My Teaching Philosophy

I love teaching because it provides an opportunity for me to share my love of anatomy and physiology with others. I have personal experience working in health care that helps to make the material relevant and fascinating. It is a great honor to be teaching the next generation of health care professionals. Every quarter, I learn as much from you as I hope you learn from me. This is truly a great adventure.

I also believe when you pay your tuition, you have hired me to do a job. In fulfilling that job, I have the following responsibilities to my students:

• Knowledge of the Subject/Discipline – I believe I should stay current in the field and in the material that will support you in furthering your education. Our job is also to prepare you for your transfer programs. I need to be sure you have received the information that you will build and expand on.


• Course Preparation and Organization – The success of any course depends on the organization of the material that will be covered as well as what are the expected outcomes.


• Clarity and Understandability – My job is to clarify and simplify the material so you gain a total understanding of the subject matter. I want you to understand the material but also want you to be able to apply the material. This is another aspect of preparing you for your future classes


• Enthusiasm for Subject/Teaching – I love what I am doing. I love the subject matter. I have wanted to do this for years. I am so thankful for students wanting to learn because without you, there is not class for me. Thanks for being excited to learn anatomy and physiology.


• Sensitivity to and Concern with Students’ Levels and Learning Progress – Everyone learns differently. I feel part of my job is to help you learn how to learn this material. I will use as many teaching modalities as I can to reach the various learning styles. I will provide opportunities for you to develop the critical thinking skills necessary to apply this information and be successful in your future programs.


• Availability and Helpfulness - An analogy could be a gym membership. Just because you bought the membership doesn’t mean you are going to get the benefit of working out. You must apply yourself. Some people put in a little effort and get great results, others have to work harder to achieve the same results. This applies to studying and earning grades. I will be your “educational” coach and help you learn to apply yourself so you can achieve your desired results.


• Quality of Examinations – I design my exams to try to separate out what you know from what you don’t know. They are not designed to be tricky. I always try to emphasize the material that will apply to your future. I have taught some nursing classes, have a degree in radiology and physical therapy besides being a practicing physician. I have a good idea about the direction you are going with this knowledge and what will be important.


• Overall Fairness to Students – I see each of you as an individual that comes to class with a different gift. You all have your strengths and experience that bring value to the classroom experience. It is my commitment you have a positive experience. You will have the opportunity to contribute to others and have others contribute to you. It is a great way to learn.


• To learn new strategies/techniques that will increase my teaching effectiveness. This will include a variety of teaching methods, including oral and written communication, videos, small group discussions, reading assignments, and others.


• To provide study aids that will help students know what information/skills I expect them to be able to demonstrate.


• To be as consistent as possible in my handling of classroom situations.


• To create and maintain an atmosphere in the class that is conducive to asking questions and sharing comments/opinions.


• To make times available for students to ask questions and get answers to their work in the course


• To allow appropriate humor to be part of the class environment.


• To respond promptly to student phone messages or email messages.


• To thoughtfully consider constructive criticisms offered in my teaching evaluation summaries and integrate these suggestions when possible/appropriate.

If this philosophy sounds good to you, then I encourage you to register for one of my classes. I look forward to meeting you!