I believe that teaching as a profession is an enormous responsibility and privilege. I believe that it is my responsibility as a teacher, above all, to never lose sight of the mission of education and to treat the profession with the respect that it deserves.
As facilitators of open and respectful dialogue, I believe that university educators must be sensitive and responsive to cultural differences and diverse belief systems. Each student has different values, abilities, and talents, and I believe that each of them has something important to contribute to the learning experience of others, including my own continuing learning.
I believe that students learn most deeply and retain concepts most completely when they participate actively in the learning process and engage actively with the subject material. I am particularly committed to working with students to help them achieve high levels of proficiency in both academic writing and research.
I encourage students to construct as much knowledge as they can on their own through activities that require them to consider how to put theory into practice. When they have reached their limits on their own, I guide my students as they extend their understanding. I help students to learn how they can construct new knowledge by encouraging them to consider, evaluate, and critically reflect on a diverse range of perspectives.
Overall, I am also committed to ensuring that the learning experiences of my students are as interactive and transformative as the best that Memorial University of Newfoundland has to offer.
Teaching Strategies
I believe that teachers should encourage active participation in the classroom, including virtual classroom spaces, and strive to create a classroom environment that is flexible and considerate of the diversity of students’ backgrounds, opinions, and learning styles.
Where possible, I employ techniques of collaborative learning and participation among students. I encourage higher-order questioning and thinking in my courses and challenge students to consider and reflect on differing points of view. I admit when I do not know the answers to questions and demonstrate a willingness to research them and respond promptly to students’ inquiries.
My student-centred approach to teaching encourages students to participate in directing their own learning objectives and deciding how they will demonstrate that learning. I believe that the students should be encouraged to provide input into the format and evaluation requirements I propose for courses so that their goals for learning can be better reflected in the course instruction, activities, and evaluation.
In the field of post-secondary education studies, I emphasize the practical implications of post-secondary education theories and policies. I connect course content to local, national, and international contexts and, where possible, relate course topics and discussions to current events. I sometimes seek out key informants to help provide students with a tangible context for course subject matter.
I believe that students should be made unambiguously aware of my course objectives and be provided with the information they need to determine when they have mastered them. I make regular and effective use of both formative and summative assessment methods in order to provide students with opportunities to continuously improve their writing, presentation, and critical analysis skills.
In addition to the tried and tested chalk on slate, I employ a variety of instructional and computational technologies in the classroom and on-line including electronic slide presentations, web browsing via data projection, and electronic document display. I use email lists and web-based forums on a regular basis in order to facilitate discussion and debate amongst class members. I encourage students to contact me by email at any time and I respond to them quickly.
I am acutely aware of the increasing demand for more distance education course opportunities for students in the Bachelor of Education (Post-Secondary) and Master of Education (Post-Secondary) programs. I am endeavouring to find ways of designing instruction and utilizing technology to ensure that my on-line courses provide an interactive learning opportunity for students.
For on-line instruction, I make creative use of both synchronous and asynchronous technologies, and regularly seek out opportunities to utilize the interactive nature of Web 2.0 on-line technologies. In particular, I use my post-secondary education blog (http://post-secondary.blogspot.com) as an efficient and convenient means of sharing information with students about emerging trends, issues, practices, problems, and research in the field of post-secondary education studies.
Reflections on Improving Teaching
I believe that teaching in itself is a life-long learning experience and that a good teacher strives for excellence by staying current in his or her field of knowledge, continuously engaging in research and employing effective teaching strategies. I believe that effective teaching can be achieved only when the teacher regularly and sincerely reflects on one's own teaching practice and how it can be improved.
I strive to improve my teaching by seeking feedback from students, consulting with my colleagues, engaging in professional development activities, and regularly reading, evaluating, and implementing ideas from current publications on effective teaching practices. To best meet the needs of Memorial University of Newfoundland's student population, I regularly seek to implement research-proven teaching methods and techniques wherever I can.
Mentoring and Assisting Colleagues in the Practice of Teaching
I believe that skillful and effective teaching is, in part, developed through collaborative practice with my colleagues. I have accepted each opportunity to support the teaching practice of my colleagues by a) offering my opinion on their assessments of student work when asked; b) acting as a second reader for final papers in Education 6590 (Research and Development Seminar in Information Technology Studies) and/or Education 6890 (Research and Development Seminar in Post-Secondary Studies) each semester since my appointment; and c) sharing my proven teaching strategies, techniques, and tools.
I have welcomed opportunities to mentor colleagues who have been appointed to teach courses in Adult Teacher Education and Post-Secondary Studies on a per-course or contractual basis. During the Winter 2011 semester, I supervised a Faculty of Education doctoral candidate's participation in Memorial University of Newfoundland's Graduate Program in Teaching. This provided an opportunity for the graduate student to engage in and practice teaching at the undergraduate level. As a teaching mentor, I provided opportunities for the student to observe, teach, and engage in teaching-related activities in Education 4730, an online course in the Bachelor of Education (Post-Secondary) program.
I have also enthusiastically accepted opportunities to lead professional development seminars and workshops for secondary, community college, and university teachers. For example, I have organized workshops on integrating blogs and other social media into academic practice for the Instructional Development Office at Memorial University of Newfoundland, the Faculty of Education's Edge 2010 international conference, and the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences Congress 'Career Corner'.
Courses Taught
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Since joining the Faculty of Education at Memorial University of Newfoundland in 2006, I have taught a range of courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. A comprehensive list of these course offerings is provided below.
Course: Education 3280 - Educational Assessment
Offered: Spring 2010, Spring 2011
Course: Education 4710 - Seminar in Post-Secondary Education
Offered: Winter 2007, Fall 2007, Fall 2008, Fall 2010, Fall 2011
Course: Education 4730 - Educational Programs and Practices in Industry and Labour
Offered: Winter 2008, Winter 2009, Winter 2010, Winter 2011
Course: Education 6801 - Foundations of Post-Secondary Programs
Offered: Winter 2007, Spring 2007, Fall 2007, Fall 2008, Winter 2009, Fall 2009, Winter 2010, Fall 2010, Winter 2011, Fall 2011
Course: Education 6803 - Research in Post-Secondary Education
Offered: Fall 2007, Spring 2008, Spring 2009, Spring 2010
Course: Education 6807 - Economics and Finance of Post-Secondary Education
Offered: Spring 2011
Course: Education 6823 - Principles of Program Design and Development
Offered: Fall 2008, Fall 2011
Course: Education 7001: Doctoral Seminar in Education
January-June 2007 (Topic area: Internationalization of Post-Secondary Education)
September-October 2007 (Topic area: Workforce Education and Workplace Training) October 2010 (Topic area: Inter-Sectoral Collaboration in Post-Secondary Education) March-April 2011 (Topic area: Financing Graduate Education)
Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto (OISE/UT)
Prior to my taking up my current position at Memorial University, I had an excellent opportunity to co-teach the following undergraduate and graduate level courses at OISE/UT:
Course: Theory and Policy Studies 1841 - Public Finance and Higher Education
Offered: Winter 2003
Course: Education 5141 - Economics of Education
Offered: Winter 2003
