My opening line on the first day of class is "I'm not here to impart great wisdom upon you, but merely to facilitate your learning experience. I will do this by creating an environment full of resources and facilitate activities that will guide you through the learning process. The real learning depends on how you engage in this experience."
Placing the student at the center of the learning experience is my primary goal in any course. I want to be sure students are empowered to learn and given the opportunity to fully participate in the experience. This begins by providing engaging activities that stimulate critical thinking and involve the students directly in the process. I am continuously challenged to create engaging experiences and continue to grow as an educator by trying new pedagogical elements often. I continuously assess the students through simple methods during each class. This happens through assessing body language of students and level of participation, but also through formal mechanism such as short writing assignments or brief surveys. I then use this information to adjust the flow of the course.
Being a social work educator carries great responsibility. I am responsible for the content of the course but also for instilling professionalism and other foundation skills necessary for professional practice. Critical thinking is a central theme along with reflective learning. Students must be able to apply content to real life situations to be effective practitioners, which is a complicated process. I am dedicated to guiding students through the learning and skill development. By creating an enjoyable, supportive, and focused experience, students are able to move through the learning process to achieve competence. Students are empowered to think for themselves and to critically evaluate and search for new information. Hopefully, this results in continued learning throughout life.