Mary B. Curtis

Teaching Philosophy

I consider it to be my responsibility, as an instructor, to help prepare students to excel, both immediately and in the long term, at whatever professional endeavors they undertake. To prepare for professional success, students need to gain the necessary skills required to get the job they want, develop the ability to think as well as do, and acquire the foundations for intentional/life-long learning.

For this purpose, I have developed my teaching philosophy along two dimensions.

==> Technical competence: This includes not only learning the material presented in my classroom, but also the ability to discuss and write about the topics. Technical competence is a necessary foundation not only for adequate performance at current tasks, but also for learning and developing expertise.

==> Originality and Flexibility: Professionals who excel have the ability to "think outside of the box." I would like my students to be more ready to accept new ideas, more creative, and more able to perform unstructured tasks when they leave my class than they were when they began.

The ways in which these objectives are incorporated into my class structure differ by the type of course I teach. However, all classes I teach include

==> a thorough presentation of textbook materials,

==> unstructured projects more demanding than typical homework problems,

==> class discussions,

==> written reports and

==> classroom presentations.

TECHNICAL COMPETENCE:

I approach my goal of technical competence by beginning each new topic with a presentation of the question or problem, and a discussion of the concepts. I then work an example, if appropriate. My examples usually allow me to change parameters, demonstrating how answers are dependent upon the parameters of each particular problem. After working an example, I often give the students a more difficult one to quickly work on their own and then go over in class.

Homework problems are typically covered the class after the relevant textbook material is initially discussed. I think it is essential that students attempt homework problems on their own, prior to receiving the answers, and I believe they are more likely to attempt the problems after some classroom exposure to the relevant material. When homework problems are reviewed, I take the problem beyond the textbook and work "What if" problems.

ORIGINALITY AND FLEXIBILITY:

To help students develop problem-solving and communication skills, I always assign several unstructured cases which must be presented in the form of a report. At least one of these must be orally presented in class. In upper level classes, I incorporate class discussion into every aspect of the class: technical material, homework review and student presentations.

The Accounting Education Change Commission made several recommendations that I have incorporated into my class structure:

1. Question: Many accounting concepts lend themselves to evaluation. For example, students can be asked to evaluate both advantages and disadvantages, to identify why things happen or have evolved in a particular way, and particularly to evaluate potential problems. When multiple approaches to a problem are presented, I ask students to compare and contrast. Asking students "Why?" is an excellent way to help them remember material and to get them to think beyond the textbook. A professional must understand why things happen, what conditions existed to cause them, and what the possible future course of events may be.

2. Organizing: Developing structure to their knowledge by giving them organizing tools, and discouraging memorization. Teaching students how to structure a problem rather than providing the structure to them.

3. Connecting: Connecting, in class, material between different chapters and different courses. Using the same example in different places in the course to connect different concepts in the course. Also, examples from other disciplines so students can tie all of their business course work together.

4. Reflecting: I encourage students to reflect on their own learning styles so they can pro-actively improve their learning abilities. I also encourage students who have difficulty with material to meet with me and discuss other ways to look at a topic or to learn certain material, to help them find learning approaches that are best for them.

5. Adapting: Although I do try to present class materials in the way that best facilitates student learning, I do not restrict my assignments and teaching approaches to only those methods that are comfortable to students. Bill Gates, CEO of Microsoft, reorganizes his company regularly in order to keep employees from becoming too comfortable in their jobs. He recognizes that only challenged employees can be creative; others too easily fall into a rut. In my class, every assignment is different in skills required and solution approach. However, I attempt to be very consistent in the way I make assignments and the way I grade them. Students receive my grading form at the time the assignment is made and so are aware of my criteria for performance evaluation. I also work very closely with students on projects to help them develop their own approach to solutions, in an effort to maximize learning with the lowest possible frustration quotient.