Teaching Philosophy & Goals

Goals

I hope to continue representing JCCC around the community at speaking engagements and professional development opportunities. In addition, I hope to continue nurturing my classes to incorporate up-and-coming technology, both for myself in terms of educational technology, and for my students, in terms of preparation for the industry after graduation.

Teaching Philosophy

I consider teaching to be one of my greatest passions. Not only does it allow me to continue learning from those who take my classes, but I am able to shape education in a way that creates positivity, confidence, and a love for the work. Within my career, I have many goals that stretch beyond the delivery of material—these goals include catering to different styles of learning, actively engaging students coming from underrepresented demographics, and educating other educators.

As a full-time professor at an institution I attended, I take pride in working alongside the instructors who made an impact on my education. Throughout my schooling, I have been exposed to many different teaching styles, and have been able to extrapolate various methods that provide the best educational experience for learners of all kinds. This includes incorporating step-by-step auditory instructions during lectures, hands-on activities, and visual aids into my classes. While some of this can be difficult in web development due to the abstract nature of the field, I take the time to check in with students to see how I can improve their learning. With each piece of feedback, I adjust my current and future classes to foster a stronger learning environment for all kinds of learners. The most widely beneficial aspect to my classes is real-world experience, which is able to satisfy the learning needs of individuals in various ways. My classes work to create simulated client interactions, which students can apply to future employment opportunities. This kind of learning was inspired by Kolb’s Experiential Theory, which follows the cycle of trying out newly learned information by having an experience, reflecting on that experience, interpreting and learning from it, and repeating the process (Konak, 2014). Learning is said to happen if and only if all of the cycle’s stages have been reached, thus, my classwork is based on encouraging the successful completion of the cycle in order to get the most out of the experience (Konak, 2014). These projects not only provide real-world applications, but gives my students something meaty for their portfolios and resumes, as well as something to reference for potential future clients.

In addition to my computer science background, I obtained my Graduate Certificate in College Teaching and Career Planning. This program provided me with information about underrepresented student groups, and how to foster a positive classroom experience for those coming from diverse backgrounds. Mental health is fragile and can be destroyed with just one knock at a person’s confidence. From my coursework, I have been given a glimpse into some of the struggles certain demographics face, and the toll it can take on one’s education. With the extra knowledge I have received from top instructors and lecturers, I have learned in a more specialized way how to handle a student’s mental bandwidth with care, how to educate those in need about available resources, and how to customize the classroom experience to create a more welcoming environment. Creating a nurturing classroom with this structure is inspired by Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. This theory is based on a pyramid of needs, beginning with physiological aspects, all the way up to self-actualization aspects (Aanstoos, 2019). As we travel up the pyramid and satisfy all the lower levels, like food, water and housing, the higher levels become more attainable, which involve things we spend our lives seeking, such as confidence, belonging, self-worth, and self-awareness (Aanstoos, 2019). By creating a classroom that functions on the same structure as the Hierarchy of Needs, beginning at the base of the pyramid and working my way up, I can help foster those feelings of belonging in both the classroom and in the web development field, a sense of accomplishment, and the confidence to continue with personal growth. Fostering this environment is even more important in the Web Development Department, given the high number of non-traditional students.

Lastly, I recently obtained my Education Specialist degree in Digital Leadership. This program took a focus on evaluating classroom technology, and introducing new technology to both faculty members and students. My research for this program was based around the feelings of Zoom for virtual learning, and the use of alternative video conferencing software to improve engagement, and create the face-to-face interactions in virtual learning that went missing at the onset of the pandemic. My capstone project involved hosting a professional development session regarding my findings, which has sparked a new interest in not only education technology, but also the concept of andragogy in PD sessions. As Knowles (1980) found in his original theorization, adults have different motivations and methods of learning caused by the role they are currently in and past experiences, which have to be considered when teaching them. This is especially important when it comes to classroom technology, which can be quite challenging to encourage faculty with when any kind of change is involved. After graduating, I have continued to be involved in various professional development presentations regarding technology in the classroom.

Whether I am teaching students, or teaching teachers, those I am educating constantly work alongside me to help create the best version of my classes that I can offer. As I work towards my teaching goals of gifting learning to all, promoting positive mental health, and engaging with technology-centered professional development opportunities, I strive to make a difference in the life of those whom I am lucky enough to both teach, and learn from along the way.

References

Aanstoos, C. M. (2019). Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Salem Press Encyclopedia of Health.

Knowles, M. (1980). The modern practice of adult education: Andragogy versus pedagogy. Rev. and updated ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Cambridge Adult Education.

Konak, A., Clark, T. K., & Nasereddin, M. (2014). Using Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle to improve student learning in virtual computer laboratories. Computers & Education, 72, 11–22.
https://doiorg.proxy.library.umkc.edu/10.1016/j.compedu.2013.10.013