Teaching Philosophy

This statement summarizes my teaching philosophy. I am proud of my work and am constantly aiming to improve myself. As an educator, I emphasize a constructivist, student-centric approach to teaching.
Increasing student engagement is my highest priority and I aim to involve students in creating, absorbing, and applying learning content. I strongly believe in cultivating academic relationships, including establishing an early rapport on a first-name basis. Doing so allows me to cater to specific student needs, connect with students needing help, and respond more sensitively to student needs.
I energetically engage students to elevate their learning experience. Content that can seem dry or pro-forma can be customized to create lasting value and impact. Consequently, my lessons and materials lend themselves to participation, humour, individual student relevance, and learning fascination.
Integrating technology into courses through online videos, creative use of static content, and LCD projection is part of my teaching process and I encourage students to use their own devices for more hands-on participation. Learning that happens outside the classroom also integrates technology by using online discussions for peer interaction and includes other online content, as well. As new technologies emerge, I use them to stimulate student interest, creativity, leadership, and learning.
As much as possible, learning in my courses is student-led, interactive, and involves practicing and implementing key learning points from course readings, lectures, and other learning materials. As an instructor, I aim to be a guide, an ally, an advisor, and a source of feedback for students, but I feel that learning led by students results in greater absorption and retention of course content.
Through the assessment process, I believe in providing ample, detailed feedback as the cornerstone of corrective learning opportunities. This helps to underscore earlier learning points and to cement those concepts as part of student self-improvement efforts. Further, I create opportunities for peer feedback to focus students’ appreciation, absorption, and application of the feedback they give and receive.
Ultimately, the driving andragogical philosophy behind my work can be summarized as connecting with students, understanding their individual and collective needs, creatively using the personal, educational, and technological resources available to the learning environment, and delivering education that will create positive, experiential, and life-long learning outcomes for students.
I believe that this is both an extremely effective method of teaching students and also one that reflects the evolving nature of post-secondary education.