Student's Page
Thank you for choosing to take one of my courses. This page is designed to help ou understand me and my method of teaching better. Reading this page carefully will help you get the most out of the class. Remember, our classes are always a partnership, both you and I work towards the same goal, that you must get the best possible LEARNING EXPERIENCE from this course. But as in the case of all partnerships this means that you too have to put in an effort. My ideal teacher is one who is cheerful, friendly and supportive. But I also am clearly aware that I also have a responsibility to help you learn and grow. This means that we must establish some standards and stretch ourselves to reach for them. Hence, it is important for us all to keep these standards and not dilute them.
If you have any suggestion that can ENHANCE the quality of the learning experience.. I am always open to it. However, do not ask me to change something because its too much work, or because you have other work to finish too......don't we all ?
Teaching Philosopy and Class Discipline
I believe that every student sitting my class is an adult who has made a choice. The choice to be there. He or she also has a further choice of how to attend the class. A student can sit in the class in a defiant mood, and Challenge the teacher to teach him, or a student can be a passive receiver, willing to be shaped and moulded by a teacher. Once upon a time a teacher who came into a class room had more KNOWLEDGE than the student. His knowledge was gleaned from obscure journals and books, which belonged to a library that most people couldnt easily access. Today, when information is available at your fingertips on your desk, that metaphor is no longer a useful one.
Everyday I walk into a class to face 30-60 of the brightest minds in the country, who have been given the topic to be discussed in advance, and have information at their fingertips! Its a very humbling experience. Humility is the first step of learning.
I see the classroom as a place of collaborative learning, where we all, including the teacher is there to learn and grow. Many of my students are uncomfortable with that paradigm, and they would prefer that the teacher "teaches" and the students "learn".
The class interaction and the webased tools are to create an atmosphere of collaborative learning. But this can only be achieved if students are comfortable with a teacher who is both a member of the team (as a class) and the facilitator/evaluator.
I am friendly with my students, but expect in return, a degree of respect. Not because I am an expert, but because I am the facilitator. I believe, given the preparation, anyone of you can be the facilitator. DO NOT TAKE MY DEADLINES AND EVALUATIONS LIGHTLY. Do go through the academic guidelines seriously.
Communication:
My email is mathai*at*fenn*dot*net . If you cant reach me on that, try mathaifenn*gmail*com. In india my mobile number is 09980051414. If you have been given an alternative number and mail id, please use that. I am available through phone, email and personal meeting both for official and personal/social meeting. I believe strongly that learning is strongly influenced by the relationship you have with the teacher and the atmosphere of trust and experimentation that we can establish in the classroom. Hence personal meetings go a long way in enhancing the quality of learning.
Academic Standards Page
Here you will find information about grading procedure, where to submit documents, what happens if you are late, etc. etc. I recommend you download this and print it if necessary. ( View Here )
Dr. Mathai Baker Fenn Ph.D. , IIT Bombay, Former Faculty Member, XLRI