Mathew+Thomas+Dean

= = = =  Chemistry and Mathematics media type="file" key="V005.WAV" width="281" height="79" ||  ||  ||    || Existentialist: I feel that people are responsible for what they do with their own existence, that there are no hard and fast rules and most importantly that the rules we make for ourselves we must make for the universe. Sceptic: I want to learn new things all the time, but will always question them. There is no right answer, just better explanations. Libertarian: I feel that people need to respect the property rights of others and that this respect should be aided by the rule of law. I don't feel that the government (or anyone else for that matter) has any need or right to interfere. Secularist: I want the state I'm a part of to act completely independently from all religious influences. Preference Utilitarian: I think that, from an individual level all the way to a state and global level, policy ought to be decided by what causes the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people. Falsificationalist: I make bold hypotheses and ruthlessly test them, casting them aside if they are shown to be wanting. ||
 * ||= [[image:spacer.jpg]] [[image:spacer.jpg align="left"]]Mathew Thomas Dean[[image:spacer.jpg]] 
 * >  ||> **Educational context ** |||||| I went to a public school in the western suburbs, of which i was school captain in year 12, that utilised the team small group model for the years 7-9 in which students were in the same team (teams were made up of 2 or 3 classes) and class (about 28 students) for three years. This model worked very well when the teachers and students meshed however if there were to be a personality clash between a student and a teacher, as was my experience, the student would be stuck in a hostile learning environment for a number of years as it was not school policy to move pupils from their teams. The school has a much more sensible and tradition model for the senior years. It is from this experience that my affection for the student’s freedom to move within the schooling environment has grown. My compromise is that there could be a home group that would meet once a day where welfare issues can be addressed, personal support given and collegial bonds can be built.
 * >  ||> **Descriptive Groupings ** ||||||  I’m going to now list a couple of labels that I feel apply to me (as things that I use but don’t necessarily consider myself to ‘be’):
 * >  ||> **Descriptive Groupings ** |||||| <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"> I’m going to now list a couple of labels that I feel apply to me (as things that I use but don’t necessarily consider myself to ‘be’):
 * >  ||> **<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Self ** |||||||| <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">All I’ve ever wanted to do is teach (I also dig [|e-prime], click the link if you’ve not heard of it). I’m passionate about science and want to learn how to be able to impart this passion to future generations.
 * >  ||> **<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Self ** |||||||| <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">All I’ve ever wanted to do is teach (I also dig [|e-prime], click the link if you’ve not heard of it). I’m passionate about science and want to learn how to be able to impart this passion to future generations.

I find that, to often, people use their culture to justify negative behaviour. I feel that it's important for people to be able to see past their culture, in order to do this they, first, need to be able to give themselves permission to do this. I was brought up to take responsibility for my actions and I feel that this part of my 'culture' is the only part that needs to be imparted to my students, they can sort the rest out for themselves.

My philosophy of teaching is simple and far reaching. I believe that people learn through repetition. I think that the only way to get people to remember things and how to use said things is by repeating those things over and over again in different ways. I think that this is the only thing that works and that it works all the time. The trick is knowing what type of repetition works for each individual child and that is why I’m doing this course.

I dig movies, I play 500 and buy obscure board games compulsively (see quarto and quoridor).

I think that one of the qualities that will allow me to connect with students is that I am always keen to learn myself, and think that students are more likely to engage if they think that it’s possible that they could teach their teacher something.

I can't stand euphemisms. ||

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