Teaching Philosophy
The most effective college teaching begins with student engagement at the classroom level in a positive environment facilitated by challenging and welcoming faculty. This is especially important when teaching online, where a collegial virtual presence precedes effective faculty-student interaction. I believe teaching must be student-centered where teachers utilize best practices while students actively take part in their own learning. For this reason I utilize project-based learning such that students understand discipline-specific facts, while also applying it to a creative scenario.
Learning starts with effective teaching but also includes students taking initiative and engaging with the material on their own terms. Students have a responsibility to be prepared for class, tolerant of opposing views, and industrious, while faculty should be enthusiastic, encouraging, and fair but rigorous. I use varied teaching methods in every class meeting—virtual or ground—especially where students themselves discuss, present, and debate key ideas within historical inquiry, emphasizing application to current events in today’s society.
I want my students to leave a history, sociology, or education course with not just content knowledge, but also the ability to critically examine their own society in light of past events. By developing a keen historical imagination, students will be able to see how their own seemingly individualistic lives are shaped by societal forces in history, and will be able to assertively navigate the social world in a way that improves, enriches, and expands their lived experience while working toward a more just society.
Matthew West 