Teaching Experience.

Teaching Philosophy
 

In the classroom, I concentrate on teaching students to think independently using the fundamental principles of economics. Through this method, I believe students acquire important life-long skills, such as critical thinking and creative problem-solving, which can be applied to their daily life. I aim to inspire students to become passionate about social science by incorporating in-class experiments, dynamic visuals, current events and new research into my teaching.

 

To promote instructional excellence, I frequently attend and present at workshops and seminars on teaching and learning – I have presented at over 20 conferences and invited seminars in the last 2 years. My teaching style has been proven effective — in 2008, I received the Krannert School of Management Award for Outstanding Teaching.

 

I use several complementary strategies to explain concepts and engage students in active learning:

·       CRITICAL THINKING: I pose qualitative questions during the lecture – the best questions are the ones that split opinions in class and lead to active discussions. No two classes are alike, so I adapt my style every day.

 

·       VISUAL EXPLANATIONS: Using my background in visual analytics, I developed animated visuals that help students “see” the concepts I am explaining. These visuals, combined with my explanations, support thorough understanding of each topic.

 

·       APPLIED EXPERIMENTS: Using my expertise in experimental economics, I engage students through use of classroom experiments to illustrate concepts (e.g., in the introductory Microeconomics course). For example, the concepts of common resource problem and diminishing marginal returns are easily illustrated through experiments.

 

·       LINK TO PRACTICE: It is important to help students link their new knowledge in basic economic concepts to the events unfolding in the news that affect them – so I bring current news stories into the classroom.

 

·       LINK TO RESEARCH: It is important that students understand that science is not a static set of knowledge but a dynamic process that occurs today, and that this is a process in which today’s student will play an active role in the future. I incorporate the most recent scientific results into my lectures, including my own work.

 

My enthusiasm and passion for economics are reflected in my teaching and I hope are passed on to my students. I have a positive personality and enjoy interacting with and mentoring students. I have experience with mentoring students on independent research projects at the University of Chicago.

 

I believe that the instructor should set clear expectations for students. I provide concise syllabi that clearly delineate my expectations for the class. I am dedicated, knowledgeable and organized.

 

Teaching is an enormous responsibility and privilege, and is one of the most important activities that I have been involved in. I am motivated to excel at teaching because I know that the future of social science depends on how and what we teach our students today.