Gordon F.M. Rakita

Teaching Philosophy

I feel strongly that an educator's role is not simply to impart a specific set of empirical information. Equally important is encouraging the development of valuable knowledge, skills and dispositions that students can usefully apply throughout the rest of their lives. In order to fulfill this viewpoint, I have four objectives for each course I teach. The first is to effectively communicate to the students the personal relevance of the course concepts. Literature indicates that relevance is vital to one's intrinsic motivation to attend and subsequently learn. Second, is to impart the course information in an effective, organized, and coherent manner. If the course information is not provided in a manner which promotes learning, then the basic premise of teaching is abandoned. My third objective in teaching is to help students develop both critical and constructive intellectual skills; I want students not only to be able to think objectively and creatively about new ideas, but also construct and connect novel ideas of their own. I aspire that my students will be able to evaluate, appraise, and judge claims regarding the class materials that they may encounter in the future. In fact, I would also like them to be able to transfer those skills beyond the course material and assess other (perhaps non-anthropological) claims. This skill is particularly important given that many students may not continue studies within the anthropological discipline. Additionally, I expect my students to be able to construct reasonable explanations or interpretations regarding the concepts and other information with which they might be confronted. Finally, the fourth objective of teaching and learning is to aid students in developing a strong capacity to communicate their ideas and questions, especially in a higher order format. If students can not communicate effectively, than any other skills or information they may acquire in the educational process will be marginalized. To accomplish these goals, I employ a combination of traditional teaching pedagogy as well as more interactive or experiential learning techniques to attend to individual student differences.

I am a firm believer in active learning in which the learner constructs meaning, often working in collaboration with other students. If students are not excited, motivated, or feel involved in the learning process then they simply will not attend, transfer and ultimately retain the material. Or worse, if they are not engaged, students may not even put forward the effort to learn the material in the first place. Therefore, I try to interest students as much as possible during the learning process. I do this through the use of hands-on/minds-on relevant examples (such as skeletal casts or artifacts) as well as practical applications of acquired skills or knowledge (e.g. inquiry during instruction, artifact fabrication, or laboratory/homework projects). Exercises that involve applications of knowledge presented in readings or lectures can be a powerful way to develop and accentuate critical and constructive thinking skills. I find that when students actually utilize knowledge, they are not only required to learn, but they gain an appreciation for the power of the knowledge that they have assimilated.

I also believe that traditional teaching and learning methods can be an effective manner of imparting knowledge to students. However, as noted above, students must be actively curious about the information being presented to them. Lectures can be a practical and efficient method to impart information, but the information must be both dynamic and relevant to be an effective use of our time. Presenting interesting, real-world examples as well as encouraging germane, scholarly debates between students can accomplish this. Outside or required readings must provide students with solid background information as well as stimulate their curiosity and more importantly, provide the linkage to assist them in connecting and extrapolating from the information. Likewise, conventional objective tests can be a fundamental way to test students' basic understanding of course material. While questions regarding the minutia of class presentations are not helpful, innovative questions that require students to re-apply their comprehension in novel ways can be a better approach to gathering useful formative and summative assessment data.

As a supplement to traditional teaching, I make significant use of Internet and technology enhancements in my classes. To begin with, it must be acknowledged that students will continue to be confronted with information from the Internet throughout their lives. Indeed, the Internet represents a fundamental revolution in the dissemination of information. It is imperative that students be encouraged to develop the skills necessary to evaluate and utilize information acquired on-line. There are other advantages to employing these techniques. Technology can provide a richer, contextualized environment for teaching and learning; one that encourages students to make learning a part of their everyday lives. The Internet can be a valuable way to reduce the inherent costs of courses to a department. For example, the dissemination of syllabi and other handouts via Blackboard™ can significantly offsetting photocopy expenses. Additionally, online discussion groups can facilitate student-student and student-instructor discussions beyond the classroom, thus effectively extending instructional time. This method of student-instructor interaction can also allow some individuals to overcome personal shyness or reservations regarding in-class discussions.

In sum, I believe that my role as an instructor is not limited to guiding students in the acquisition of specific anthropological information. Indeed, the lasting impact of education upon students is frequently not the actual course materials that are assimilated. Rather, the assistance in developing key intellectual skills and attitudes can be the most crucial contribution I believe I can make to students' lives.