Teaching philosophy
Teaching has both form and content. As a teacher I have to decide what needs to be covered--what information needs to be communicated and mastered, what facts learned, what texts read and what ideas shared. This in an important element in designing an effective lesson or course. But equally important is the method of doing those things. I carefully consider how to present material, how to gauge comprehension and how to evaluate progress and mastery. Cultivating a classroom environment that integrally incorporates the distinctiveness and diversity of everyone present creates an environment that respects the dignity of each person and the learning community as a whole. I encourage my students to bring themselves--the whole complex web of who they are--into the classroom and to make connections between what we are learning and their own lives. As a teacher, I try to model this.