My goal is to build on my mentoring and leadership experience, ground my teaching in a strong set of learner-focused values and provide technology-enhanced individualized (yet collaborative) learning experiences for students in a variety of subject areas. I will continue to enhance my teaching by learning formally (through courses) and informally (from peers and colleagues).
My teaching philosophy is shaped by the fact that I am part of a Faculty that has a strong multidisciplinary research capability together with a highly respected professional masters program. My teaching philosophy is further influenced by the unique perspective I bring as a result of my years of experience in industry where I led organizations, managed people, mentored many people, and built strong collaborative relationships across different groups.
I intend to provide value to students in my courses and advisory capacity that extends beyond the content or the subject matter. The pedagogy itself will provide experiences that students can bring to their professional careers.
Students in a professional masters program can benefit from the experiences of their classmates. In each of the courses I teach, I will create opportunities where we learn together, from one another, and relate the knowledge learned through the course to our past experiences and imagined future opportunities. I will provide an outline and structure for the courses, present lectures, define assignments, and assign readings, but students will largely define the scope of their assignments and will be asked to contribute and share relevant materials and readings as well. The interaction among students and their collaborative work are essential in making each course a success. Students are expected to use the experiences and knowledge they bring into the courses to help define their learning objectives, contribute to the course content, and complement their own learning experience and that of their classmates.
The opportunity to learn and take courses in a Faculty known for its multidisciplinary strength is extremely valuable. I will challenge students to see and respect the different perspectives their classmates bring and to step out of their own comfort areas, challenging themselves to learn the material through different views and experiences.
Students should learn to think about their goals and what they want to achieve, then determine how they will know when they’ve achieved their goals (how they will measure success). In each course I teach, I will asks students to reflect on their own specific learning outcomes and basic goals and strategies to guide their learning throughout the course. Students should know why they are there and understand what they want to get out of the course and their program. My role is as mentor to guide them through the material. I expect students to take responsibility for their own learning experience.
One of the most important qualities I want to instil in students is the ability to think critically and to ask the right questions. Most assignments will not have a right or wrong answer but instead will challenge students to think about alternatives and what they believe is the best way to approach an issue or situation. They will be assessed on how well they thought it through and how convincingly they made their points. Students will also be asked to relate what they are learning in class to what they are reading in other courses, current events in the news, on-line resources, and in their leisure activities.