Statement of Teaching Philosophy
I believe that to teach well, one must be enthusiastic about the material and capable of engendering that enthusiasm in one's students. If there is no joy in the process, then real learning will never be possible; instead, students will simply commit the course content to memory, reproduce it for the exam, and then just as quickly forget it. The goal of learning is to become more capable, critical and self-aware. Enthusiasm for the material is not, then, the end of learning, but the conduit through which learning can take place - it is what links instructor to learner, and both learner and instructor to the subject matter.
I believe that a good university education gives students the ability to think critically and intelligently about their chosen area, as well as the ability to advance their studies after they graduate. In this respect, I believe that the ultimate purpose of a university education is the ability not only to assimilate and understand established ideas, but also to discover and articulate new knowledge.
Learning is an active, not a passive, process, and I attempt to make it very clear to all of my students that the more work they put into their education, the more they will get out of it. With every assignment, seminar presentation, or discussion, I try to help them become more perceptive and careful thinkers, by challenging them to go back and re-assess their own assumptions and conclusions. I tell all of them that the most important thing they can learn from me is a set of skills that will allow them to think about and analyse texts in ways that they have perhaps never even tried before. At the risk of falling into cliché, I try to teach them how to teach themselves.
Teaching Practice
Everyone learns differently so there is no one model of teaching that will always be effective. I have found, however, that at the heart of every good teaching strategy there is an emphasis upon discussion: not just discussion between teacher and student, but between student and student, and within the student herself or himself.
I have attempted in my teaching practice to develop a comprehensive strategy that fosters intelligent and productive discussion within the student in response to the material, through the use of teaching tactics that emphasise discussion between the student and myself, as well as between students. I stress throughout the learning process that analysis and critical thinking begins with careful attention to the specific details of the text, and that truly intelligent dialogue can only take place within the context of careful attention to, and analysis of, those specifics. At the same time, I attempt to provide all of my students with the relevant methodological tools and information (historical context, theoretical language, etc) that will allow them to approach those specifics from a more informed perspective. It is not enough to give students a set of cognitive and critical skills without also providing them with a knowledge base from which they can use those skills to the greatest effect. It if for this reason that I encourage all my students to expand and enrich their knowledge of the material through full and careful reading of the assigned texts, as well as through pursuing extra reading of authors or works that interest them.
Student Resources
The Academic Skills Centre at Trent University. Visit them often.
If you have questions about writing essays, this page has some hints to help you plan and write that perfect paper. It also includes an example of the ideal introductory paragraph.
If you are a student of mine, past or present, and you would like to send me an anonymous message about my teaching practices, the course, or any other concern, please feel free to use the text box below. Just type in your message and press "Send."
Links
Voice of the Shuttle is a web site out of Emory University that has the largest and most comprehensive list of humanities related sites on the web that I've ever seen. It is a remarkable resource and one of the very best places to start looking for online material.
One of the most important things you can learn at university is that not everyone learns in the same ways. Below is a very brief list of some internet resources that might help you get a better idea of how you learn, and the kinds of strategies that you can use to improve your skills as a student:
Learning Styles & Multiple Intelligence
This is actually a site for people with learning disabilities, but it has some excellent information on the different learning styles and what they are.
Student Learning and the Myers-Brigg Type Indicator
A lot of technical language and concepts, but if you really want to know the details about different learning strategies, this is a good place to visit. It is probably most useful to go here after filling out the online questionnaire (below) that gives you a quick assessment of your learning type.
Index of Learning Styles Questionnaire
The authors of this site make no claims that it is definitive, but it's an interesting and useful way for you to begin to explore your own abilities.