Teaching Philosophy

"I cannot teach anybody anything;
I can only make them think."
Socrates

I believe that my task as an educator is to teach students more that just the facts. I want students to leave my class with an improved ability to think critically about information. My beliefs about my role as an educator, my behaviors inside and outside the classroom, my expectations of a student and myself as an educator, and my teaching methods are all parts of my teaching philosophy.
I believe that effective teaching:

• Requires a lot of time
• Demands that you care and respect the student
• Expects you to fully understand the material
• Should give you much in return for your effort
• Stipulates that if you make mistakes you will admit them to the class

The educator must make the time commitment necessary to prepare for a lecture; this is not a seminar where you can just throw some slides in a carousel and talk. A lecture must be focused and organized.

I believe that I must care about the students to be an effective educator. If you trust that students want to learn, they will reciprocate with a sustained effort. An effective educator learns as much as he/she can about her/his students - their interests, motivations, troubles, and triumphs.

To keep students interested and motivated, the information disseminated must be clear and meaningful.
Knowledge and love of the material is essential. If the student senses your devotion to the topic it will be greatly embraced. There is usually a connection with students that is a direct result from effective lecturing; they know when you are trying hard and when you are trying to convey knowledge. Without passion and enthusiasm for the work, the material presented wilts and the effectiveness of the message is not evident and is lost.

The education is cooperation between teacher and students, who must be respected as adults and expected to act accordingly. My duties in this cooperation include motivating and introducing the subject; helping students to learn the subject, by responding to their difficulties in reading the text and by solving real life problems interactively with them in class; and monitoring and grading their progress.