My Teaching Methodology

The core of my teaching methodology includes both traditional and technology based techniques. The main focus is to be able to deliver knowledge in a simple and meaningful way to students. Primarily by teaching fundamentals as well as relating the course topics to real life situation.

Teaching is defined as “helping someone to learn or to show or tell someone how to do something”. The key words I hold on to in the definition are “to show or to tell” because this phrase guides my teaching philosophy. I also agree with the words of John Cotton Dana, “He who dares to teach must never cease to learn”, I consider teaching as a continuous, mutual and symbiotic learning process. Thus I strive to learn from the feedbacks I get while teaching.

It is also important for an instructor to be willing to adopt new pedagogy when necessary, and also seek to improve his or her teaching methods.

This learning and teaching process has greatly shaped and influenced my delivery methods and has vastly improved and strengthened my capabilities as an instructor. I believe the duty of an instructor is not limited to the effective delivery of the course material. An instructor must take a holistic approach in his classroom by inspiring and encouraging students to greater heights in order to achieve their full potentials. The instructor must help cultivate a good study habit and where applicable the instructor must inspire life lessons such as work ethics, confidence, independence and discipline. This information passed along to the students in a subtle way has the potential of shaping their lives positively long after they have taken the class and parted ways with the instructor.

An instructor or teacher must effectively communicate facts and informatio...

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...n the next class. This method ensures the students read the course materials.

Laboratory sessions are very important for exposing chemistry students to the basics of scientific experimentation. Usually the labs are synchronized with the topics over the course of the semester, this is important because the topics taught in class are reinforced by the laboratory experiment.

Assessment is an important part of teaching. It is a measure of the students understanding of the material being taught. I use formal assessments in form of test and quizzes.

I keep striving to improve my teaching, it is a continuous learning process and I still have room to grow. It is my hope to keep improving and to keep up with the changes in technology and best teaching practices. This constant desire for improvements will lead towards the overall goal of achieving excellence in teaching.