July 2012


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Teaching is my joy

by Dr. Grace Sirju-Charan

“To Sir With Love” was the first of many films which influenced my teaching philosophy. Very early in my teaching and learning experience, I was imbued with the notion that some students were ‘bright,’ designed to be academics while others were ‘dull’ and incapable of higher learning. This film debunked that myth and I began to see students differently.

“The King’s Speech” reaffirmed my philosophy that all students are capable of achieving more than they set themselves. However, in order to realise their potential, not only do they need self-discipline but they require a mentor who is able to motivate them to achieve their goals and to re-establish their resolve for success, especially when they encounter stumbling blocks. While I recognise the need for providing basic information and concepts of the particular discipline and I beam with pride when these concepts are understood, I receive my greatest reward through mentoring.

Pedagogy is a word that entered my vocabulary recently. What a steep learning curve it was for me in 1997 when the Instructional Development Unit was established and I began participating in their workshops! I actually believed that excellent teaching came naturally—that some of us were ‘born’ teachers. While I believe that one’s teaching style is influenced by one’s personality type, I acknowledge the tremendous impact of learning about teaching on one’s praxis.

As a student, I learned best by listening, confirmed by the VARK learning style test which classified me as a mainly aural learner. I assumed that all students learned the same way and my mantra was that they should attend classes and listen to the lecturers. I am still wont to use the traditional chalk-and-talk pedagogy, deep-learnt from my own teachers, particularly when I am teaching science. However, through various workshops, I’ve recognised that to cater for various learning styles and multiple intelligences, it is important to infuse traditional teaching strategies with new technologies.

For science courses, which are larger classes, I still take a modified ‘banking concept’ approach, with 75% of the time for lectures, and the rest for tutorials and lab sessions. However, for gender and bioethics courses, which are considerably smaller, I adopt the approach of ‘critical pedagogy’ espoused by Paulo Friere, using tools of dialogic debates, case studies, role playing and journal writing, reflection and critical thinking. A comparison of students’ reflections and assessments of these courses showed that this was the preferable approach. Their comments were responses to the democratic way in which the classes are conducted, allowing all to speak and to be heard.

I hope that in addition to equipping students with the concepts needed to create new knowledge in the discipline, I am able to inculcate in them a joy for learning; recognition that learning never stops; to imbue in them a culture of democracy, ethical behaviour and inquiry; to be constantly striving for ‘truth,’ equity, fair play and social justice. Despite being a teacher for almost 40 years, five minutes before the start of a class, I still get that indescribable feeling, almost of euphoria produced by a rush of adrenalin and a mix of excitement and butterflies in my stomach.

Dr Grace Sirju-Charan of the Department of Life Sciences, UWI St. Augustine is one of the five recipients of the 2012 Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Excellence (Teaching).