anjaliganeshk@gmail.com/anjalig@sjec.ac.in 0824- 2212045, 9449180010

A mirror reflects the image of the object that is in front of it. Various objects may appear before the mirror at different times. They come and go and the respective images are reflected in the mirror. I strongly feel this mirror image relationship holds well with me and my students. My students are the reflection of my mirror image. The wise man understands that the education world is not static. It is constantly changing, ever evolving and transient. The enlivening force, the teacher who imparts knowledge and skill to this world is changing for contemporary happenings. I have come to the profession of teaching by chance, now that it has become the most prominent choice of my life. ‘Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.’ This quote from Malcolm X, an American Human Right activist concisely summarizes my core teaching belief. Take an example of the seed- sprout relationship. The sprout is latent, hidden inside the seed which germinates when it is nourished with the right nutrients and conditions. I strongly feel that the teacher in me nourishes my students with knowledge, coupled with right attitude which is revealed in the form of becoming competent employees of varied organizations and entrepreneurs useful to the society. In the holistic process of education I have become a constant learner to bring out the best in my students. How I came to this conclusion was the result of a teaching practice that has evolved since I joined St Joseph Engineering College, affiliated to Visvesvaraya Technological University, in the year 2007.

In the last several years of my teaching career starting from my previous institute I have noticed some of the interesting facts that have become guiding points in my teaching career which I always keep in mind when I take class for my students. I have been dealing with courses, such as Strategy, HR and Consumer Behaviour of late and my first priority is to deliver the content effectively so that every student is able to reflect on the application of these contents. Over the past ten years I have immersed myself in a deliberate scholastically informed process in order to grow and create my own signature style as a teacher.

Given my exploration, the emerging premise that encompass my current teaching philosophy include: never cover the syllabus from the point of examination but uncover the syllabus by giving extra inputs from the contemporary happenings in the context of business which I take to class everyday through newspaper. The business news section from the English daily is terrific source of knowledge not only to me but also to my students as active learners. I point out the concepts in the course and motivate students to identify these concepts in the four important business news items that we read on a particular day so as to enable them to think critically and develop the knowledge regarding the application of theoretical concepts in practice. This evokes plenty of discussions by raising multiple related questions for which my students ponder upon to fetch answers. The business news acts as a live example for my students which they reproduce in their sessional examinations to prove their understanding. Frankly speaking, over a period of time, ‘Content to Context analysis through Business news’ methodology on a regular basis has made my class interesting and practical. I really find that true learning is happening with the majority of my students as they try to actively engage with the content. Another activity that gives immense impetus for learning is Role play exercise. I routinely conduct one role play exercise to enable the students to learn humorously. I have very closely observed that the humor in learning makes the students actively engaged and collaborative learners. I even tell them some stories related to real life and corporate so as to make them remember and imbibe learning better. ‘Allegory’ methodology has helped me a lot in creating an engaged and participatory class. Afternoon last hour class normally requires different type of approach. I go on recipient mode and motivate students to participate in ‘Journal Club’, where I expect them to read collectively and ask them what they have learnt from the perspective of management in general and business environment in particular.

Initial years of my teaching were focused on stricter control over the students which in terms of business management is an autocratic style of leadership. I might have been satisfied momentarily but very soon I identified a sustainable model in teaching that revolves around participation, collaboration, team building, and most importantly relationship building. My students’ learning objectives is mainly critical thinking and problem solving. I try to do this by showing them some Ted Talks and videos. One case analysis is done in every course. The small portion of that is evaluated through sessional examinations held three times in a semester. I believe in ‘Industry connect and socially relevant student activity’ which I am able to fulfil through visual branding exercise and demand analysis for fast food by the representative students of my marketing class. This exercise has given them an opportunity to learn the practical aspects of business which otherwise they have studied as a concept in the classrooms. I see to it that they plough back their experiential learning back in to the class so that the remaining fellow mates pick up the learning. I have no hesitation to say that I am an important stakeholder in the collaborative learning through students’ fieldwork. I normally put in earnest effort to take students to field visit to local industries so as to prepare students to function effectively in an information economy. The feedback is collected by the students followed by the visit to know the real outcome.

I have started discussing about ‘learning objectives’ with the students and even tell them the course outcome it is related to. As we are in the era of outcome based education, it becomes my primary responsibility to appraise the students regarding their role in bringing out the positive outcome from their learning. I give opportunity for every student to make presentations on the prepared topic in the course for 6 to 10 minutes, which helps them in developing their oral presentation, public speaking and critical thinking abilities. The presentation normally will be followed by the challenging questions posed by the fellow mates that promotes ‘Inclusive classroom’. The presentation is evaluated based on the seminar rubrics and the students get the feedback on how they have performed. I believe that effective teaching is based on a dialogue between students and course instructors, rather than the traditional one-way flow of content from instructor to students. I need to know about the prior knowledge students bring to class, as well as where they are getting stuck as we continue through the course. This is accomplished through student course end survey, asking them questions orally and formative assessments through sessional examinations on course topics. Students need feedback from me on these assessments so that they will know how well they are meeting expectations.

At the end of the day I try to provide authentic learning experience by using different modes of learning such as Visuals, Auditory, Read-Write and Kinesthetic so that all the students, though with diversity in learning are able to cope with the learning outcomes with utmost sincerity. I give importance on students’ written communication as well, which is taken care of through assignments that are assessed formally through the rubric.

A strong teaching learning practice is imbibed in the whole environment where I work and I have an environment to grow along with my students. As an academician, I endeavor to contribute to teaching through my research. I keep writing research papers that are published in reasonably standard academic journals which cater to the research community in particular and students in general. My experiences as a student, employee, researcher, and teacher must give booster doze of critical thinking skill in my students. If a student is able to do well in life I feel I can take little share in his/her success story confidently. I really feel accomplished to see my student growing in front of me and feel all the more satisfied the day student advices me on constructivism related to my field. I am extremely passionate about teaching and thankful to God for making me one of the facilitators in education. Let me contribute wholeheartedly and sincerely for the overall growth of students by becoming a life time learner.