TEACHING METHODS AND MATERIALS
I employ several teaching methods and materials to solidify the concepts I am teaching while being mindful of the issue of dominant and passive student participation. These methods and materials are designed to be helpful and fair to all students. Alongside traditional lectures and seminars, my main teaching tools include:
Class Discussion: This traditional approach is vital to teaching and cannot be omitted. I believe that having class discussions after each lecture session encourages participation from the class to recap the delivered topic. It allows for two-way communication, demonstrating students' understanding of the topic and providing the teacher with a broad overview for the next class preparation.
Small Group Discussion: This method is appropriate for seminar sessions. Students are divided into small groups, and each group member is given a role or task related to the proposed topic. This balances participation between dominant and passive students. In these sessions, there are no right or wrong answers; the focus is on delivering opinions based on fundamental concepts.
Academic Writing: Smaller writing assignments throughout the semester emphasize effective, concise writing and provide examples from academic authors on how to express ideas accurately and interestingly to target audiences. Based on my experience teaching Understanding Context of Business, students are assigned two essays of 1500 words each during the academic term. Early exposure to academic writing helps students prepare for exams and advanced modules in the future.
Case Studies: I use Harvard Business School (HBS) cases in my module. The cases help students understand the challenges of implementing certain business strategies in real life. Each case is accompanied by a list of questions with answer keys for students to refer to after class. This method encourages critical thinking and in-depth analysis while helping students practice their speaking skills.
Mini Projects: This exercise allows students to apply theory and fundamental concepts to real-world scenarios. It stimulates critical thinking, innovation, and creativity to meet the objectives of the class activity. It also encourages teamwork, with each student having their own role and responsibility. The peak of this activity is a project presentation, where each student in every group speaks about their assigned role and how it relates to the module. The objective is to develop presentation skills essential in business management.
Historical Data Analysis: I design homework that requires students to analyse historical data to evaluate risks, potential profits, and forecast returns through changes in marketing strategies. At the end of the course, students apply the concepts they have learned to a comprehensive performance evaluation of their own portfolios. The objective is to introduce students to research skills for the module.
One-to-One Consultation: I believe that one-to-one interaction between lecturers and students is vital to the educational process. I interact with undergraduates through one-to-one sessions for the subjects I am assigned and their final year research projects. I make myself available to my students as much as possible and look forward to continuing to interact with and mentor students of all levels in the future. This is another effective approach to engage passive students in class.
Guest Lectures from Industry: I have experience inviting guest speakers from the industry. This initiative provides early exposure to students about the industry and job expectations in the business area. It allows students to get a big picture of the job market and gives them the opportunity to ask questions to the speakers.