Teaching context and philosophy

I got into teaching because I wanted to make a difference in people’s lives, after experiencing the difference it had on me personally and my family, particularly as a first-in-family to attend and graduate from university.
Higher education studies can be a daunting experience for most first-year students, especially for ‘non-traditional’ students like students from low-socio-economic backgrounds, first-in-family, students from equity backgrounds, mature age and students with carer responsibilities, students from non-English speaking backgrounds, etc. As a first-in-family international student, higher education was a very lonely experience for me, and is very likely for many others like myself.
I approach teaching and learning through social-constructivism (Vygotskiĭ, 1978), where knowledge is constructed through social interactions. I also strive to provide learning experiences that not only focus on development of content skills and knowledge, but to develop the student as a ‘whole’ (Wolf‐Wendel & Ruel, 1999), which is particularly important to equip students to adapt to an ever changing world and careers. The teaching and learning approaches that I design therefore are globally positioned, and personally relevant (Clifford & Montgomery, 2015). Students are provided with opportunities to engage with people and ideas from around the world and encouraged to apply their own lived experiences to appreciate the difference they can make in a globally responsible society.
My educational philosophy aims to make students feel as comfortable as possible, by encouraging them to enjoy the learning experience and apply their lived experiences inside and outside the classroom. I do this by creating learning experiences that include ‘fun’ components, like games, music, videos, etc. I also endeavour to make the learning experience personal and emotionally engaging for each and every student. That is allowing students to apply their previous knowledge, skills and experiences to develop new ideas and opportunities around how they apply information and communication technologies in contemporary settings. I also encourage students to explore their own interests and strengths to identify knowledge, skills and opportunities for future studies and work.
I strive to make the in-class learning as transferable as possible by designing authentic learning activities. This is particularly effective through assessments, where students identify and work on their projects that they can personally relate to. This enables students to see the relevance of in-class experiences to outside class work situations. These activities also include opportunities for students to develop their intercultural and international perspectives, through projects that include significant internationalisation aspects to them. I realise the important role assessments play in student learning, therefore many of the ideas are appropriately embedded within various assessments for learning tasks.
I keep myself informed about contemporary ideas around teaching, learning and assessments for the 21st century workforce needs by engaging with various industry bodies, as well as leading and contributing to a number of special interest groups on relevant teaching and learning topics.
I am encouraged by the results of my students, and the feedback that I get about their experiences in my classes, but more importantly seeing their successes at university, beyond my subject, and in life generally.