My teaching philosophy is based on a primary objective of inspiring life-long learning skills that go beyond individual course curriculums and objectives. With rapidly changing technology, it is essential for today’s professional to be in a continuous state of learning. A secondary objective is to nurture my students’ creative and critical thinking skills that will allow them to push boundaries and be truly innovative.

Life-long learning skills are inspired through allowing students to understand their own learning style. I offer students a variety of methods to achieve new skills by requiring activities such as drawing, reading, individual research, practical experiences, open discussions, student presentations, and repetition of activities. I also utilize a learning team approach for many activities to expand learning from piers. Through these activities, students gain factual knowledge while discovering individual tactics for learning.

Inspiring innovation is both rewarding and challenging. It is easy to be caught in the negative cycle of abandoning creative ideas before they have a chance to develop. Creating an environment that eliminates this type of thinking is my goal in nurturing the creative and critical thinking skills of my students. This often means taking a neutral stance in response to unique ideas, and ensuring that the entire class greets new ideas with an open mind. This atmosphere must be established and maintained in order for creative exercises to be successful.

Classroom management is critical to meeting my objectives and ensuring that each students receives the educational experience they desire and deserve. My classroom objectives are measured through the success of the students. This comes in the form of class projects, student evaluation reports, and career successes. In addition to these objectives, I strive to learn new techniques to enhance students’ learning experiences while I continue to challenge my own professional skills. In my teaching, I am mindful of my position as a role model of the life-long learning I strive to promote in students. The truest measure of success is when desire and action perpetuate life-long learning and creative thinking skills to continue beyond graduation for my students and myself.