I believe that our body of knowledge is infinite and continually expanding, and that complete understanding of this body of knowledge is beyond the capabilities of any one person. Because I am a pragmatist, I believe in the functional interpretation of knowledge, which is socially mediated. I believe people learn by interacting with others and with their environment, and construct their own reality through filters that are created by internalizing these interactions.

I believe that to facilitate learning, instructors should

• create a classroom environment that supports and encourages free discussion and differing opinions and approaches
• foster collaborative learning experiences
• actively engage students in their learning
• minimize lecture-only delivery of subject matter by using appropriate instructional technology
• provide opportunities for students to become members of learning communities
• develop mechanisms to create and sustain student-student and student-faculty interactions both inside and outside the classroom
• communicate clear learning goals and objectives
• relate subject matter to the "real" world
• encourage critical thinking and analysis and self-reflection
• provide thoughtful and timely feedback on assignments
• model the traits of an expert learner engaged in life-long learning