My emphasis in teaching is on learning. My teaching goal is to facilitate learning (helping students learn) and I believe that teaching plays a major role in that. Learning is primarily the student's responsibility, whereas teaching is my responsibility. My emphasis is on helping the student to learn, rather than just dispensing my knowledge to them. I am there to “light their candle," not just "fill their bucket.”
I believe that effective teaching is comprised of two necessary and related elements: knowledge of the content and ability to communicate it. Knowing the material is not enough to be effective in teaching it; likewise, communication skills won't work alone. Thus, I take care to understand the concepts I expect to cover and to make them understandable to the students. I organize my presentations with the student's learning in mind and keep my knowledge up to date. I also emphasize the importance of communication by using humor and a variety in teaching techniques to make learning enjoyable so as to motivate the students to learn.
I follow these principles in teaching: being enthusiastic for each class and letting it show; learning about the students in the course; organizing each class well; using a presentation style that maximizes student interest; and using a variety of teaching methods to present the material. I use humor in my presentations to spark student interest and make my presentations engaging. I vary my teaching techniques in class (cases, discussion groups, lecture, etc.). I extensively utilize Powerpoint software and all elements of multimedia (documents, music CDs, videos, web sites, etc). Through the use of my Voluntary Student I.D. forms for graduate students, I find out about my students so I can relate to them personally in class and focus the course on their needs and background. These forms are also used to structure the students into class teams. I keep these forms on file so I can be available to the students as a reference.
Dr. Thomas Evans
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