Statement of Teaching Philosophy
In my college days when I was a student of economics, I came across several challenges which I feel are common to students. I strive to help my students overcome those challenges that I faced when I was a student. I wish to help students gain the skills and acumen required for understanding the subject. My motivation is to take learnings from my student days and pursue my responsibility as an instructor in the best possible way I can. Economics describes how the world around us works. Hence, as a university educator of economics, my primary objective is to make students aware of how the world around us works and the role we all play in the same. I try to achieve this by generating subject interest, encouraging critical thinking, and creating a classroom environment where conflicting ideas are exchanged and appreciated. Below I highlight some teaching techniques that I have used to accomplish the same.
Active Learning: One of the primary problems that I faced as a student was active participation in class. Active participation enhances interest in the subject and allows students to think, analyze, and retain the course content. This element of learning misses when an hour-long lecture tends to get boring for some students and they lose interest in the subject. This can arise from the fact that students in a classroom are different and have different learning needs. To overcome this challenge, I include interactive discussions in my lectures. I try to deviate from the traditional “only” lecture format to application-based learning (that is, applying theories to real-world issues, and communicating ideas and results) to ensure students connect the economic ideas to real-life situations they encounter. For example, if I am teaching the income-expenditure model, I encourage the students to have discussions about why the stated model is important in understanding the dynamics of an economy. I also try to engage them in discussions if the theory itself can explain most of the macro-economic phenomena or if is there a need to advance the theory. This helps in creating a segway to the next topic while keeping the students interested in the subject. I believe active interactive discussions push my students to think beyond their coursework and develop an analytical mind to think critically and discuss intelligently real-world issues. Having these discussions rewarded with bonus points generates incentives for students to participate. Participation enhances understanding of the subject and generates inquiry in the questions relating to the workings of society. I also use in-class exercises to generate interactions with students. In these in-class exercises, when students are asked to answer a problem, the students must also explain the problem, identify the economic concept that needs to be used to answer the problem, and explain why they think their solution to the problem is correct. This allows students to understand the complete picture and makes the course content more appealing.
Theory to Practice: Second, one of the most common problems faced by most students and also by me in my college days was the link between theory and the real world. Economics is a subject with an array of theories. We all learn the theories, but sometimes we do not know how that theory can be applied to real-world issues. Economics is an abstract subject and to learn economics, students need to articulate what’s in their heads. My goal is always to motivate my students by showing them how they can connect economic concepts and ideas to real-world problems. Understanding the theory indulges the students in thinking like an economist. We use many economic concepts in our daily lives knowingly or unknowingly. Bringing forward examples of such help the students understand the power of economics and sparks their interest in the subject. For example, when I am teaching unemployment, I use real-time data on unemployment for analyzing what must have happened in recent times for the unemployment rate to increase/decrease. Apart from in-class activities, I use group discussions, group research, and case studies to bring forward these examples of connections between theory and the real world. This helped me a lot when I was a student and, I try to transfer over my learnings to my students when I am on the other side of the classroom.
Critical Thinking: Third, economics is a subject of conflicting ideas. The knowledge of economics is a powerful tool in modern society where rationality has taken a back seat. With an array of conflicting ideas in society, it is important for my students to be on the correct side in terms of what's best for society as a whole. I believe if I can engage students in critical thinking of any concepts, it can be effective in deep learning of the subject matter, which will allow my students to analyze a discussion and be on the correct side. To do so I create a comfortable environment in the class where students can present their views about any theory or idea while respecting the views of others at the same time. To engage in deep learning, I use debate forums in my course structure where students debate with each other in groups. This allows students to engage in understanding the core of economic concepts and become "informed citizens" rather than just getting to know them from the top. To fully understand how the economy works, students need to understand what is the current state of the economy. To this end, I use policy scenarios to generate discussion in an informative and argumentative manner. I use the debate forums to make students "think like an economist" and have students conduct economic research consistent with the level of the course, which helps students articulate how the concepts from the book can be used to explain real-world economic policy questions.
As such I wish to develop myself as an instructor of economics with the utmost belief that my teaching methods will help the students to overcome the problems that I once faced as a student of economics. My ultimate goal is to enhance analytical skills among students which ensures they can identify an economic problem and find a solution to the same in an efficient and pedantic manner, and be able to engage in productive discussions like an "informed citizen".
Active Learning: One of the primary problems that I faced as a student was active participation in class. Active participation enhances interest in the subject and allows students to think, analyze, and retain the course content. This element of learning misses when an hour-long lecture tends to get boring for some students and they lose interest in the subject. This can arise from the fact that students in a classroom are different and have different learning needs. To overcome this challenge, I include interactive discussions in my lectures. I try to deviate from the traditional “only” lecture format to application-based learning (that is, applying theories to real-world issues, and communicating ideas and results) to ensure students connect the economic ideas to real-life situations they encounter. For example, if I am teaching the income-expenditure model, I encourage the students to have discussions about why the stated model is important in understanding the dynamics of an economy. I also try to engage them in discussions if the theory itself can explain most of the macro-economic phenomena or if is there a need to advance the theory. This helps in creating a segway to the next topic while keeping the students interested in the subject. I believe active interactive discussions push my students to think beyond their coursework and develop an analytical mind to think critically and discuss intelligently real-world issues. Having these discussions rewarded with bonus points generates incentives for students to participate. Participation enhances understanding of the subject and generates inquiry in the questions relating to the workings of society. I also use in-class exercises to generate interactions with students. In these in-class exercises, when students are asked to answer a problem, the students must also explain the problem, identify the economic concept that needs to be used to answer the problem, and explain why they think their solution to the problem is correct. This allows students to understand the complete picture and makes the course content more appealing.
Theory to Practice: Second, one of the most common problems faced by most students and also by me in my college days was the link between theory and the real world. Economics is a subject with an array of theories. We all learn the theories, but sometimes we do not know how that theory can be applied to real-world issues. Economics is an abstract subject and to learn economics, students need to articulate what’s in their heads. My goal is always to motivate my students by showing them how they can connect economic concepts and ideas to real-world problems. Understanding the theory indulges the students in thinking like an economist. We use many economic concepts in our daily lives knowingly or unknowingly. Bringing forward examples of such help the students understand the power of economics and sparks their interest in the subject. For example, when I am teaching unemployment, I use real-time data on unemployment for analyzing what must have happened in recent times for the unemployment rate to increase/decrease. Apart from in-class activities, I use group discussions, group research, and case studies to bring forward these examples of connections between theory and the real world. This helped me a lot when I was a student and, I try to transfer over my learnings to my students when I am on the other side of the classroom.
Critical Thinking: Third, economics is a subject of conflicting ideas. The knowledge of economics is a powerful tool in modern society where rationality has taken a back seat. With an array of conflicting ideas in society, it is important for my students to be on the correct side in terms of what's best for society as a whole. I believe if I can engage students in critical thinking of any concepts, it can be effective in deep learning of the subject matter, which will allow my students to analyze a discussion and be on the correct side. To do so I create a comfortable environment in the class where students can present their views about any theory or idea while respecting the views of others at the same time. To engage in deep learning, I use debate forums in my course structure where students debate with each other in groups. This allows students to engage in understanding the core of economic concepts and become "informed citizens" rather than just getting to know them from the top. To fully understand how the economy works, students need to understand what is the current state of the economy. To this end, I use policy scenarios to generate discussion in an informative and argumentative manner. I use the debate forums to make students "think like an economist" and have students conduct economic research consistent with the level of the course, which helps students articulate how the concepts from the book can be used to explain real-world economic policy questions.
As such I wish to develop myself as an instructor of economics with the utmost belief that my teaching methods will help the students to overcome the problems that I once faced as a student of economics. My ultimate goal is to enhance analytical skills among students which ensures they can identify an economic problem and find a solution to the same in an efficient and pedantic manner, and be able to engage in productive discussions like an "informed citizen".