That perfect moment of realizing that my student can freely approach me with any kind of issue they are facing, trusting that I will be able to lend a helping hand or in some instances that I will search with them for a solution and that priceless moment when I realize that a student has finally mastered a difficult concept made it clear to me that I was finally in the right profession. I always tell my students, “I want to be the lecturer I wish I had when I was a student, not the lecturer I had.”
My students learn in a variety of ways as human talent is diverse. I realize the way I teach at DUT is different from how I was taught, that the process of learning is not a one size fit all process, therefore one of my main objectives is to make sure that I cater for all types of learners, keeping their diverse backgrounds and other variables in mind as learning is a holistic process that should be student-centered. I believe that learning should be individualized because it is the student that is learning and they all need to be engaged and this can only be done by using different learning techniques.
I believe that I am not only there to facilitate learning but to educate my learners about tolerance, ethics, respect and how to become successful entrepreneurs in our current economy. I believe that learning can take place anytime and anywhere, therefore I try to create an environment conducive for this with the aid of technology. Technology also aids me in providing swift relevant feedback that is in line with the objectives set that are achievable with the designed learning activities. Students are therefore given an opportunity to apply and test their knowledge in creative ways, in a fun safe environment that engages them.
I believe that I can only improve in my teaching if I invest in my professional development and incorporate what I have learned into my teaching. My aim to create conditions for my students to thrive in and I can only do this by learning myself in order to create conditions that will give learners a broader range of opportunities to rise to the occasion.
My classroom is also a place where I am constantly learning from my students some of my best ideas come from the classroom, this drives me to constantly keep abreast with the relevant industry standards, try new teaching techniques as learning tools become stale or keep going when things do not work, what keeps me motivated is the drive to keep my students engaged.
I love teaching marketing and retail students and I want to be part of revolutionizing learning in South Africa and this cannot be done by simply teaching our students to recall information. It is my responsibility to prepare my students for the future that I may not even be a part of, therefore I drive to create graduates that have the 21st century attributes, professionals who will thrive in the industry and also scholars who will be locally and globally competitive. However, in the recent years, I have come to learn about decolonization and how I can aid my students in being confident Africans and how they can compete in the global arena while being true to their way of life.
I am required to wear different hats in my teaching and community engagement roles and the only way I manage to orderly execute these roles is first because of my love for imparting knowledge, understanding and in-depth knowledge of the marketing and retail industry and my passion for community engagement, these things are critical in making a successful teacher and a conducive learning environment.