The work of educators is richly varied with challenges and opportunities reflective of its complexity and diversity. Educators must be adaptive, flexible and exceptionally well prepared to meet these challenges; they must have the research supported knowledge and competencies to create positive, open learning environments which not only set high expectations for students, but also provide knowledgeable and meaningful support to attain goals.
Reflecting upon my teaching practices over the past two decades in P-12 and higher education contexts, my work continues to be guided by these beliefs:
1. The transformational nature of appropriate digital technologies for learning.
2. Equity. In a digitally-mediated world, the changing contexts of learning impact everyone, directly or indirectly. In under-resourced teaching and learning contexts, we can endeavor to share ideas and ways of thinking to mitigate the growing chasm of the digital divide.
3. The importance of learner identity: self-efficacy and agency. If learners are successful, they will be empowered with tools and motivation for self-directed learning.
4. A design science conceptualization and approach to teaching. Study and reflection are essential for practitioner growth and innovation in instructional practices.
5. To be truly effective in challenging circumstances, educators must be caring, positive, persistent and fully engaged. Authentic and caring interactions can be key for students’ success – at every level, including graduate level.
My teaching philosophy is based upon the ethics of care and social justice as well as an approach informed by a conceptualization of teaching and a design science. Transformed into practice, these tenets are essentially best practices in pedagogy, which include engagement through relevance, authenticity, application in context, as well as the scaffolding the growth of metacognitive skills through reflection. I have experience in teaching (preK-20+) and curricula / course development in both face to face and online environments.
In the course of my teaching, a key goal is to model effective instruction that is participatory, includes a variety of learning modes and requires higher order thinking. Good instruction is authentic, relevant, thought-provoking and often collaborative. It is a purposeful activity requiring positive energy and meaningful interactions. Furthermore, good instruction is designed effectively through an iterative approach involving the study and outcomes of teaching practices and outcomes, and takes into account individual and group differences and context.
I have experience developing, supporting and teaching instruction in content areas of teacher education/leadership and instructional technologies, including the development and delivery of online classes at the Masters and doctoral levels. My experience includes curriculum and program development for certificate, MEd., Ed.S. and doctoral levels.