View 3 | Theory of Practice and Curriculum Design - MDDE 603

This assignment, which I undertook for MDDE 603 during my second term of studies, is essentially an explanation of my teaching philosophy and its philosophical underpinnings.

Before I get to my philosophy, a little about the assignment: MDDE 603 was my first formal introduction to theories of learning, and so I initially felt that the task of figuring out how I'd come to believe what I believed was an overwhelming one. In fact, as I began to write this paper I wasn't even sure my current practices had any basis in theory. Nevertheless, I had completed the readings and found a few connections, and so I started writing.

As I began to work my way through the paper, I found that writing my theory of practice wasn't just an interesting exploration of my beliefs; it also drove me to want to expand my abilities as a course designer. In fact, I've chosen this assignment for my portfolio because it was the one that led me to my second (after mLearning) area of interest in my studies: Curriculum design. I had previously discussed the topic with my wife while she was working on her master's of education degree, but at that time I felt a bit out of my element. There was a lot of foundation I was missing. MDDE 603 filled that void.

Granted, I had designed courses before writing this paper, and I'd always enjoyed it. But I had previously adopted a 'good enough' philosophy about my designs; if my students didn't complain and got good results at exam time, I was happy. The renewed interest this paper gave me vis-a-vis curriculum design led me to rethink several of my approaches in my own classroom. I began using more interaction in my designs, even in my traditionally dry writing courses, which became more like workshops. I started planning interactive activities for my students to take part in, all the while asking them to record the events using their mobile phones in an attempt to integrate what I'd taken from my mLearning research.

With a little effort - and a lot of creativity - the feedback I've received, both from my students and my supervisors, has been fantastic. My students are eager to come to class, eager to get to work, and eager to show off what they've accomplished. As a teacher, it's hard to ask for more. Meanwhile, I'm getting lots of praise from the administration, and other teachers are coming to get an idea of what I'm doing. All these events began around the time I wrote out my theory of practice.

Moreover, the concepts I decided were integral to my teaching method were used again when I designed an online course for MDDE 604. I was so pleased with the results of that design that it is featured as my fourth VIEW, which I invite you to read once you've finished with my theory of practice. See you there.