Teaching Philosophy

"The art of teaching is the art of discovery"

--Mark Van Doren

One of the principles that I stand behind is that a great teacher is one who demonstrates passion for their subject and uses innovative approaches to provide the learner opportunities to apply, synthesize, and evaluate course products and processes--A CEO of the classroom:

C To provide a class environment that encompasses care, compassion and creativity while challenging learners to be critical thinkers;

E To be a teacher who exudes energy and enthusiasm, engaging the learners as active participants; and

O To be one who is organized and optimizes opportunities for learning success.

My Methodology

In teaching, my overarching goal is to develop a student-centered environment. I want students to actively participate, rather than passively learn. I act as a facilitator of learning rather than just a provider of knowledge. Through interaction, discussion, and reflection, learners can further develop their ideas. I think it is important to recognize different learner characteristics and use multiple strategies and techniques to stimulate motivation and meaningful learning. When planning a course, I work to identify specific objectives and skills and then actively seek exercises that engage the student. I design the lesson plan to utilize critical thinking skills and foster in-depth learning.

At the beginning of the semester, I have each student design a nameplate and submit an intro video to create a space to get to know the student on a personal level. I also have them take a learning styles inventory—this process helps me learn each student individually and serves as a reminder to incorporate a variety of techniques both in the classroom and online. I work to bring out collaborative learning skills to facilitate “real-world” problem solving. I embed activities throughout the instructional process that cater to each students needs and assist them in developing researching and writing skills.

Reflection in Action

In all my courses online and in person I believe it is important to develop student's perspective on their own individual strengths and weaknesses. I coach the students to assess their own qualities and skills using self-assessments built into the course. I have them then provide a reflection journal of video to unpack the results and share lessons learned. It helps lay a foundation for how they should reflect in action as they pursue their careers.

Risk-taking

Encouraging to take risk and step out of their comfort zones. I work to incorporate assignments that challenge the students to reach beyond the limits they have set for themselves. They must select real life clients or managers to interview and work with beyond their typical network. It provides professional skills that are needed in the business world.

Life-long and Active Learner

In all modalities one of the principles I strive for is to encourage life long and active learning. Providing case studies and real life examples to show how principles lead to practice. Giving the students foundational knowledge to understand but then dissect and apply the concepts. Encouraging critical thinking for life lessons and career development. As part of the active learning community I engage in principles that enhance the learning environment both online and in person. I seek new opportunities and technology to further development curriculum that comes to life.

My online teaching journey...

Twenty years ago when I started my journey to teach, I could almost see into the crystal ball of the future of learning. I knew that online learning would become vital to the transformation of education. While in my doctorate program I took an online statistics course and found it really challenging to teach myself a very technical content. I was then very determined to begin learning how to design and foster a comprehensive understanding of virtual learning. I obtained my first adjunct position with University of Maryland University College who were at the forefront of online learning. I found myself thrown into the deep end but the institution provided incredible training to assist instructors in this new learning space. I found that my practical knowledge in HR of training and development assisted me to understand the adult learning principles to be able to use instructional design in the virtual world. I became fascinated how differently I would need to design information and execute learning in my face-to-face classes versus my online classes.

Over the last decade I have taken every opportunity to learn and grow in this space. When I first joined Mason nine years ago, I was intrigued by the resources made available to instructors about online teaching. I was hired because I was one of the only online classes offered in the School of Business. My prior knowledge of online learning was a distinguishing factor I was told by a faculty member on my hiring committee. I jumped right in and applied to be in the Online Course Design Institute (OCDI) to work with the instructional designers to develop and enhance my skills. Over the years I have re-enrolled in the OCDI three additional times. My courses over the past years have been transformed by the assistance of the instructional designers at the Stearns Center. It helps to have sounding board that assist you and brainstorm different perspectives. Just when you think you are done with a course there is always room for improvement and changes.

Philosophy on Evaluation & Assessment

Throughout the teaching and learning process, I incorporate multiple methods of evaluation. I encourage students to engage in open ended feedback sessions with me throughout the semester. I will have the students fill out a midterm report to find out what is working and what is not so that I can adjust my instruction before the semester ends. My course design ends with data-driven evaluations that are clearly linked to the course goals and objectives.

To measure student learning I work to provide a number of assessments. Some of these include:

Collaborative Team Projects
Case Studies
Traditional exams
Personal reflections
Presentations
Online discussions
Scholarly research papers

I work to incorporate a variety of student evaluation components in order to bring out practical examples that will be readily transferable to their everyday lives and a variety of disciples. One new idea I instituted is called “Management in Practice” I am providing small challenges for the students to reach out to managers and individuals in the workplace about their perceptions of management. I am getting them to dive into the media and news to see the impact of management. I am also encouraging them to begin to discover new careers in their own field and how management might be used in their future.

Mentoring

I value the chance to share what I have learned from my experience with students. I serve in both a formal capacity as a mentor and an informal one with an open door policy for all students. I love sharing advice with students providing them guidance and direction for their future. It is important to pay it forward for all those that have helped and guided me along my journey.

Summary

My philosophy of teaching asserts that each student should be allowed an outstanding opportunity to learn. For me this comes from an active and stimulating learning environment created by the teacher. It is our duty and obligation to provide an incredible learning community that fosters growth and development. Students should experience frequent and repeated opportunities to act, react, and interact with each other and the professor. It is my role to offer a high standard of excellence that will reach far beyond the students’ expectations.

Acknowledgements

During my time at Mason I have worked with several of the instructional designers to assist with the design and layout of my courses. I would personally like to thank Ala Showers for teaching me so much about design and the LMS platforms we have used. I have also participated in the OCDI certificate program three times to get feedback from others on how to improve my online courses. It is helpful to have multiple perspectives when designing for different modalities. We are lucky to have great resources at our university to assist us.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse