I recently put together a draft of my teaching philosophy. As I am new to teaching, it is all in the online context.

What do I believe about teaching and learning?

I am passionate about starting a teaching career in today’s  ‘modern classroom’. I experience great personal satisfaction from both working in and mentoring and teaching marketing and communications. These are radically evolving fields that are experiencing rapid technical advancements that are relevant in today’s commercial world.

I believe learning takes place when students are engaged in the process, motivated by the subject and where possible, having fun. Having fun increases the likelihood of creating memorable experiences and helps to reduce barriers to learning. My approach to teaching is to move away from the ‘sage on the stage’ approach of an expert who simply delivers information to more of a facilitator who brings the ideas to the students and enables their learning and creativity.

I feel everyone needs to keep learning no matter what age. Learning happens everyday, inside and outside of the classroom, at any age. What I will bring to teaching is a desire to connect with others and help them understand what they need to succeed in their field.

What do I want my students to achieve and how?

My role in student learning is helping students not only learn from me but from each other as well. My aim is to ensure every student leaves class with a portfolio of work that they can be proud of, real world experience to draw from, and references from their teammates and real-world clients.

To help my students become successful beyond my classroom, my curriculum will involve students writing research papers, creating strategies & tactical campaigns and giving presentations using contemporary business cases or with local issues. I will focus on all case studies and projects focused on solving practical projects that will help them directly in their careers.

What would I like to try in the future?

The goals I have for my students are to encourage active engagement, open and honest communication along with useful and supportive feedback on projects. Tools I will use for this are collaborative workspaces like Moodle, social media, blogs, online meetings and discussion forums.

How do I know if I am being a good teacher?

A key aspect of being a good teacher is helping connect students to the curriculum and the field. It requires that I enjoy my work and the subjects I am teaching. As well, connecting with your students is an important piece of the learning as it helps students feel understood and appreciated. Being a good teacher requires a balance between engaging with the content and connecting with the students.

My instruction will focus on utilizing online social learning tools both formal and informal, experiential learning directly relevant to today’s business environment and will use strong feedback mechanisms on a daily basis. Good teachers routinely think about and reflect on their classes, their students, their methods, and their materials. Failing to observe what happens in my classes on a daily basis disconnects us from the teaching and learning process as you cannot create connectivity if you’ve disconnected yourself.