Philosophy of Teaching

The philosophy that guides my teaching, classroom activities design, and interactions with students begin with respect for the diversity of students in terms of their background, learning needs, and learning process. I believe that students learn best in the class when they have a safe, positive environment encouraging them to participate, think creatively and critically about content, and show respect to one another. I also believe that effective teaching should be integrated with research and practices.

Respect for Diversity in Student Background

I believe that effective teaching is based on a good understanding of the similarity and diversity of students. Therefore, I make efforts to know my students as much as possible. I tried to remember their names using icebreakers in self-introduction and name tags. I listen to them carefully when they share their own experience in class, and be aware of their background through the self-awareness reflection paper and individual communication after class. I strive to create a positive and non-judgmental environment for students of different ages, gender, race/ethnicity, educational background, and previous work experience by emphasizing mutual respect and promoting peer sharing and learning. I often praise students’ contributions from their unique perspectives.

Respect for Diversity in Learning Needs

Because of the differences in background, students often have different learning interests and needs. I try to recognize and address students’ needs as much as possible within the course frame. In the beginning, I often spend time to understand students’ prior knowledge about the topic and their learning needs through online polls/surveys or in-class activities. Students also have the chance to share what they want to learn most in the course. When identifying the common topics with students, I try to address their learning needs in different ways (e.g., cover it in class, provide additional sources, encourage them to explore it in their assignment, etc.).

Respect for Diversity in Learning Process

I am aware that students are all different in terms of learning style, preferences, and speed. I try to be creative in using an array of teaching approaches, such as brainstorming, think-pair-share, group work, role-playing, case/scenarios study, videos, article critiques, and even games and meditation, to engage students and to make the learning process more active and enjoyable for both face-to-face or online synchronous classes. I also try to be open-minded in using different technology in my class, especially for online teaching (e.g., Zoom breakout room, Kaltura, Google doc/slides, Team, MindTap from Cengage, etc.). I often reflect on my use of teaching strategies and am flexible to adjust during the process based on my class observation and students’ feedback. For those students who need additional assistance or more explanations, I tried to find a better way for them to grasp the concepts.

Critical and Creative Thinking

As a social work educator, I am responsible for preparing students to be professional social work practitioners in the field. Apart from knowledge of theories and hands-on skills, I believe that critical and creative thinking is essential as it helps them to deal with the complexity of problems in the field. I emphasize the problem-solving activities in my class. For example, I provided case scenarios of real-world problems, I encouraged students to view the issues from different perspectives, critique the theories that might be applied, identify both the strengths and weakness of the clients/communities, and think creatively about possible solutions to address different social issues.

Integration with Practice and Research

I believe that students can truly learn knowledge when they apply it to practices. As a lecturer, I integrate both my practice and research experience into my teaching and provide real-life examples related to the course content. I encourage students to think about the application of new knowledge, reflect on their practices and life experience, and propose issues that should be investigated by research.