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JEREMY B. WARNER - TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

 

"Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school."

- Albert Einstein

 

BELIEFS AND PRACTICES

• Every student is unique.
• In a discipline in which emotion and "self" is a prerequisite for involvement, I am sensitive and supportive of students who need to bare their souls to create an artistic product. The atmosphere in my classroom is always warm, inviting and hopefully exciting. Of course constructive criticism is given, and I do not shy away from what I believe to be the truth in my assessments; but at all times the pride and dignity of the individual are of paramount importance.
• I encourage every student to find his or her voice and express it through creative work.
• The best approach to teaching is the "hands on" approach. Students need to understand the theoretical basis as well as the practical application of theory. Only through understanding of theory and practice can a student become a responsible and informed media maker.
• I place a strong emphasis on creativity wile at the same time helping to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• I create an atmosphere and learning environment that fosters students' abilities to learn, make mistakes and discover new opportunities.
• Students are encouraged to question, think and analyze. My classes strive to create a learning environment that nourishes the intellectual, physical, cultural, emotional and social development of each student.
• I encourage and support change that will lead to better opportunities and more effective use of resources. Mere change for change's sake can be disruptive, divisive and damaging.
• A reciprocal relationship needs to exist between disciplines; faculty, staff and students can enrich each other through interdisciplinary events.
• I teach my students to teach themselves and to become responsible human beings capable of enoying life to the fullest. I do this through encouraging reading and showing the acquisition of knowledge can be fun. When discovering new information is fun, it is readily assimilated and remembered.
• As a teacher I have strong belief and passion for what I am teaching.
• My classes are presented in an organized and understandable manner.
• I believe in a concept of an active classroom. I as questions that stimulate and promote discussion and debate. Students have an opportunity to articulate ideas on given topics and form individual opinions on topics. Spoon-feeding a passive classroom is both boring and detrimental to skills and knowledge acquisition.
• I communicate my passion and enthusiasm for media to my students in such a way that they have had never found interesting before. I present information so that it stimulates students' long term interests in the material beyond the confines of the curriculum.
• Although I teach my students, I also learn from them.
• I continually revise my courses, content and methodology.
• I am demanding of my students. I find that if I have low expectations, students live down to my expectations when I know they can live up to them. I set exacting standards for myself and expcet commitment and dedication from my students, realizing we all have flaws, occasionally miss deadlines are indorinately human.
• I am generous with praise when a tough task has been tackled.
• I do not take kindly to the lazy, the slipshod or the mediocre.
• I utilize the advantages of technology in the classroom.
• I believe teaching needs to be an ever-growing, ever-evolving activity that remains a dynamic force existing between institution, faculty and students. We never know everything and should not be intimdated by that fact. Instead we should be excited by the opportunities and challenges ahead. As long as I can wake up every morning and say, "I love doing this work!" I believe my students will join me in this excitment and participate in their own learning.