Jeffrey A. Clements

Teaching Philosophy

During my pursuit of higher education, I have been profoundly affected (for good and for bad) by teachers.  The paramount importance of teaching cannot be overlooked. Excellence in teaching has the ability to enlighten and inspire students whereas neglectful teaching has the ability to discourage and dissuade.  It is my aim to be the type of teacher that is able to make the subject matter impactful and important to the student. 

As technology becomes more pervasive, students are increasingly inseparable from the technology they use. Rather than view this as a distraction, I view this as an opportunity to reach students in new and important ways.  Delivering course material in formats that students are attuned to can accelerate the learning process. Using technology appropriately can help make material impactful and important to students.

The personal characteristics of being engaging, entertaining, charismatic and energetic do not give a teacher the guarantee of achieving a level of teaching excellence.  However, a teacher lacking these characteristics will be hard pressed to ever achieve such a level.  I believe if you are not excited about the material you are teaching, you cannot expect your students to be excited about it.   By being engaging, entertaining, charismatic and energetic teachers are able to deliver an impactful message to their students.

I strive to constantly refine my teaching methodologies to reach the students I am teaching.  As I do so, it is critically important to always know the material, to teach it in an appropriate and professional way, and to challenge the students to think differently about situations. Being an impactful teacher is not a skill that can be learned once then applied repeatedly.  Every new class, every single semester is an opportunity to learn and to grow.  No two classes are the same, so teachers must have the ability to adapt, change and grow as they progress in their teaching abilities. Being adaptable will help make teachers more impactful.