What is a Statement of Teaching Competency?
The statement of teaching competency is a statement that articulates one’s mastery of competencies that makes up their “best practice” of teaching, where competencies are teaching skills and techniques focused on student learning. The Program in College Teaching at UNH believes that there are six core competencies that the most successful and effective teachers possess. This statement provides evidence that my teaching methods address and accomplish these six core competencies, linking my teaching philosophy to my own practice.
The statement of teaching competency is a statement that articulates one’s mastery of competencies that makes up their “best practice” of teaching, where competencies are teaching skills and techniques focused on student learning. The Program in College Teaching at UNH believes that there are six core competencies that the most successful and effective teachers possess. This statement provides evidence that my teaching methods address and accomplish these six core competencies, linking my teaching philosophy to my own practice.
Introduction
My experiences of teaching combined with my studies from the College Teaching Cognate at UNH have helped me build an arsenal of teaching skills and techniques to aid in student learning and create an ever-evolving teaching philosophy of which I follow. I believe that an integrative course model is essential for student learning as well as providing regular feedback to students, while considering the way in which students learn by using the cognitive load theory. Here, I will discuss how I have attained each of the six core competencies as described from the Program in College Teaching at UNH with evidence and examples from my experiences of teaching and linking this evidence to my teaching beliefs and goals.
I. Competency 1: Articulate appropriate course goals and objectives
One of the most important parts of creating an integrative course and a significant learning environment is to articulate the course goals and objectives. In an integrative course model, the course goals and objectives, the learning activities, and assessment and feedback given by the instructor are all integrated together and enforce one another. This means that all learning activities are designed with the course goals in mind and feedback is given to help students accomplish those course goals and objectives. I make sure to discuss and explain the course goals and objectives regularly to students through different mediums. The goals and objectives are clearly outlined within the syllabus which is discussed in detail the first week of class and is posted online for students, an example can be seen under the courses taught page. In addition, for each assignment I make sure to explain how the current assignment or activity relates to the course goals. In the future, when I begin to lead my own course, not as a teaching assistant leading a recitation, I will add the teaching goals and objectives to each lecture, so students clearly understand how the current lecture relates to the overall goals of the course.
II. Competency 2: Organize and design courses with these goals and objectives in mind
As mentioned in Competency 1, it is crucial to design a course with the objectives and goals in mind which is why I follow an integrative course model to optimize learning. This can be seen in my course syllabus as well as the activities that I create. Designing a course with the goals and objectives in mind allows students to identify what is expected of them and the main concepts of the course. My course design can also be seen in an example syllabus I created.
III. Competency 3: Present material effectively and communicate with students in a variety of settings, including large classes and small groups
The presentation of material is another important aspect of inducing learning within students which is why I follow the cognitive theory of multimedia learning (CTML). This theory takes into account the cognitive load theory which aims to reduce extraneous load (unimportant information), manage essential load (the organization of important material in working memory), and foster generative processing (the construction of schemas). The CTML applies this theory to the design and communication of presentations to students to optimize learning and the key concepts of a lesson. When I begin leading my own class, I will be sure to use this concept in large class presentations as I do now within small groups such as my recitations.
IV. Competency 4: provide feedback to students to give them clear messages about their performance in ways that will help them improve before the semester is over
Part of creating a successful integrative course is providing timely feedback for each learning activity/assignment. Continuous feedback is a crucial aspect of learning because it gives the student a sense of where they stand within the course, motivating them to take charge of their learning. Feedback helps students identify if they are understanding the key concepts of the material (learning goals), if they are not then this is an opportunity to guide them in the right direction. For each weekly homework assignment, I aim to provide individual feedback within recitation to help guide students towards understanding the learning objectives. I also provide class wide feedback at the end of classroom activities to help summarize and tie in the learning objectives with the activity they just performed.
V. Competency 5: Employ varied teaching methods that appeal to the various learning styles of students
To increase the opportunity of learning within a diverse classroom, it is important to employ a variety of teaching methods. I aim to utilize a variety of learning activities that incorporate retrieval practice and metacognitive skills that focus on foundational knowledge, the application of knowledge, and the integration of multiple concepts. A few examples of learning activities that I use are generating questions for quizzes and implementing those quizzes, integrative homework sets, one-minute summaries, and sequence chains (students graphically depict a sequence of events). These activities help students analyze the information being presented and test students understanding by means of retrieval practice in different ways, appealing to various learning styles of students.
VI. Competency 6: Incorporate into your teaching the latest scholarship in your field or discipline
As any good scientist does, it is crucial to stay up-to-date with current literature within their field, it is the same for teaching and cognitive learning. Most fields such as biology and genetics have journals dedicated to learning and teaching within that field. As a scientist and an educator, I try to stay up-to-date with the current literature and incorporate new findings and teaching activities into my class when I can. As I progress as a teacher, I will add more of the current findings and larger classroom projects into my recitations and future class.
My experiences of teaching combined with my studies from the College Teaching Cognate at UNH have helped me build an arsenal of teaching skills and techniques to aid in student learning and create an ever-evolving teaching philosophy of which I follow. I believe that an integrative course model is essential for student learning as well as providing regular feedback to students, while considering the way in which students learn by using the cognitive load theory. Here, I will discuss how I have attained each of the six core competencies as described from the Program in College Teaching at UNH with evidence and examples from my experiences of teaching and linking this evidence to my teaching beliefs and goals.
I. Competency 1: Articulate appropriate course goals and objectives
One of the most important parts of creating an integrative course and a significant learning environment is to articulate the course goals and objectives. In an integrative course model, the course goals and objectives, the learning activities, and assessment and feedback given by the instructor are all integrated together and enforce one another. This means that all learning activities are designed with the course goals in mind and feedback is given to help students accomplish those course goals and objectives. I make sure to discuss and explain the course goals and objectives regularly to students through different mediums. The goals and objectives are clearly outlined within the syllabus which is discussed in detail the first week of class and is posted online for students, an example can be seen under the courses taught page. In addition, for each assignment I make sure to explain how the current assignment or activity relates to the course goals. In the future, when I begin to lead my own course, not as a teaching assistant leading a recitation, I will add the teaching goals and objectives to each lecture, so students clearly understand how the current lecture relates to the overall goals of the course.
II. Competency 2: Organize and design courses with these goals and objectives in mind
As mentioned in Competency 1, it is crucial to design a course with the objectives and goals in mind which is why I follow an integrative course model to optimize learning. This can be seen in my course syllabus as well as the activities that I create. Designing a course with the goals and objectives in mind allows students to identify what is expected of them and the main concepts of the course. My course design can also be seen in an example syllabus I created.
III. Competency 3: Present material effectively and communicate with students in a variety of settings, including large classes and small groups
The presentation of material is another important aspect of inducing learning within students which is why I follow the cognitive theory of multimedia learning (CTML). This theory takes into account the cognitive load theory which aims to reduce extraneous load (unimportant information), manage essential load (the organization of important material in working memory), and foster generative processing (the construction of schemas). The CTML applies this theory to the design and communication of presentations to students to optimize learning and the key concepts of a lesson. When I begin leading my own class, I will be sure to use this concept in large class presentations as I do now within small groups such as my recitations.
IV. Competency 4: provide feedback to students to give them clear messages about their performance in ways that will help them improve before the semester is over
Part of creating a successful integrative course is providing timely feedback for each learning activity/assignment. Continuous feedback is a crucial aspect of learning because it gives the student a sense of where they stand within the course, motivating them to take charge of their learning. Feedback helps students identify if they are understanding the key concepts of the material (learning goals), if they are not then this is an opportunity to guide them in the right direction. For each weekly homework assignment, I aim to provide individual feedback within recitation to help guide students towards understanding the learning objectives. I also provide class wide feedback at the end of classroom activities to help summarize and tie in the learning objectives with the activity they just performed.
V. Competency 5: Employ varied teaching methods that appeal to the various learning styles of students
To increase the opportunity of learning within a diverse classroom, it is important to employ a variety of teaching methods. I aim to utilize a variety of learning activities that incorporate retrieval practice and metacognitive skills that focus on foundational knowledge, the application of knowledge, and the integration of multiple concepts. A few examples of learning activities that I use are generating questions for quizzes and implementing those quizzes, integrative homework sets, one-minute summaries, and sequence chains (students graphically depict a sequence of events). These activities help students analyze the information being presented and test students understanding by means of retrieval practice in different ways, appealing to various learning styles of students.
VI. Competency 6: Incorporate into your teaching the latest scholarship in your field or discipline
As any good scientist does, it is crucial to stay up-to-date with current literature within their field, it is the same for teaching and cognitive learning. Most fields such as biology and genetics have journals dedicated to learning and teaching within that field. As a scientist and an educator, I try to stay up-to-date with the current literature and incorporate new findings and teaching activities into my class when I can. As I progress as a teacher, I will add more of the current findings and larger classroom projects into my recitations and future class.