To teach is to learn twice.
- Joubert, Pensees, 1842.
Teaching is a touchstone of my career. It is a practice that extends beyond the classroom, and includes advising and mentoring long after students have finished a particular course or program of study. I was fortunate to learn from superb professors, and their example is the starting point for my own approach to teaching, advising and mentoring.
Philosophy of Education
Following Socrates, I see the role of educator as gadfly and midwife. As gadflies we prod each other to critically reflect on our prior understandings. As midwives we facilitate one another’s personal and intellectual development. I say we because this is a process of dialogue and mutual disclosure that transcends one’s formal role as a professor or student.
In the same vein, I am committed to higher education as a means of freeing people from uncritical belief and unreflective behaviour. By developing capacities for authentic self-expression, critical thinking, ethical discernment and self-governing actions, I help empower others to reflect and act for themselves, to discriminate between better or worse accounts of the world, and to deliberate democratically about the ends and means for the common good. This is a goal that is especially relevant to a diversifying society in a globalizing world — a world of cultural contrasts, political conflict, economic inequality, environmental degradation, war and terror. Taking this approach has also made my teaching a personally rewarding experience. Teaching not only hones the capacities of my students, it also challenges and refines my own insights and capabilities.
Pedagogy
Emphasizing critical thinking, methodological rigour and theoretical sophistication, I strive to facilitate the scientific and ethical development of students. My pedagogy combines dialogic presentations, active learning, objective testing, reflective writing, and research projects. I set rigourous standards and expectations by requiring attendance at all lectures, assigning a substantial reading load, insisting on complete preparation before class sessions, and frequently evaluating student work and progress.
I use seminar-style presentations and small group activities to create a classroom environment with extensive opportunities for interaction and discussion. My training in meeting facilitation is very helpful in this regard. With respect to individual students, I function as an intellectual coach, motivating them to achieve their personal best, exceed prior horizons of understanding, and internalize knowledge in a way that continues to inform their lives after they finish their coursework.
