What is my student vision?

I have just begun my role as the lead Design & Training person at Teach For Malaysia at the end of 2024. Within 3 months, we were in what is known as the peak season for the team: running a 7~8 weeks intensive teacher-training programme, known as 'Pre-Service Programme (PSP)', where we design, lead, share, inspire, and educate a group of young passionate leaders to be Teaching Partners in high needs schools in Malaysia.

As I designed and led one of the sessions during the PSP, a session titled "Philosophy of Teaching - Your vision for a quality education", it got me reflecting on my own student vision and teaching philosophy. What do I believe about education and what is my vision for my learners?

4S to being and becoming

Before I delve into my personal student vision, I'd like to share my views and beliefs about human fulfilment and the innate needs of being human. A change consultant once shared about the 4S in what he called "The Satisfaction Triangle". Inspired by the Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, it states 4Ss as the fundamentals of being human and is required to be content with life.

Safety

To have the essentials to appease basic physiological needs and provide feeling of security to a person is among the core aspect of the Satisfaction Triangle. Essentials can include basic needs like a home, food, water, good health and wellbeing, good morality, etc. With this out of their daily worries, a being can look for gratification in the other 3Ss. However, this 4Ss are not linear and there are moments where even without the sense of safety, a being can still find happiness through other Ss.

Sense of Belonging

This describes the feeling of being in a tribe or community, the idea of being part of a bigger movement than just one self. This can be about being alone together, but never being lonely. Part of being alive is usually about the company you have too. Having family, friends, and feeling of intimacy with a person or more adds another layer of joy to being.

Significant

This stems from the respect and confidence gained from any kind of progress in life. This is a feeling of self-esteem that enables a person to feel pride and pleasure through forms of achievements or contribution to others.

Sense of Self

Finally, this feeling transcends any need to prove anything to anyone but themselves. This sense of self revolves around the ability to care for one's own wellbeing and gain blissfulness from just being their own self, e.g. being creative, spontaneous, solve problems, being kind, being alive, being happy, just being.

This shapes my student vision and life philosophy

With the 4Ss mentioned, I reflected on what I believe is quality education, and came to the current conclusion that it is to enable and empower the Satisfaction Triangle in each and every one of my learners.

Be it through play, exploration, or studious methods of learning; learning alone or with others; learning through human teachers or artificial ones, my core goal is to ensure the 4Ss among my learners.

How is a whole other blog post to write.