Ali Boolani

         As a life-long learner, what is important in my teaching philosophy is learning, not teaching. Teaching effectively depends on not just what the teacher does, but rather on what the student does. Teaching in my opinion involves listening as much as lecturing or talking. As a teacher, it is important that both teacher and the students are actively thinking, but what is most important is what thoughts are occurring in the minds of the students. A student’s mind is not a blank slate, rather a canvas of expectations, experiences and conceptions that help shape their interpretation of the knowledge that I, as a teacher present to them. As a teacher it is my responsibility that I supply each student with the necessary mental representation of the subject matter to help them further think, learn and use. I call each class an inquiry seminar, as I try to impart upon my students to look at my classroom not as a place where the professor lectures, rather as an opportunity to inquire about subject matter. My goal is to develop inquisitive students in the classroom. Curiosity, in my opinion, is the catalyst to success.

         Being inquisitive requires one to admit that, someone who knows everything knows nothing, and that is the philosophy I carry with me in my classroom. As a teacher I approach each class with the mindset that I can be occasionally wrong, but not wrong too often, because then I do not know the subject matter I am trying to impart upon the minds of my pupils. However, I understand that I can never be right all the time, because such a feat would be impossible. The same can be said for the mindset of trying to reach every student during every class. Classes, like students are unpredictable and fascinating, sometimes frustrating, but always a joy to use as a learning tool. I approach every class with the mindset that I will interest all my students some of the time, some of them all the time, but I cannot possibly interest all my students all the time. This attitude serves me well, because I am continuously using new tools and methods to help shape the interpretation of the knowledge I have to share with my class.

         As a student, I realize the importance of an education outside of the classroom, but as teacher it can be a difficult pill to swallow. It is both humbling and reassuring that a student’s education will not succeed or fail depending on what I do or don’t do in the classroom. However, as a teacher, I try to use every possible method to help imprint a mental representation of the subject matter at hand.  Trying to understand learning styles and needs of learners is one of the biggest challenges as a teacher. While trying to impart subject matter to learners I try to utilize several different teaching tools from lectures, power points, discussions, hands on labs and online learning to try to reach the different learning styles and needs of learners. I try to incorporate several different methods of communicating the subject matter throughout the course of a class period as well as over the course of a semester. 

         Trying to determine which method works best in the classroom requires receiving and accepting feedback from students. Every semester, I periodically seek feedback from my students and try to incorporate the feedback into future classes and semesters. At the end of each semester I incorporate student feedback with an end of the semester course summary, where I self-reflect on the aspects of the course that worked and those that did not. I understand that each semester, like each student is unique however, many lessons can be carried over. The end of every semester gives me an opportunity to reflect on what pedagogical techniques worked and what did not. I use these reflections to make changes to my classes, including assignments, syllabus objectives, rubrics and individual inquiry seminars.