Teaching context and philosophy

As Higher Year Director for the School of Physics, and First Year Director from 2011-2023,  I have plenty of experience co-ordinating large and small enrolment courses. I consider making these courses run effectively and efficiently as the core of my job at UNSW. The choices I make in how to achieve this are based on my learning and teaching philosophy. I believe that a good teacher should:

• Make students want to learn by stimulating their interest in the material by making it relevant to everyday life or situations the students will face in their intended career;
• Encourage active learning where students participate in classes or while interacting with resources;
• Provide plenty of opportunities for students to answer questions and confront common misconceptions.

As an EF academic, I also believe that I have a duty to help others particularly in my school but also in other parts of UNSW to improve their teaching by sharing my experiences and providing encouragement and ideas. I am also very passionate about helping teachers to improve the teaching of physics in high schools with the hope that this will increase the number of female students choosing to study physics and other STEM disciplines at university.