STATEMENT OF TEACHING PHILOSHOPY

	I believe in Active Learning.  Teaching and Learning are in no way passive endeavors.  In fact, I choose to be very pro-active in my teaching style and the learning styles I cultivate with my students.  I have been a full-time instructor in post-secondary education for over 23 years.
I look for, and continuously discover, symbiotic relationships between the allied disciplines of theatre arts and communication studies.  Both are about how to send effective messages to listeners.  I believe in assessment of learner outcomes and best practices of teaching.

	I believe that Active Learning is stimulated by three ingredients, all practiced by the instructor and learner: Interactive Learning, Taking Ownership, and Cooperation.  The learning process needs to be stimulated by encouragement of full participation, energy and effort.  Both instructor and learner must be fully responsible participants.  And Active Learning is cooperative learning; it is team-work and collaboration, which has been a practice that follows me as a result of many positive years in both theatre and speech education.  In our busy world, students must be reminded and motivated by excellent teaching that promotes Active Learning!

	I further believe that Active Learning should build on a day-to-day basis.  Theory and vocabulary should be presented in connective ways that students can relate to their life-goals. The teaching and learning transactions should always be protected and respected, never blocked by outside interferences or “noise”.  Each playing our role, we have to take Ownership to especially get rid of psychological noise.  But above all there should acceptance—culturally, ideologically, politically, philosophically, theoretically—of various points of view.  And all of the teaching and learning is laced together with clear instructions,  a fair measure of give-and-take, between teacher and students.  The undergirding of my general Philosophy is based on a practice of ongoing research in my field, and a reassessment over time of best practices, but primarily getting to know my students, sharing my passion for learning with them, and a free exchange of ideas with colleagues.  Learning should be Life-Long-Learning.

EVIDENCE OF TEACHING EFFECTIVENESS

•	24 Years as a University-College Speech-Theatre Instructor
•	Voted Faculty Emeritus by the Faculty Senate of Black Hawk College, Moline, IL
•	TOPS Illinois Workshop Leader (Survey/data of teaching in theatre workshops available)
•	Award of Excellence, 2007, Illinois Theatre Association, University-College Division
•	Co-Author, MySpeechKit, online teaching site, Pearson, Allyn & Bacon, w/ Beebe & Beebe
•	Active Learning Survey Data; outcomes of learners who have been by students in past.
•	Writings in Intercultural Communication, connecting styles to travel in Ireland and England / Great Britain.
•	Intercultural, WQPT documentary, the American Premier of GOING UNDERGROUND, Interactions with Theatre students and Author, Christopher Morgan, from London, UK.