Teaching Philosophy

My basic teaching philosophy is to have students learn in a way that stimulates their minds by allowing them to be creative and develop the skills they will need.  I would also like the students and myself to learn from each other and to teach each other about the topics found in the course.  I would like the material to be presented in such a way that students want to learn more and actively participate in class activities.  My class activities will include group and class discussion, as well as, small group and individual assignments to allow the students to learn from themselves, each other, and the class.  I would like the students to participate in making this class a success.  In doing so, students will have the opportunity to give feedback and provide information on what they want to learn and how they feel they would learn best.  I hope to learn new information about the various topics in this class from the students as well as the teaching methods that work best for this class and this group of students.  In the end, I want students to enjoy learning the information and also be able to see how the information presented in class is useful or will be useful in their lives.

            In addition, I would like to incorporate different forms of technology into the lessons so students can both learn new technology skills and use the skills they already have.  Most students in today’s higher education environment already come into the classroom with knowledge of the latest technology skills.  I would like to incorporate what many of them are already doing in order to make the class relate to the student’s everyday life as well as allow me to keep their attention and focus on the course materials by incorporating the technology many are already interested in.  However, I will also be aware that some technology has drawbacks or disadvantages and through trial and error I will incorporate only those activities that work best for the current group of students I am teaching.