My goal as an educator is to inspire students to realize the value of a theoretical understanding of the subject and apply that understanding to real-world situations. I strive to be a teacher who conveys my excitement about the many forms of communication studies and their application to real-world development, research, and forward-thinking. I demonstrate patience and a willingness to help students both in and outside of the classroom, not only as a teacher but also as a life mentor providing ideas and suggestions for their futures within the discipline. The students are challenged in my classroom but also guided as I encourage their success at combining theory and development.
Whether the subject is theoretical or practical, I strive to excite students and emphasize not only how the topic will affect them in the workforce, but also how they will apply it in their daily lives. I believe in a classroom in which students are engaged, and thoughts can be shared safely and positively to energize students to try new ideas and make mistakes safely. Be it a number two pencil or a sophisticated software program, the goal is always to enable the student to think about their surroundings in a new light and to critically examine these surroundings while encouraging questions that will empower them to gain the self-confidence in that they are as equally capable of the level of professionalism they observe in others.
My students come from many different areas of the world, cultures, and walks of life. Through my teaching, I assist them to overcome any barriers, real or perceived, and convey the excitement I have so they may carry my enthusiasm for the subject through their careers. My goal is to have them learn skills and concepts that enable them to find employment in the field and love being employed in it. Conversely, I deem it equally important to engender a sense of self-worth so that they do not settle and are alert to those situations wherein they are being treated unfairly in the workforce.
When my teaching is successful, these are the ideals my students take with them upon completing my course as well as the production skills for the subject matter. I achieve these goals through a high-energy approach to the subject and through the combination of theory and practice. My approach conveys to the student that the design and development of projects through communication theories is not just a ‘plug and play’ methodology. Additionally, through the process of getting to know my students, I can monitor and help those who need more assistance. I encourage thoughts and discussions from all students while encouraging students who are advanced to share their processes thereby demonstrating that my way is not the only way to achieve excellence.
To encourage students to combine thought processes, philosophy, and production tools, I provide follow-along examples that engender an active learning environment in which students participate. Students are required to create their own products through classroom assignments to demonstrate their grasp of the approach we demonstrate in class and reflect upon what they made. Upon completion of the classroom assignments, the students develop their own products, practicing the methodology and theoretical frameworks we discuss.
My overall approach to combining these three aspects is a crucial part of becoming a developer, consultant, or manager. Through practice and demonstration, I combine the three concepts into a workflow that is utilized in any form of communication, media development, and design.