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PROF.ED 20 – PRINCIPLES OF TEACHING 1

First Semester, 2018-2019 (Tuesdays – 5:00-8:00 pm)

CHAPTER 1: PRINCIPLES OF TEACHING

LESSON 1: CONCEPTS OF TEACHING

Teaching as a Ministry
 Ministry connotes the performance of certain activities for others. It may be in the form of service
to your students in order to help them succeed in life.
 The ministry of teaching extends its services to all students despite their cultural difference.

Teaching as a Profession
 Teaching as a profession is in equal footing with other professions by virtue of Presidential Decree
1006 which became effective las January 17, 1977. This is a decree which professionalizes
teaching in our country promulgating the crucial and relevant role of teachers in shaping the
future of a nation through education. It also boosted the morale of teachers through provision
of incentives and motivation because like all other professions, teaching requires a specific
number of years of higher education studies. Alongside with this decree is the Philippine Teachers
Professionalization Act of 1994 (RA 7836) which strengthens the regulation and supervision of the
practice of teaching in the Philippines and thus prescribes a licensure examination for teachers.
 Other reasons why teaching is a profession are the following:
- Has its own body of specialized knowledge
- Upholds service over and above personal and monetary profit
- For professional competency, requires continuous professional growth
- Establishes its own policies and standards for professional exercise
- Has its own unique professional organization

Teaching as a Science
 Like other professions, teaching must subject itself to an organized and objective planning,
preparation and execution of the lessons in order to direct the learners towards the different
learning episodes. It commits itself to an unbiased analysis, problem-solving and modification of
the outcomes of learning.

Teaching as a Vocation
 It is in this concept of teaching that a teacher is committed to endure in the teaching profession
against all odds. If teaching is viewed as a mere job, one will have in his/her mind the monetary
rewards that teaching will provide.

LESSON 2: PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE TEACHING AND LEARNING

PRINCIPLES - Introduction
 It comes from the Old French principe, from Latin principium meaning “beginning,
foundation,” from Greek princeps meaning “first”.
 It refers to the fundamental practices in teaching and learning which serves as guide for
teachers to effect worthy learning outcomes.
 A teacher’s belief in teaching or his so called “teaching philosophy” should be guided by a
well-established principle in education so that it will blend with what is expected of him a s
teacher. A good bled of teaching philosophy with time-tested teaching principles will surely
make a difference in students’ life.

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PROF.ED 20 – PRINCIPLES OF TEACHING 1

First Semester, 2018-2019 (Tuesdays – 5:00-8:00 pm)
12 PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE TEACHING AND LEARNING (TIBERIUS & TIPPING, 1990)

Principle 1 Teachers’ knowledge of the subject matter is essential to the implementation of

important teaching tasks.
Principle 2 Active involvement of the learner enhances learning.
Principle 3 Interaction between teachers and students is the most important factor in
student motivation and involvement.
Principle 4 Students benefit from taking responsibility for their learning.
Principle 5 There are many roads to learning.
Principle 6 Expect more and you will achieve more.
Principle 7 Learning is enhanced in an atmosphere of cooperation.
Principle 8 Material must be meaningful.
Principle 9 Both teaching and learning are enhanced by descriptive feedback.
Principle 10 Critical feedback is only useful if the learner has alternatives to pursue.
Principle 11 Time plus energy equals learning.
Principle 12 Experience usually improves teaching.

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PROF.ED 20 – PRINCIPLES OF TEACHING 1

First Semester, 2018-2019 (Tuesdays – 5:00-8:00 pm)

Principle 1: Teachers’ knowledge of the subject matter is essential to the implementation of important
teaching tasks.
A teacher’s good foundation about the subject matter is essential to enable him/her to
conduct substantial discussion. This will allow him/her to deliver the lesson with ease and confidence
and will permit greater possibility for students to be challenged and inspired by the manner on how
he/she delivers the information with mastery. Having a wide range of information enables the
teacher to transfer meaningful and relevant information to the learners. It takes a good teacher to
make every topic functional. Let the students perform out of the content.

Principle 2: Active involvement of the learner enhances learning.

To enhance learning, students should be actively involved in the learning process. This is
called engagement. Engagement requires the learner’s attention and commitment. Missing any
one of the two will result to disengagement.
Learners should be seen as active participants in the teaching-learning process. Other than
the teacher being the sole source of information, he/she should carry out activities that will enhance
the learner’s cognitive, affective, manipulative and thinking skills. Teachers should plan and
implement engaging activities for the students to intrinsically love learning.

Principle 3: Interaction between teachers and students is the most important factor in student
motivation and involvement.
The dynamic atmosphere of allowing the learners to share their talents, interests, experiences,
and beliefs to support the cognitive aspect of the lesson are effective means to promote lively
interaction in the classroom. The vibrant attitude of the teacher towards the learners is an essential
factor to encourage the to join and actively participate in the learning process.

Principle 4: Students benefit from taking responsibility for their learning.

As one philosopher said: “You cannot force someone to learn.” Learning can only be
activated by the learner himself. This applies to both young and adult learners. Even if you are a
good lecturer, there will be times when your students would not even recall the things you’ve said.
It fleets like a robber. A teacher should be open-minded to the fact that circumstances like this can
happen, thus, he/she should allow learners to figure out the solutions/answers for themselves through
proper motivation. The learners must make what they learn as a part of themselves (Chickering et
al., 1987).

Principle 5: There are many roads to learning.

Based on Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences, “Learners learn in different ways, at
different rates, for different reasons”. The various researches on learning styles can also support this
statement. There are diverse ways for a pupil/student to learn something. This may be influenced by
some factors like their developmental differences, interests, learning aptitude, learning style, and
other reasons influencing their attitude towards learning.

Principle 6: Expect more and you will achieve more.

High expectations from the teacher begets high outcomes from the students. This means that
everyone can be inspired to aim for good academic performance and even right conduct for as
long as the teacher is supportive of this goal. It is a given fact that learners differ in terms of their
ability: slow, average, and fast learners. Teachers often get annoyed about how the slow learners
perform in their class. However, in the case of slow learners, if the teacher wants the student to
achieve something, it is the teacher’s role to provide activities that will help, guide, and encourage
the students to perform at their best. Sometimes, a teacher gets frustrated about the students’
outcomes but the question is, did he/she provide the necessary input for that outcome? By principle,
the teacher should first give the essential foundation and skills through various activities which will
be useful and relevant for the desired learning outcomes.
“Trust that learners will improve with each try” (Gandhi). It’s all about baby steps. Often those
baby steps will lead to bigger things. Celebrate success in the classroom.

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PROF.ED 20 – PRINCIPLES OF TEACHING 1

First Semester, 2018-2019 (Tuesdays – 5:00-8:00 pm)

Principle 7: Learning is enhanced in an atmosphere of cooperation.

Learning is collaborative and social, not competitive and isolated (Chickering et al., 1987).
Cooperative learning produces greater student achievement than traditional learning
methodologies (Slavin, 1984). Cooperative learning groups set the stage for pupils/students to learn
social skills. These skills help build stronger cooperation among group members. Leadership,
decision-making, trust-building, and communication re different skills that are developed in
cooperative learning (Dahley, 1994).

Principle 8: Material must be meaningful.

Meaningful materials refer to its capacity to relay relevant and substantial information. It is
imperative that teachers use materials maximally for instruction so that it will serve its purpose.

Principle 9: Both teaching and learning are enhanced by descriptive feedback.

Descriptive feedback refers to the specific information in the form of marginal comments or
conversations that help the learner understand what he needs to do in order to improve (Brown, et
al., 2014). This is a sincere move on the part of the teacher and it is proven effective in the sense that
the learner is made aware of his strengths and weaknesses in detail, thus, enabling him to reflect
further on the progress he needs to exert to make his performance better next time.

Similarly, in teaching, it is helpful if teachers are given prudent feedbacks about their teaching
performance to further encourage them to initiate improvement in the way they teach.

The KWL strategy can be used before, during, and after the lesson which tracks what a
student knows (K), wants to know (W), and has learned (L). This is a good assessment for both
teachers and learners on whether successful teaching and learning takes place.

Principle 10: Critical feedback is only useful if the learner has alternatives to pursue.
Hearing critical feedback is discouraging and a few of us understand the benefit of knowing
out odds. Therefore, as a ground rule, every critical feedback should offer a solution in order to allow
the person to redeem himself from that impression. In life, mistakes are inevitable. However, as
Gandhi and King said “Relocate yourself into the student’s circumstances, and help the student
overcome his/her negative actions.”

Principle 11: Time plus energy equals learning.

This is an interesting equation for learning. Time + Energy = Learning. The metaphor behind
the ladder of learning can best explain this equation wherein it tells us that it take time and effort
(referring to energy) to learn something before moving on to the next step. Some learners may
succeed climbing up the ladder swiftly while it takes time for others to do so. A patient teacher
would see this principle as a challenge to help and see all the learners move up and achieve the
learning goal. The teacher should serve as a dynamic catalyst to push up the learners in the bet
way he can.
The only thing you cannot recycle is wasted time. Teachers should make use of the time
allotted for teaching-learning wisely. This means that effective learning and teaching should never
be compromised.

Principle 12: Experience usually improves teaching.

The full cup theory explains that “you cannot give what you do not have.” You need to “walk
the talk”. For example, if you are an ecology teacher expected to teach the marine ecosystem,
you must have an actual experience of he marine environment itself other than what is described
in the textbook. Similarly, if you want to become a well-rounded geography teacher, traveling from
one country to another shall be an advantage to deliver the discussion well.

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PROF.ED 20 – PRINCIPLES OF TEACHING 1

First Semester, 2018-2019 (Tuesdays – 5:00-8:00 pm)
The rich blend of theoretical and practical/actual experiences of the subject you are
teaching can deepen your discussion.

Therefore, it is a must for teachers to continually enrich their professional growth so as not to
short-change the information they impart to their students/pupils. Speak not from the book, speak
form wisdom and experience.

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