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Dale Steiner
Department of History
1996
Advising Philosophy
Dale Steiner
I
regard advising students as an extension of teaching them. In the
teaching philosophy that I articulated last year for the Master
Teacher Award Program I noted that my approach to instruction has
become increasingly student-centered, to the point where I have
abandoned lecture altogether in one course in favor of large and
small group discussions.
Advising
is about as student-centered as an activity can be. And, just as I
try in the classroom to assist students in discovering and
articulating for themselves the meaning and importance of American
history, one of my aims in advising is to guide them in identifying,
and progressing toward, their career goals.
Teaching
and advising go hand in hand in another respect as well. Classes that
average around forty students in size afford little opportunity for
the extended individual contact with students that I enjoy so much.
But as many of my students (particularly in my upper division
classes) are also my advisees, I am able -- in my capacity as their
advisor -- to become well acquainted with them. This personal
connection, I am firmly convinced, also helps make me a more
effective instructor.
My
approach to advising is characterized by a sense of personal
involvement that encompasses more than simple concern for the welfare
of the students with whom I deal. Most of my advisees hope to enter
the teaching credential program. I feel as though I have a personal
stake in their success, as the parent of two small children (one of
whom is already in the public schools). But the path to the
credential program is a very convoluted one, marked by innumerable
requirements, options, and deadlines, all of which seem to change
with alarming frequency. No less formidable are the uncertainty and
discouragement that inevitably arise along the way. Even the most
confident, resourceful student would be challenged to negotiate the
process without logistical assistance or moral support. Furnishing
that assistance and support -- advising -- allows me to fulfill
simultaneously other roles that are of vital importance to me --
teacher, and even parent. I am therefore determined to do the best
job that I can.
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