1. Overview & Context
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Type: A professional retrospective on my experience designing and leading the Level 1 (JavaScript Fundamentals) curriculum at Woowahan Tech Course, an elite engineering bootcamp.
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Purpose: This document reflects on my journey of evolving as an educator. It analyzes quantitative and qualitative feedback from over 100 student responses to identify my core teaching strengths and details the pedagogical experiments I conducted to improve the learning experience.
2. My Evolving Teaching Philosophy: “Programming as Art”
My core philosophy shifted from a rigid focus on "perfect delivery" to fostering independent, creative problem-solving. I introduced the concept of "Programming as Art," encouraging students to move beyond searching for a single "right answer" and instead develop their own unique, effective solutions, much like an artist develops their own style. This approach empowers students to own their learning process and build true confidence.
3. Key Pedagogical Experiments & Outcomes
Based on my philosophy, I implemented several successful teaching experiments:
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The "Laptops Down" Experiment: To shift the focus from rote transcription to deep listening, I asked students to close their laptops during live coding sessions. This “Expert Observation” method encouraged them to focus on my thought process, not just the code.
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Socratic Questioning: Rather than giving lectures, I consistently used probing questions ("Why should we use TypeScript when it might slow down development?") to stimulate critical thinking and help students internalize core principles.
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Data-Driven Analysis of My Teaching: I have analyzed 104 pieces of student feedback to objectively understand my impact. The results showed my most valued contributions were 1) Live coding & Real-time Problem-Solving (82% mention rate) and 2) Stimulating Thought via Questions (65% mention rate).
4. Core Competencies Demonstrated
This retrospective showcases my core competencies as an educator and a leader:
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Empathetic Mentorship: A proven ability to understand student struggles and adapt teaching methods to foster growth and confidence.
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Innovative Pedagogy: A willingness to experiment with and validate new teaching methods to create more effective learning environments.
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Data-Informed Self-Improvement: A commitment to using qualitative data to reflect on and systematically improve my own performance.
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Collaborative Leadership: A journey of personal growth from a solo “performer” to a confident collaborator who can share the stage and empower colleagues.