PdP Portfolio

Teaching Philosophy

• Teaching is a way to spark learning among students. There are numerous ways to initiate learning, but teaching requires us as a responsible person to ensure a student to learn. There are 4 main souls that should be incorporated in teaching known as E-Learning.

  
  

  a. EMPOWERMENT of Learning

  Teaching is a process to empower learning among students.  Nowadays, students' intake in a University has increased tremendously. It becomes a challenge in our teaching approach as the abilities of each student is different in terms of knowledge or family background (refer to the following picture). 

  

  Teaching should be personalized accordingly to the individuals. Fortunately, by having current technologies, teachers can now empower the learning process of the students. All the learning materials or activities should be made accessible everywhere and anytime. Learning outcomes should be continuously assessed through automated systems and perform immediate intervention to the weak students. Students can progress their learning at their own pace. The empowerment of learning to the student also supports the experiential learning theory where students should experience the learning themselves and do self-reflections based on what has been prepared for them by the teacher.

  
  

  b. EXCHANGE of Learning
  

  Teaching should not only be limited to our knowledge territory only. Teaching should be promoted as everyone's business, especially among the student’s peers. Knowledge exchange is no longer bounded by our classroom teaching session, but also open to others. For example, discussion can be done through the social media platform where anyone can publicly exchange his ideas or comment about certain issues. The soul of exchange not only benefits the one who has received the knowledge, but also to those sharing the knowledge will gain the rewards hereafter.

  “Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “When the human being dies, his deeds end except for three: ongoing charity, beneficial knowledge , or a righteous child who prays for him.”

  The philosophy of exchange learning also supports the situated learning theory where the learning occurs within the community who has practiced or experienced the knowledge.
  

  
  

  c. ENHANCEMENT of Learning
  

  Teaching requires a teacher's skills to ensure certain topics can be understood and valued. It is hard for a student to understand if only relying on the textbook without its usages or values  being portrayed in real life. Teaching must use the advancement of technology, such as creating interactive video, simulation and animation, or augmented/virtual reality to effectively and practically describe certain topics. This kind of philosophy is a must when 21st century learning skills have become an essential skill in the modern working environment.

  
  

  
  

  d. EASE of Learning

  Teaching should impose some strategies to ease the learning. Learning requires continuous effort to be completed and may struggle with many constraints such as time, place, financial and emotions. A teacher should find ways to make the learning become easier and need to become a mentor when the student is facing difficulty in the subject. Easing others is not actually a burden, but it is part of our effort to make our life easier by having help from the Almighty God. At the same time, easing strategies are among key factors in realizing the cognitive learning theory where the emotion and behavior are related towards the understanding of certain topics. 

  Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: "He who alleviates the suffering of a brother out of the sufferings of the world, Allah would alleviate his suffering from the sufferings of the Day of Resurrection, and he who finds relief for one who is hard-pressed, Allah would make things easy for him in the Hereafter, and he who conceals (the faults) of a Muslim, Allah would conceal his faults in the world and in the Hereafter. Allah is at the back of a servant so long as the servant is at the back of his brother, and he who treads the path in search of knowledge, Allah would make that path easy, leading to Paradise for him and those persons who assemble in the house among the houses of Allah (mosques) and recite the Book of Allah and they learn and teach the Qur'an (among themselves) there would descend upon them tranquillity and mercy would cover them and the angels would surround them and Allah mentions them in the presence of those near Him, and he who is slow-paced in doing good deeds, his (high) lineage does not make him go ahead." 

  (Shahih Muslim)