"A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning" ~ Brad Henry
We have no idea of what the world will be in the next 20 or 50 years, yet we are charged with preparing our students for life in ‘tomorrows’ world. The education for future health professionals needs serious transformation to ensure that there is still a positive effect on health outcomes; locally, nationally and globally.
Radiographers of the 21st century, like all health professionals, have to acquire and develop essential graduate attributes of critical thinking, problem solving, adaptability, creativity, initiative, collaboration, communication, professional ethics, empathy, and they must be techno-savvy too. This generation living in the “information age” must be able to access, extract and synthesize knowledge, to be able to be effective as citizens. I am guided by the pedagogic principle of empowering my students to becoming responsible lifelong learners.
I believe that there are multiple approaches to learning and each student has a unique learning style. I believe that it is my responsibility to find the most effective student centered instructional methods to cater for different learning styles.
I believe in engaging my students through active participation in the learning process.
We have all heard the famous line…..“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” This philosophy is centered primarily on the theories on constructivism, which propagate that new understanding is constructed based on prior knowledge. Many other learning attributes fit within this learning paradigm – active, independent, collaborative, critical thinking, reflective, and lifelong, to name a few.
Constructivism has important implications for teaching and learning. Teaching can no longer be viewed as the transmission of knowledge from the teacher to the student. The responsibility of learning must reside with the learner. I believe that my students must take ownership of their learning and take control of their destiny.
I believe that students must possess creativity and innovation, in order to problem solve without fear of failure. Albert Einstein once said, “anyone who has never made a mistake has not tried anything new.” I believe that students should be encouraged to stretch their thinking and ideas in order to find innovative solutions to challenging problems.
I believe that in this global society we find ourselves, our students must be effective communicators and team players. They must be sensitive to cultural diversity and respect others as well as themselves. Technology enables collaboration and communication and students should be assisted in acquiring these soft skills through our interactions with them.
Technology in the 21st century is making content irrelevant, its what you are able to do with the content that is important. Embedding technology in teaching, learning and assessment creates opportunities for success in this area. I believe that students must be encouraged to engage with the content and the technology, and become producers instead of just consumers of knowledge.
When I started teaching in 2001, I had already become acutely aware that my role in the classroom was going to be….the ‘guide on the side’ and ‘not the sage on the stage’. This philosophy allowed me to develop as a facilitator. And today, I find myself in the same role, but richer from the experiences in my classrooms….…