Educating the complete student inside and outside of the classroom, so that students come to appreciate learning as an active and lifelong process.
Chris Mushrush, Economics, has an insatiable appetite for learning. He says, "never being satisfied with what you know" is what active pursuit of learning means to him. Part of acquiring knowledge also involves critical thinking. Mushrush said it is impossible to make an informed decision without looking at many different angles and trying to determine every strategy possible.
Technology is another side that Mushrush has incorporated into his multiple faceted learning process. As Mushrush continues working on his doctorate in Educational, Administration and Foundations, he said being a student challenges him to keep up with technology, which better associates him with the students he teaches. "I know what it’s like being on the other side of the teaching process," said Mushrush. "Having a background in technology has made me realize that students appreciate having different ways to communicate such as instant messengers and web boards."
As a lecturer, Mushrush has an open door policy creating an additional channel for communicating and learning outside of the classroom. In addition, he has learned to be flexible when it comes to teaching styles. Mushrush has taught students in a variety of classroom sizes ranging from 80 to 300 students, but enjoys using humor no matter what the size of the class, even though the humor may be received indifferently. He said, "I use a lot of humor when I teach. When a joke goes well, it’s fantastic, but when a joke bombs, you’re left up there dancing." Along with humor, Mushrush said student participation is important in keeping the classroom interesting. He said he likes the size of a lecture hall because you can usually find students who will contribute in class. He said he can usually pick out nine or ten students who are not afraid to speak up or debate and then it creates ‘side’ conversations which will involve more student input. He also likes to call students to the front of the classroom for demonstrations and generating discussions.
Concern for students doing well in the classroom is important to Mushrush. He creates spreadsheets and watches trends with students’ grades checking for arising problems. He remembered a particular student’s grades started plummeting after the first exam. "I started working with her on AOL instant messenger because of schedule conflicts. My teaching assistant also helped," said Mushrush. "It was exciting because at the end of the semester, she pulled a low A instead of the low C she had anticipated."
Trivia is another piece of learning that some may think trivial, but not Mushrush. He was one of the few selected as a contestant on the television show, "Who Wants to be a Millionaire." Not only did it give him "fifteen minutes of fame" but allowed him to win several thousands of dollars. "I had a blast," said Mushrush. "Learning comes in all different forms, even trivia."