Teaching Philosophy

My teaching philosophy is simple and unchanged by technological advances: critical thinking. I think it is imperative that the learner be able to use the material, not just have memorized it. And by "use" I mean he or she should be able to apply the information to a real-life scenario or question in a way that allows him or her to find a solution or to at least reach greater understanding of the problem. The questions are ultimately far more important than the answers. I teach in the legal and business arenas, and the ability to apply the information learned in class to the real world is absolutely essential. Neither I or the book will be readily available in the future. The real value to learning critical thinking is that it will remain with you forever, as it is a way of viewing and responding to the world, with the result being that learning will never end. This sort of approach requires a great deal of writing, particularly in the online world. While I do not believe technology has changed my core teaching philosophy, the manner in which I approach it must reflect these changing times. We traditionalists may someday have to accept that the virtual world will rewrite the rules of grammar and English usage. Learning how to write in long-hand may not be useful in the future (although I suspect it will remain a valuable step in the development of the young brain). I could go on with many more examples. And yet writing in the virtual world is slow and prone to misunderstanding. The lack or personal contact and face-to-face communication greatly alters the learning dynamic. So I see technology altering the manner in which I stimulate and encourage critical thinking. But critical thinking will always look the same, be it in the real or virtual world.