The center of my teaching philosophy is students. I believe that thinking about learning begins and ends with the experience of students—what they bring to class, what they engage in the course and what skills, knowledge and values they carry with them thereafter. 

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The lifeworld of students is an important beginning in any pedagogical process. Where do they come from? What do they do? What do they think, believe and why? These questions open up insights about who students are and how they navigate the world. This inquiry also creates space for learning about the diverse experiences of students. Student subjectivity, or how they think of themselves in terms of identity and positionality and the way that belonging to an identity category influences how one is received in the world, are two essential elements of understanding the lifeworld of students. From these insights I derive activities, texts and topics that will resonate differently with any group of students, thus creating a discursive space in the post-secondary classroom that invites multiple perspectives. The value of diversity then is not solely to connect the individual to the course material but to create a learning community within the social that is any classroom environment. And while I have arranged this understanding of identity as the first step in teaching, which it often is, the process of learning oneself through a course is ongoing throughout the experience.

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The second focus of my teaching philosophy is the personalization of learning. This element is congruent with the first as personalization necessarily involves who one is. The content of any course opens up vistas for understanding a discourse community. By personalization I intend to create space for students to identify the questions and texts within an area of learning that are most resonant with their professional lives so that they can lead their own learning in consultation with me. Personalization is a central element of my scholarly profile and while I have enacted it at the K-12 level, I see it as even more crucial when engaging adult-learners given their maturity and wherewithal. Too, an important dimension of personalized learning at the university level is strategic use of technology. I introduce technological tools and invite students to introduce me and others to the same so that they will have the facility to use new tools and open up new learning. 

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The final aspect of my teaching philosophy is how the contents of a course position learners to continue learning. The most important skill that I cultivate among students is the ability to frame questions, seek data and information and draw practicable conclusions from the same. These executive function skills are essential for educators and administrators of various kinds as it provides them with the capacity to continue learning beyond my course. I choose course contents, and invite students to pursue questions and materials similarly, that encourage the framing of questions, seeking of evidence and development of insights and interventions. My orientation actively seeks to bridge the theory-practice divide that exists between universities and primary/secondary education professionals.