Teaching Philosophy-George Kofi Amoako.

I believe teaching is one of the greatest opportunities in life to impact society and individuals. My
experience over the years in teaching has made me understand that teaching goes beyond coherent
lectures, well-thought out assignments and good communication. In fact to me the essence of
teaching is to help individuals to improve on their day to day lives and solve the problems in the
society.

I love teaching and love to see students make decisions that helps them to improve on themselves
through understanding and application of concepts, theories and principles thought in my class.

I like to encourage students’ interaction through the use of questions in the class. I like to ask
questions during lectures; this allows me to ensure that the class understands what is being
presented and also that no student is left behind .I also encourage students to ask questions by
acknowledging the students who ask a particular questions by using phrases like” good question”,
“interesting idea” ,“exactly” , “appropriate question”. I also try and repeat questions for the rest of
the class before answering. I sometimes ask any other student to try and answer some of the
questions to encourage interaction.

“I cannot teach anybody anything; I can only make them think.-Socrates (470-399 B.C.)Years ago, the
Greek philosopher Socrates introduced the obstetric method of teaching. For Socrates, teaching is a
drawing forth, rather than a process of telling or giving. The teacher does not tell the student the
proper answer; he or she draws from the student the probable answer. This view has been a major
inspiration in the development of my own teaching philosophy. To me the teacher should be a
facilitator and not a solution provider.

I view the role of the teacher as a bridge between two worlds, the body of knowledge and the eager
student learner; the teacher is not the source, nor the student the drain. In my view, the teacher
must make sure that the student learns not only what is out there, but more importantly how to
reach it. These two worlds are under constant and dynamic change and the teacher is there to help
the student to establish a healthy and long-term relationship between the two worlds.

My main concern in teaching marketing, business management and related is to understand my

audience and to communicate in a language that they understand. I use slides in presentations and
case studies and group work both in and outside the classroom. These approaches require an
interactive environment and I work hard to have students talk and be involved at every level.

I have found that the most effective methods to motivate students are to be enthusiastic about the
subject, show your students you care and use appropriate examples creatively. Having being in the
field as sales and marketing person for over eight years makes examples easy to cite.

I believe that the most important qualities in a teacher are organisation, clear and effective
communication and presentation of material, stimulating interest and curiosity in students and
encouraging student involvement. I also believe that the teacher should be able to encourage
students to challenge traditional unproductive views by presenting better alternatives.

I always work to improve on myself and my teaching abilities because I desire that my students get
from me the best that I can offer. This I have done by joining professional bodies and reading
relevant materials and using appropriate websites to get abreast with issues in the subjects that I
teach in.