A student once asked me on the first day of an undergraduate research course whether I considered myself a social worker or a researcher. My response not only appeared to satisfy the student's query, it also helped define me as an academic. My teaching ideology is made up of my philosophy about teaching and learning, as well as the theoretical framework that guides my teaching approach. Given that individuals learn in various ways, teachers must be equipped to teach in various ways. Learning is enhanced when students speak about the concepts they are learning.
Teaching is an opportunity to role model professionalism to students.
Learning is enhanced with a positive, dynamic, and fun environment, relevant content, and clear expectations. The three modes of learning is a linear model that assumes knowledge exists in one's memory before new conceptual schema or knowledge adjustment can happen. This framework is useful for teaching research in social work given that the majority of students have little to no research knowledge prior to the course. In particular, the theory helps students understand that learning concepts must come before application can happen or, as we often say in social work, before integration of theory and practice. The benefit of social learning theory comes from its emphasis on observing and modeling behaviors and attitudes of others, and can be applied to each of the three modes of learning described above.