Teaching Philosophy

 

        I like to use myself as an example to inspire less passionate individuals. I share my experiences in an effort to spark interest. We all know it only takes a spark to start a fire if the proper ground work is in place. Continuing with the fire analogy, I have discovered you cannot force pace, every student learns at a different rate, some smolder while others blaze. It is up to the teacher to suggest and encourage learning within the window defined by the curriculum.

 

        I teach in a hands on way. I myself learn by doing. With an “action - reaction” approach, I can demonstrate an action in the form of an exercise or procedure, and then request a reaction from the students. It is this seeing then doing process that I feel really helps students grasp the ideas.

 

        The material I teach is often very subjective. It is very hard to grade when there is no definitive correct or incorrect. I find students get the most out of a critique where successful elements of a design were highlighted and less successful elements were thoroughly discussed. “Ideas for next time” I find myself saying. This also leaves room for happy accidents and unintentional successes that should be touched on.

 

        Large lecture halls with hundreds of students often lack a personal connection. Not an ideal teaching environment in my opinion. If I were in a situation like that, I would want to make myself available with office hours to provide the more personal learning environment that is sometimes necessary for students to grasp complicated concepts.