ENRICA NICOLE RUGGS

My teaching philosophy

I am strongly committed to teaching and I believe that educating others is a responsibility that should be taken seriously and with care. I believe that all students have the ability to be successful; they simply need to tap their potential. Thus, I expect excellence from every student that steps into my classroom and in return I strive to provide quality teaching through my lectures and related materials. I believe that students become more engaged and learn more through active learning as opposed to passive listening. Therefore, I strive to incorporate hands on demonstrations and activities throughout my courses.

I believe that in addition to expecting excellence from my students, I should display excellence through my teaching. One way to do this is to continue to grow and learn so that I stay up to date on the most relevant information. Another way that I strive to do this is by honestly evaluating myself as a professor, soliciting feedback from my students, and making appropriate changes when necessary.

Enrica’s “Es” to teaching

v Expect success—All students have the ability to be successful; they simply need to tap their potential. I expect all of my students to be successful, and I make this expectation clear from the moment students arrive in my class. To expect anything less would be a disservice. As a teacher, I encourage my students to strive for excellence in my class.

v Exhibit quality and Exemplify excellence—Just as I expect success from my students, I encourage them to expect the same from me. This means that they should expect a quality course from me. I strive to develop and deliver quality through all of my lectures and related materials. I believe that the quality of my teaching is a direct component to my students’ success; therefore, excellence as an educator begins with quality and preparation.

v Encourage active learning—“Tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I’ll understand”- Chinese Proverb. I believe that the best way for students to learn is through active involvement not passive attentiveness. My classroom is a place where students feel safe to express their thoughts and be responsible for their own learning through strategies such as hands on demonstrations, class discussions and activities, and critical analyses.

v Engage and Excite—I cannot expect to motivate students if I myself am unmotivated. I strive to engage my students in each lecture and help them become excited about learning.

v Educate and be Educated—Teaching is a process of learning not an end state of achievement. Students can and will teach you something new if you go into the class with an open mind and willingness to learn. A good teacher never stops learning and growing, nor do they ever want to. I love to learn from students because this makes me a stronger teacher.

v Evaluate and Expect the unexpected—Everything does not always work out as intended; nor is it as effective as intended. Therefore, I think it is important to constantly evaluate my teaching by soliciting feedback from students throughout the course, and be willing to change when necessary.

v Enjoy—Every time I step into the classroom, I enjoy the opportunity to be able to pass on knowledge to someone else. Seeing the expression on a student’s face when they understand brings me joy. Hearing a student say “you have inspired me” is perhaps one of the greatest gifts of teaching. Overall, learning should be a fun not painful experience. I enjoy teaching and try to help students capture the joy of learning.