Teaching Statement
The other night as I sat in front of the TV unwinding from
another exhilarating class I found myself watching a commercial for a makeup
product. What was captivating about the ad was the packaging in which the
product was sold – packaging that I initially designed and engineered four
years ago in a hotel room in Cincinnati, Ohio. While I wish I could say it was all
my idea, it really was someone else’s technological concept that a large group
of people then massaged into the package shown on the TV commercial that night.
That package and many more like it started me on the path of becoming an educator. Through the experiences I have had, I hope to educate future engineers and business people to become successful in their careers. I have learned that communication, dialogue and the ability to present concepts and ideas are critical to student’s ability to succeed.
I’m not lost in the technology – it’s very important and is what sets the company that I have worked for apart from our competitors. But without the ability to communicate and deliver concepts, the technology will never flourish.
This is the passion I bring to the classroom. I want to impart the years of experience in industry to the students in my classroom. Industry does not have true/false tests. Industry does not have multiple choose quizzes. Industry is vague, ambiguous and confusing – it is hard.
My journey back into the classroom has been eye opening. To begin with, these young students are really smart. Yes – they lack a lot of experience, but they understand a lot of the technology and complexity that you throw at them. And when they don’t – that’s when I pull from my educational training in pedagogical practices and work on different ways to help them understand. Noticed I said help them understand: I cannot make them understand but I will do my best to facilitate their ability to learn not only the subject matter that I’m teaching them, but to continue to learn as they move through their career.
Education is not about dumping knowledge from my head to the student’s head. I cannot give someone knowledge. I can give them information and assist them in transforming that information into knowledge. I can lead them down paths that will more likely lead to success in gaining knowledge. I can assist them when they fail, help them understand why and put them back on stride.
I believe in dialogue when I teach. I believe in sitting down with students and discussing details regarding topics then assigning them projects and problems to solve sometimes alone and sometimes in groups. Teaching and education are done well when it’s in a small classroom or group setting. Learner centered teaching is the main part of my philosophy. I see students much like I see customers in the industrial sector. Without them, there would not be any business – or no reason to teach.
In the courses I have taught, I use project and problem based learning extensively. It simulates the industrial sector that most of the students will settle into after graduation. I believe in both individual and team approaches to PBL. I also believe that peer to peer interaction can aid in the knowledge generated.
Applying current and relevant material to the classroom is very important. There are many examples or cases from the past, but continually researching and pulling together the latest information for my students to study will benefit them and keep me up to date. As an industry practitioner, I prefer not to research just for research’s sake. My background has been the application of knowledge and I would approach my research in the same way. I would tie my research to student learning and improving student outcomes.
The need for the university to reach out to industry has never been more important. As governmental funding for research dwindles and the number of applications for that funding increase, other sources need to be found. I would like to build the relationships between the college or university and the local industries such that students then have a platform for project based learning from real live industry projects. Industry receives the benefit of the information obtained from the project and the college/university obtains a small stipend to assist the educational funding. I’m working with my current employer and the University of North Carolina Charlotte on a senior capstone project. The Engineering College at UNCC acquires over $300k per year from industry to fund these interdisciplinary capstone projects. Thus within this experience, I am exposed to the benefits and problems that the employer, the university and the students face. The pedagogical training I have received is assisting both the students and the university in overcoming theses problems.
There is no reason that learning can’t be fun. Education can and should be difficult but not because the teacher is boring, the material is old or the students have to sit thought another 2 hour PowerPoint. I want my students to be as excited as I am about my subjects and to learn about them and be able to apply the knowledge they gain toward their future.
I see myself coming into a college or university and being able to teach a number of courses and disciplines. I am an expert in product development, product design engineering, program management and project management because of the years of industrial experience and my MBA. I can teach systems thinking and systems engineering because I have obtained Masters in Systems Engineering. I can also teach innovation and entrepreneurship because I am an innovator and an entrepreneur, and I have taught these classes at the collegiate level. I also believe I can direct and lead capstone courses.
I want to teach.
That package and many more like it started me on the path of becoming an educator. Through the experiences I have had, I hope to educate future engineers and business people to become successful in their careers. I have learned that communication, dialogue and the ability to present concepts and ideas are critical to student’s ability to succeed.
I’m not lost in the technology – it’s very important and is what sets the company that I have worked for apart from our competitors. But without the ability to communicate and deliver concepts, the technology will never flourish.
This is the passion I bring to the classroom. I want to impart the years of experience in industry to the students in my classroom. Industry does not have true/false tests. Industry does not have multiple choose quizzes. Industry is vague, ambiguous and confusing – it is hard.
My journey back into the classroom has been eye opening. To begin with, these young students are really smart. Yes – they lack a lot of experience, but they understand a lot of the technology and complexity that you throw at them. And when they don’t – that’s when I pull from my educational training in pedagogical practices and work on different ways to help them understand. Noticed I said help them understand: I cannot make them understand but I will do my best to facilitate their ability to learn not only the subject matter that I’m teaching them, but to continue to learn as they move through their career.
Education is not about dumping knowledge from my head to the student’s head. I cannot give someone knowledge. I can give them information and assist them in transforming that information into knowledge. I can lead them down paths that will more likely lead to success in gaining knowledge. I can assist them when they fail, help them understand why and put them back on stride.
I believe in dialogue when I teach. I believe in sitting down with students and discussing details regarding topics then assigning them projects and problems to solve sometimes alone and sometimes in groups. Teaching and education are done well when it’s in a small classroom or group setting. Learner centered teaching is the main part of my philosophy. I see students much like I see customers in the industrial sector. Without them, there would not be any business – or no reason to teach.
In the courses I have taught, I use project and problem based learning extensively. It simulates the industrial sector that most of the students will settle into after graduation. I believe in both individual and team approaches to PBL. I also believe that peer to peer interaction can aid in the knowledge generated.
Applying current and relevant material to the classroom is very important. There are many examples or cases from the past, but continually researching and pulling together the latest information for my students to study will benefit them and keep me up to date. As an industry practitioner, I prefer not to research just for research’s sake. My background has been the application of knowledge and I would approach my research in the same way. I would tie my research to student learning and improving student outcomes.
The need for the university to reach out to industry has never been more important. As governmental funding for research dwindles and the number of applications for that funding increase, other sources need to be found. I would like to build the relationships between the college or university and the local industries such that students then have a platform for project based learning from real live industry projects. Industry receives the benefit of the information obtained from the project and the college/university obtains a small stipend to assist the educational funding. I’m working with my current employer and the University of North Carolina Charlotte on a senior capstone project. The Engineering College at UNCC acquires over $300k per year from industry to fund these interdisciplinary capstone projects. Thus within this experience, I am exposed to the benefits and problems that the employer, the university and the students face. The pedagogical training I have received is assisting both the students and the university in overcoming theses problems.
There is no reason that learning can’t be fun. Education can and should be difficult but not because the teacher is boring, the material is old or the students have to sit thought another 2 hour PowerPoint. I want my students to be as excited as I am about my subjects and to learn about them and be able to apply the knowledge they gain toward their future.
I see myself coming into a college or university and being able to teach a number of courses and disciplines. I am an expert in product development, product design engineering, program management and project management because of the years of industrial experience and my MBA. I can teach systems thinking and systems engineering because I have obtained Masters in Systems Engineering. I can also teach innovation and entrepreneurship because I am an innovator and an entrepreneur, and I have taught these classes at the collegiate level. I also believe I can direct and lead capstone courses.
I want to teach.
