Teaching Philosophy
In my opinion, a major challenge for any instructor is to alter the general perception students have towards “learning” and “success”. Most students tend to perceive learning as a set of lecture and textbook materials they just need to memorize in order to attain a good grade in the course. This is due to their inability to see the relevance of what they learn or in other words “why they should care about the topic being taught”. I believe helping students develop a connection, at every step, with the material they learn, is most crucial towards changing their perception about learning and transforming it to something as being “interesting and worth knowing”. Economics is a field that is closely linked with the world in which we live. My goal has always been to motivate my students by showing them how they can apply concepts and ideas taught in economics to real life situations they encounter. I also firmly believe in designing my teaching strategies in a way that leads to meaningful transformation and long term retention of knowledge. For me, this requires a solid understanding of “how my students learn”. So, I put in a lot of effort figuring out what works for them and what doesn’t. Finally, my aim is also to ensure that I push my students to think beyond their course work and develop an analytical mind of their own so they are able to think critically and discuss intelligently about real world issues surrounding them.
In my opinion, a major challenge for any instructor is to alter the general perception students have towards “learning” and “success”. Most students tend to perceive learning as a set of lecture and textbook materials they just need to memorize in order to attain a good grade in the course. This is due to their inability to see the relevance of what they learn or in other words “why they should care about the topic being taught”. I believe helping students develop a connection, at every step, with the material they learn, is most crucial towards changing their perception about learning and transforming it to something as being “interesting and worth knowing”. Economics is a field that is closely linked with the world in which we live. My goal has always been to motivate my students by showing them how they can apply concepts and ideas taught in economics to real life situations they encounter. I also firmly believe in designing my teaching strategies in a way that leads to meaningful transformation and long term retention of knowledge. For me, this requires a solid understanding of “how my students learn”. So, I put in a lot of effort figuring out what works for them and what doesn’t. Finally, my aim is also to ensure that I push my students to think beyond their course work and develop an analytical mind of their own so they are able to think critically and discuss intelligently about real world issues surrounding them.
Developing oneself as an instructor is an ever-evolving process. After every semester there are foundational concepts I still believe I could have taught differently that would make it simpler for my students to assimilate and retain. Making improvements to my teaching based on student evaluations and personal experiences have been instrumental to my growth as an instructor and will, therefore, always remain my foremost priority. Going forward, for every teaching opportunity I shall work to create a learning environment that is both fun and at the same time rigorous and demanding enough to make students feel empowered at the end of the course. It would be a space where my students can feel secure, confident and learn willingly.
Developing oneself as an instructor is an ever-evolving process. After every semester there are foundational concepts I still believe I could have taught differently that would make it simpler for my students to assimilate and retain. Making improvements to my teaching based on student evaluations and personal experiences have been instrumental to my growth as an instructor and will, therefore, always remain my foremost priority. Going forward, for every teaching opportunity I shall work to create a learning environment that is both fun and at the same time rigorous and demanding enough to make students feel empowered at the end of the course. It would be a space where my students can feel secure, confident and learn willingly.