Aloha! Welcome to my home page.

Here are my thoughts on Teaching and Learning:

1.  Active:  I will lecture minimally, and I will strive to create a classroom where learning is at the center of what we do.  I will not be a _Фё─__sage on the stage_Фё─ё¤; rather, I want all of us to be actively involved in our learning.  In addition, I will ask you to take responsibility for your learning; you need to choose to actively engage in our course in order to fully achieve the course learning outcomes. 

2.  Cooperative and Collaborative:  I do not want a classroom that is competitive; the success of some should not come at the expense of others.  We can learn more by working together and by sharing the knowledge that we each have.

3.  Relevant:  Schools do not exist in vacuums.  We are part of our community.  It_Фё─т╚s my hope that we will use this class as an opportunity to think and reflect on the world we live in and to make connections between the worlds represented in our course texts and our own lived experiences. 

4.  High Expectations:  Classes should be intellectually demanding, and assignments should challenge us to exceed our current levels of development.  I expect you to actively engage in our course, to be interested and excited in the work we_Фё─т╚re doing, and to have high expectations for yourself. 

5.  Critical Thinking and Inquiry: We will strive to engage in a healthy skepticism of ideas, both our own and those of others.   Unexamined ideas are not worth expressing.  We all have opinions, but if we close ourselves off to the examination of ideas, then we open ourselves to indoctrination and proselytization.  Inquiry is a means of arriving at meaning through asking questions.  We will ask many questions in our quest to arrive at new meaning.

6.  Dialogue: This will be our primary means to engage in critical thinking and inquiry.  In order to test our ideas, we need to be willing to engage in dialogue to both share and listen to ideas in verbal discussions and through writing. 

7.  Aloha:  I believe learning environments should demonstrate a high level of respect for everyone involved, and it should maintain the dignity of all participants.  I will ask that we all work to create a learning environment that is caring and respectful.  I also ask that we assess our communication and actions in light of these goals, so that we work daily to make these goals a reality in the classroom.  We need to remember that respect is a process; when we look at it solely as an end product, then we forget the constant and continuous decisions we need to make in order to participate in ways that are mindful of respect.  

Further, I expect students:

·         To actively and respectfully engage in class and to take responsibility for their own learning.

·         To be fully present in class and to set high expectations for themselves.

·         To be excited about their learning. 

·         To engage in critical thinking, dialogue, and inquiry.