What is your teaching philosophy?

My personal philosophy on teaching and learning is founded around my cumulative experiences as a student, instructor, mentor, and researcher. Having been an active participant from both sides of the classroom, in university settings, has taught me that successful learning is defined by long-term retention which facilitates the ability to apply knowledge and think laterally when the opportune moment presents itself. To truly learn is to discover understanding through experience, which invokes the ability to overcome new challenges. To facilitate such an experience within a classroom environment is especially possible in subjects like mathematics and physical sciences by facilitating a working knowledge of contemporary issues in the science, through the articulation of real-world examples and providing an opportunity for hands-on problem solving, both in and out of the classroom. Scientists, leaders, and instructors effectively teach when they simultaneously provide information and facilitate the environment that offers students opportunity to discover their learning experience, while maintaining a channel for real-time and continuous closed-loop feedback. My teaching style is a literal embodiment of the above statements.

What might you do in a typical first session with a student?

1) Discussion of the student's background and subject-specific interests/motivations to learn the subject of the lesson/tutorial. 2) Syllabus: a review of the subject matter and scope of the tutorial or tutorial series.