TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
Teaching and learning are a joint effort; a students’ level of effort, mastery, and motivation all affect how much they learn. However, I also believe that the overall classroom atmosphere and rapport among classmates will influence these factors. While there are many ways to define the student/professor relationship (e.g., student as consumer, child, or buddy), I define the “student” and “professor” relationship as a professional agreement between two educated and moral adults. The main goal in my relationship with students is for them to leave my class with a solid background in communication studies, along with an appreciation that the material covered in class is just the “tip of the iceberg”. Another of my goals is for my students to leave class with an understanding of the many nuances of communication scholarship – not only a comprehension of course content but an appreciation of the importance of creative and theory-based research. To achieve these goals, I am committed to quality teaching: I strive to make class time well organized, fully interactive, relevant, and intellectually stimulating.
I am committed to the respect and dignity of all; I value differences among members in our community. In line with this commitment, it is important to me as an instructor to build a classroom climate that is comfortable and conducive to learning for all. I emphasize to my students that diversity of opinions and free expression are encouraged, however courtesy and respect for differences are essential to a positive classroom environment. In my classroom I work hard to foster a diverse, welcoming, empowering, and inclusive community.
My method of instruction is based on the assumptions that the major functions of an instructor are to 1) identify appropriate course objectives, 2) communicate to students what and how they should learn, 3) motivate students to learn, 4) devise valid and reliable means for evaluating student learning, 5) provide constructive feedback, and 6) shape favorable attitudes towards the discipline of Communication. Further, the experiences in the classroom and the experiences people encounter in the real world can be different. Therefore, learning activities should be authentic and as similar to the real world as possible.