Welcome to the WJETT blog
What is WJETT?
The WJETT blog or Warwick Journal of Education - Transforming Teaching blog is designed to encourage staff and students to disseminate good practice and to engage with their peers on academic cultural critique or areas of research that they find interesting. With the increased focus on ‘teachers as researchers’ in the sector, many qualified teachers are expected to publish the outcomes of any action research projects they undertake. The WJETT blog can be the first step on your journey towards publishing and enables you to experience publishing and reviewing in a friendly and supportive environment.
You will need to scroll down the page below the tags to see the posts.
What is your teaching philosophy?
My personal teaching philosophy directly applies to my touchstones. My touchstones are a reflection of the person I am. As educators we are rarely, if ever, asked to articulate our philosophy of education or core convictions and likewise, rarely if ever, take time critically to reflect and ask if our practice matches our philosophy, beliefs or core convictions. My philosophy is that every child deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential. This belief of mine comes from my experience of working as an International Baccalaureate (IB) grade five teacher. According to Sinek (2017) ‘Once you understand your WHY, you’ll be able to clearly articulate what makes you feel fulfilled and to better understand what drives your behavior when you’re at your natural best’.
I attained a First Class (A) TEFL certificate and moved to Thailand to begin a career in teaching. Following my first appointment with one of the private local teaching schools in the country, I progressed (through language institutes and international schools) to my current position as a Grade Five PYP Teacher for the Canadian International School of Beijing. Throughout my teaching career, I have worked tirelessly to improve my lesson planning and pedagogical practices. This has involved constantly reviewing and reformulating lesson plans, individual and group strategies, classroom management, and consulting with other teaching professionals.
I personally think teachers do not generally enter the profession for accolades or affluence but rather see it as a calling and a way to give back. According to the blog post Educational System (2013) ‘Education and philosophy are closely inter-related. If philosophy is love of knowledge then education is acquisition of knowledge’. As I get older and reflect upon my practice, I have a deeper understanding of what type of teacher I want to be, and I make the necessary adjustments along the way. I have great admiration for the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum and feel that my educational philosophy is similarly aligned as I try to foster the potential of my student’s so that they can pursue their ambitions and become global citizens. The International Baccalaureate ‘aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect’ (IB).
Effective, intentional teaching begins with a strong set of beliefs, but even the best teachers struggle to make sure that their classroom practice consistently reflects their core convictions. One thing I have come to realize is that I can always learn from others in order to become a better teacher. No matter what age we are, it is important to take things into consideration before arriving at a decision. Reflection and seeking opportunities to grow wiser by learning about different theories of philosophies, then applying these theories towards my outlook on life, will most certainly impact my teaching.
References:
Educational System (2013) ‘Importance of eclectic approach in education’, Educational System, 27 January. Available at: https://educational-sysetm.blogspot.com/2013/01/importance-of-electic-approach-in.htmlLink opens in a new window (Accessed: 5 July 2019)
IBO. (no date). Mission Available at: https://www.ibo.org/about-the-ib/mission/Link opens in a new window (Accessed: 10 August 2020)
Sinek, S. (2017) ‘The science of WHY’, LinkedIn, 16 November. Available at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/science-why-simon-sinek/Link opens in a new window (Accessed: 10 August 2020)
Writing guidance
Can I write about anything in my blog post?
Yes pretty much. Academic cultural critique (Thomson and Mewburn, 2013) is always a good source of content for academic blogs. This can include (but is not limited to) comments and reflections on funding; higher education policy or academic life. You might also want to consider blogging about:
- Academic practice (Saper, 2006)
- Information and/or self-help advice
- Technical, teaching and careers advice
- Your research or practice
- How you’ve undertaken research
- The impact of research on your practice
- An area of research/practice that interests you
- Your teaching experiences/reflections
How long can my blog post be?
Each individual blog post should be no longer than 500 words. Long blocks of text are sometimes hard for readers to digest. Break up your content into shorter paragraphs, bullet points and lists whenever possible. Also include a list of keywords or tags as this makes it easier for Google to find your work.
Do I need to use citations?
No, this is a reflective piece so it does not need to include citations (but you obviously can include them if they are relevant).
Can I include links or images?
We would encourage you to include links to any articles that you have considered whilst writing your blog post. We also welcome the use of images (as long as you have permission to use them) as they can often help to illustrate a point and obviously will not be included in the word limit. Please remember this is a public site so if you want to include images of your students in your classes then you will need permission to do this.
What is the process for submitting a piece of work?
Your blog post should be emailed to A.Ball.1@warwick.ac.uk. Once the submission has been reviewed it will either be uploaded at the beginning of the next available week or sent back to you for editing if it requires amendments. You should then send the amended work to me once again and I will then upload it.