Teaching
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Statement of Teaching Philosophy My interest in pursuing an academic career partly stems from a strong desire to develop others through teaching. I have been fortunate to attend a doctoral program that provides rigorous teaching training, and these experiences have helped me to articulate the central ideas behind how I approach teaching.
In developing and leading my courses, I emphasize skills-based learning objectives. I construct my teaching plans based on a learning cycle that facilitates development of my students’ organizational skills. For most sections of my courses, this process begins with some form of self-assessment that enables students to appreciate the knowledge, preferences and behavioral styles that they bring to our course. Students build on these foundations through an explanation of important content provided by course readings and our classroom discussions. To help my students build an understanding of this new knowledge, I employ a variety of exercises and assignments that provide an opportunity to apply organizational theories to organizational situations and their own experiences. These exercises include case analyses, organizational simulations, classroom presentations, and group activities. I then provide an opportunity for students to reflect on what they have learned and what they want to keep learning. I encourage continued practice outside the classroom to facilitate development of skills that students will need as future organizational members.
In designing learning objectives and teaching plans for my courses, I emphasize approaches that are compatible with the learning styles and preferences of my audience. I gather informal and formal feedback over the course of a semester to discern how students are responding to different types of discussions and exercises. I recognize that students in a particular course bring a range of experiences and preferences to the classroom and seek ways to take advantage of that diversity. I use technology inside and outside the classroom to enable students to engage in our class experience in multiple ways. For instance, some students who prefer not to speak in large groups may be more comfortable engaging in online or one-on-one discussions. I create team assignments that offer team members a great degree of latitude in how they accomplish their work. Some students may be very effective classroom presenters, while others are exceptional researchers, interviewers or writers. This broader range of options enables more students to connect to our course experience in personally meaningful and comfortable ways. It also offers them an opportunity to engage in experiments that foster personal development.
Finally, I see any of my teaching experiences as opportunities for my own continuous improvement. I assess our course experience on an ongoing basis and adapt to changing circumstances. As courses develop identities and preferences, I find it important to tailor the learning experiences inside and outside of our classroom to facilitate achievement of the learning objectives I have created. After the course concludes, I reflect on comments offered by students and my teaching experience to identify ways to improve my next teaching experience. I feel that my students are important contributors to my own personal learning as an educator. |
Teaching Experience
Career and Human Resources Planning (Fall 2006) Overall Instructor Rating: 4.67/5.00 Summary of Student Evaluations
Introduction to Organizational Behavior (Fall 2005) Overall Instructor Rating: 4.42 / 5.00 Summary of Student Evaluations
I have served as a teaching assistant for the following courses:
Managing People and Organizations (Spring 2005) Career and Human Resources Planning (Fall 2004) Organizational Research Seminar(Fall 2003/Spring 2004)
I have also served as an instructor for a series of professional workshops in both the U.S. and Europe, including:
Employment Interviewing Meetings Management, Total Quality Management Business Ethics.
Sample Teaching Materials
Class lecture materials: These are the slides and notes I prepared for a classroom session focused on individual and team decision making processes.
Class exercise: I adapted this large group intervention technique for use in a classroom. I used it in a session where students discussed their experiences with learning from failure, and it could certainly be used in discussions on a variety of topics.
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