinking. Also, it allows online learning, connection, and interaction of expertise in a broad audience, and provides engagement. The technology in education brings the opportunity to connect ideas around the world, facilitating the learning process, and providing access for learning. I believe teachers should use technology in the classroom during the teaching process, activities, and assessments. Anytime it is useful since teachers plan it well. Indeed, to achieve critical thinking, problem-solving skills, technology can not be used just as a device, but for both, cognitive and physical tools. It is essential to differentiate widespread knowledge about the use of technology in education because using computers to access data is not adequate for learning achievement. Teachers need to know how to use the technology in the classroom and in which context, providing student’s analysis and a full understanding. Some examples of useful techniques to use in the classroom or outside it are interactive models, online videos, electronic field trips, practical software, data analysis, and podcasts.
In conclusion, for me, a successful teaching & learning approach consists of a combination of accessing previous knowledge, promoting discussion, interaction, engagement, and connection to apply new concepts. The technology is useful in this process since well-implemented by teachers, according to the curriculum designed and goals to achieve. Also, it is essential to build students understanding consciously to their values, integrating them into a better world.