|
Throughout
my years of teaching students at various levels (high school, junior college,
bachelor & graduate programs), several threads have emerged.
My goal throughout my career has been to help students experience
education beyond the world of textbooks and esoteric facts, guiding and
supporting them towards becoming individuals who think independently and gain
knowledge of how to learn for themselves, who ask questions to consider how
things might otherwise be and assess evidence critically.
I believe in telling students what I think is important in a class, then
fully expect the student to use that direction and be able to convey it back to
me with evidence of understanding.
I have also tried to develop students who can write and speak effectively
and convey information visually by encouraging them to become involved in
academic endeavors such as presenting & publishing when appropriate.
Since the late 1980’s I have utilized class websites to disseminate
class schedules, notes, sample test & links to other sites that could help
them understand the class material better.
According to previous student evaluations (university classes), my
primary strengths as a teacher are: interesting classes or lectures, enthusiasm,
level of knowledge, fairness, organization and use of technology integrated into
teaching.
I believe in giving the students every opportunity to do well in my
classes, but it is up to the student to take advantage of the opportunities and
do so in the appropriate time given.
Being an effective teacher is a difficult task at best, but a teacher
that accepts the challenge as a responsibility will find that it provides
rewards that are worth the effort.
In the words of B.B. King; the beautiful thing about learning is
that no one can take it away from you.
|
