Teaching Philosophy

 I believe that it is critical for educators to provide students with knowledge, tools, and opportunities to practice a variety of approaches they can use to face challenges head-on and become confident problem-solvers.

​Architecture is a rigorous, thoughtful, and inventive field where there is room for incredible creativity in confronting challenges and expressing critical thought. This field represents an intersection of multiple disciplines; art, building design, structural engineering, environmental science, socio/economic/political science, to name but a few. Exploring the complex problems that arise at this junction helps to prepare students for similar challenges throughout their career.

I view teaching as a means to not only provide knowledge in a specific subject, but also as an opportunity to mentor students in how to overcome difficulties and take pride in and ownership of their work. Effective mentors lead by example; they are motivated (often enthusiastic) and provide clear direction, while being flexible. They provide guidance without stifling creativity; they are motivators and compassionate leaders. These are the qualities that I believe are imperative to helping students develop strong subject-matter expertise and the confidence to dive into a field and succeed - even in the face of failure.

My goal as a design instructor is to support that creativity, while providing knowledge, tools, direction and inspiration. I think experiencing both success and failure during a students’ academic years is invaluable to developing strategies to face these experiences upon graduation.

​I believe that giving students assignments that direct their work toward an overall goal, while allowing room for originality and self-expression, encourages them to take ownership of both the process and results. Problem-solving skills are cultivated by experiencing both failure and success, and proficiency is bolstered by constant application of critical thought, combined with discourse with faculty and peers. In my experience, creating opportunities for students to test an array of possible solutions to a challenge, in a supportive atmosphere, helps them to become better problem-solvers and builds self-confidence. Discussion sessions that are moderated by instructors, but not controlled, are key to instigating lively conversations and debate that open students to diverse perspectives and builds their collaboration skills; I intend to make these types of sessions a focus of any curricula I design.