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My Philosophy and
Mission as an Educator
"No one can
education you. You must talk, you must read, you must build, you must
listen. Merely being present as someone else tries to pour something
into you does not mean that you are learning. You must be actively
engaged" (Schanker, 1990).
This quote does
an excellent job of capturing my own beliefs about learning and my
role as an educator. The role of an educator needs to be distinguished
from that of one who merely instructs. The former describes one who
facilitates or coaches the development of knowledge, ideas, and
character, while the latter suggests that one teaches to students who
passively sit and learn. Some may view this as a semantic argument,
however, I believe that the difference is very real and critically
important. Consider this analogy to highlight my point. None of us
likes to be "sold" something. We often come away feeling that we were
"told" or convinced what to buy. This often leaves many of us feeling
deceived and/or unsatisfied. Instead, most people prefer to possess
enough knowledge and skill to arrive at buying decisions on their own
accord. I feel that this applies in the classroom setting as well.
People prefer to learn by doing or discovering rather than being told,
sold, or lectured to—they come away more convinced, more satisfied,
more enriched. Therefore, I do my best to make my students’ learning
experiences an exploration--often challenging but often also quite
fun. Below I describe some of the ways in which I facilitate my
students’ education.
Objectives for Students
I am personally
and genuinely interested in my students’ success, both in the
classroom and in their current and future professional endeavors. To
this end, I seek to develop in them three invaluable abilities: 1) the
ability to formulate and express ideas (both written and verbally), 2)
the ability to critically analyze issues from multiple perspectives,
and 3) the ability to apply knowledge across a variety of situations
and contexts. I believe that each of these abilities truly adds value
and enhances success in most any endeavor. Thus, regardless of the
course or the topic on any given day, I strive to create a classroom
environment that fosters the development of these three critical
over-arching abilities for all of my students.
Creating the Learning Environment
If education
requires "active engagement," as the above quote suggests, then it is
imperative to create an environment that is conducive to the free
exchange of ideas and student involvement. To this end, I do several
things to get students involved in learning. First, I try to create an
atmosphere in which students feel relaxed and comfortable expressing
their own ideas. To do this it is important to make students feel that
their input is not being evaluated or judged, by me or their
classmates. In order to accomplish this I am careful to solicit and
offer multiple perspectives on each topic. In this way, students see
that a given opinion or position is but one of many possibilities.
Most if not all of management is contingent on people and
situations.
Another way to
get students actively engaged in their learning is to get them to draw
on their own experiences. In most courses students possess a
wonderfully diverse collection of experiences and aspirations, which I
attempt to draw on in the classroom. Using student's personal
experiences is not only more comfortable for them, because they speak
from firsthand knowledge, but it also makes the course material "more
real" because they see how it applies to their own lives.
In order to
create a forum in which students are actively engaged in their
learning, it is important that they are also comfortable with me as
the instructor. To facilitate this I work very hard at quickly
developing a friendly and open rapport with my students and by
quickly learning students’ names and backgrounds. Another way I
facilitate this goal is to have all the students provide me with a
copy of their resumes. Although this assignment is not graded, the
task has the additional benefit of preparing students for their
subsequent job search. I critique the resumes and provide feedback to
any student who is interested. Many of my students find this to be a
very valuable service. Further, this allows me to learn much more
about my students, while assisting in their career goals at
the same time. This also demonstrates to my students that I am
genuinely concerned in their success beyond the classroom and the
university.
I also provide
handsome incentives for "active engagement" in learning. Approximately
30-40% of student grades are determined by what I call "The 3 P’s:"
presence, preparation, and participation. I explain in the syllabus,
and verbally, that it is essential to the success of the individual
student and the success of the class as a whole that students attend
class (presence), are prepared, and participate in discussions.
Accordingly, students are rewarded in two ways. First, their
educational experience is much "richer" due to the open discussion of
ideas. Second, they are awarded a large number of points toward their
grades. Thus, the 3 P’s help to incentivize the "active engagement"
aspect of the opening quote and my students’ education.
Finally, I make
myself available to my students. It is made clear that they are
welcome to come by my office anytime, and they are also free to call
me at home. In my career in academia, my students are my most valuable
customers, therefore, it is necessary that I am available to meet
their needs.
Communicating and Meeting Expectations
While most
instructors routinely communicate their expectations for their
students, rarely do instructors attempt to directly learn what their
students’ expectations are for them. Students deserve the very best product or service
that I can deliver. In order for me to effectively deliver, it is
important for me to determine/learn their expectations. To do this I solicit feedback from students
throughout the term. Specifically, the first day of class I ask
students to hand in a list of expectations for both the course
material and me as the instructor. Next, I inquire about their single
favorite college class. These simple questions allow me to glean a
great deal about expectations and how I might meet them. Additionally,
a few weeks into the term I again solicit feedback about the
material and the instruction. Specifically, I ask students to
describe what is positive, but more importantly, I ask them their
ideas for improvements. Finally, at the very end
of the term I again solicit similar feedback. Gathering feedback
multiple times during the course of the term allows me make
adjustments that actually benefit those students giving it. This is in
contrast to college level feedback solicited at the end of the term,
which only benefits the instructor and students the following term--at
best.
As for
communicating my expectations, this is simple, loud, and clear… "The 3
P’s" (presence, preparation, and participation) that I mentioned
earlier. Students get this message on the syllabus, on a PowerPoint
slide, on a handout, and sometimes even a quiz on the second day of
class. The 3 P’s are really my expectations of my students, and they
are also clearly the keys to their success in any class that I teach.
Summary
I am extremely
fortunate to have the opportunity to work with so many wonderful
students. My time interacting with them is both fun and fulfilling.
Furthermore, I believe that my enthusiasm and enjoyment are
exceedingly obvious to my students. As I have said before, I am
privileged to have so many happy customers. I love my job!
Student Comments from One Course:
This class was
not only fun, but very relevant and insightful. The way the class was
taught was very stimulating.
**This was probably the best class I’ve taken so
far at ASU, because we actually talked about relevant issues; instead
of all the BS textbook definitions and worn out theories.
Mel was an excellent instructor and I definitely
learned a lot in this short 5 weeks.
Mel’s contributions to the goals of this class
were truly excellent. Little could be done to improve his effort.
**Group work and projects helped us to understand
ideas and get other views on the topics.
**Mel’s real experiences shed light on the class
topics.
Very excellent. Entertaining. Enlightening.
**Mel is a great teacher. He makes his class fun
and a great learning experience. He has good examples and is socially
responsible in his personal life as well.
Mel is a great instructor that made Social
Responsibility an interesting subject.
**Mel always had plenty of research and handouts
to back up information presented in class.
Materials used in class really went beyond the
class and helped.
Great Job! You made the class participate and
keep focused.
Mel is a great teacher, I would take another
class with him as a teacher. Keep up the good work!
Good visual aids. Excellent job of making the
book material interesting. Made me want to come to class.
**This is one of the best classes that I’ve
taken. Material was presented well, with real world examples and a
minimum of the usual busy work. Exam was comprehensive and had clear
questions. Mel is wonderful instructor. Bright. Credible. Down to
earth lectures, examples and activities. Establishes rapport easily.
**Very good at encouraging discussion. Overall,
very good at interacting with the class. Open discussion helps I the
understanding of material. Makes the class fun and interesting.
**Mel should continue everything, especially his
ability to encourage participation and discussion. Very appropriate
and useful. Personality makes class interesting and encourages
involvement.
I loved the class and you stimulated useful and
thought provoking discussion.
You made the class interesting, fun, and thought
provoking.
**I liked the “round robin” exercises. The test
was a little long but had good questions. Good handouts and cases.
Thanks, Mel, for bringing up these issues. They were real issues that
needed real answers. The class gave me a better perspective on how
companies and the world operates.
**The best class that have ever taken here at ASU
or anywhere else. Everything was excellent. The instructor is great.
This is the type of course structure that should be used in every
class. Of course, the instructor made the class. His attitude and
outlook was motivational.
**Calling on every student to voice their opinion
is a great way to make people feel more comfortable in class. Mel is
one of the most enthusiastic and charismatic instructors I’ve ever
had. It makes such a difference in the learning and enjoyment of the
class.
Mel is a great teacher and I really enjoyed his
class. He is easy to get along with, has a great sense of humor, and
makes the class fun. Keep up the great work!
Mel, you’re great—seriously great. Keep up the
good work.
**Great class. Great open forum and great grading
scale.
Good class discussions—emphasizes material.
**I like the format of a class that encourages
participation and attendance. Real world experience is a wonderful
addition. Good PowerPoint slides.
**Good class. Always prepared and understandable.
**Fantastic handouts, videos, and materials.
Everything was great!
Everything was great. Well prepared lectures.
Front loading the class was an excellent idea.
Great effort in encouraging class/group
discussions.
Great casual forum/style for discussions.
**Mel was excellent at making the material
understandable and exciting. The format of an open forum allowed me to
learn at a higher level. There also was an outstanding amount of
respect for his students. He was always available for questions and
student situations.
**The instructor was great, he obviously cares
about being a good teacher. PowerPoints were very well put
together—professional. He’s awesome!
**Mel did a fine job utilizing his real world
experience.
Case material was good.
**Great class. Each day was packed full of
discussions that were both interesting and at the same time fun.
Handouts and slides were very well prepared and very helpful. Great
class!
**Best class I’ve had yet! Most enthusiastic
instructor I’ve had.
Mel did a good job. Good job Mel!
**Mel is probably the most dedicated teacher I
have ever encountered.
Great class.
Good use of real world examples to emphasize the
concepts taught in class.
Grading points were not fairly allocated with 300
points going towards participation, presence, and preparation. Tests
were only 100 points; should not have high points for 3 P’s.
The first test should not consist of 9 chapters
and the final only 4—equal it out. Class was great and very
interesting to go to. The points available for the 3 P’s (presence,
participation, and preparation) were excellent and very motivating.
Good PowerPoint slides—professional. Mel is a very good teacher and
encourages interest.
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