Teaching Statement
Yang Jiao
I believe that an academic career has two complementary sides: as a researcher, my
purpose is to push the frontiers of knowledge further, while as a teacher, I want to
awaken my students’ curiosity by making them aware of developments at the frontier.
Teaching Interests
I am interested in teaching principles of microeconomics (macroeconomics), intermediate microeconomics (macroeconomics), managerial economics, industrial relations and
labor economics, public economics and the households, applied econometrics, quantitative analysis.
Teaching Philosophy
My teaching philosophy is the result of my experience as a teacher and also as a student for more than 20 years, in both the US and China. In fact, with both my parents
being teachers, school always felt like a second home to me. From my own experience,
excellent teachers are passionate about the subjects, able to develop a positive class
atmosphere and encourage active class participation. More important, they love their
jobs and care about their students.
During my graduate studies at Kansas State University, I have the opportunity to
work as an independent instructor for intermediate microeconomics, and managerial
economics. As an economics educator, I want to make my students feel that learning
economics is meaningful, engaging and fun. My primary objective is to have my student understand the course materials, and more important, help them gain the abilities
and skills to apply the knowledge they have learned to real world problems. To achieve
this, I rely on different teaching techniques which recognize the diversity of students
and learning styles. Planning effectively, promoting active learning, developing positive
teacher-student relations are core elements of my teaching philosophy.
Effective planning depends heavily on organization and preparation of lessons. I facilitate students’ learning with real world examples, policy implications, and interconnections between concepts. This enables students to relate new information to their
previous knowledge, thus, enhancing their understanding and long-term retention of
important concepts. Moreover, effective planning requires having clear learning objectives for each lecture, making effective use of class activities, providing timely feedback,
and integrating technology resources in classroom. While my expectations of student
achievement are high, I also remind students that they are very capable of achieving
Yang Jiao’s Teaching Statement
success, and I emphasize that I want them to succeed. Furthermore, I find it useful to frequently inform students of their progress. Announcements are updated each
week, which include the subject matter to be discussed, homework assignments, and
information concerning upcoming tests. In the middle of the semester and one month
before the end of the semester, I spend time calculating up-to-date grades and send
out written constructive feedback to each student regarding his/her performance.
Students learn most when they actively and enthusiastically participate in their own
education. Creating a class atmosphere congenial enough for students to feel comfortable to express their opinion and approach me with questions is very important
because learning is incomplete without questioning. I also encourage my students to
contact me frequently as a way to show my concern about their learning. When asking
a question in class, I usually wait until someone offers a possible answer before I explain
the concept. Leaving pauses in a presentation also gives the students the opportunity
to ask questions if they feel the need to. I believe that different classes involve different teaching methods. For the intermediate microeconomics class, discussion focuses
mostly on solving problems; while for the managerial economics class, the focus is on
open discussion, case study or group project. For example, when teaching the pricing
policy in managerial economics. I organize a debate on free market vs. monopoly.
Students are actively involved in the whole process: they read research articles and
papers to support their arguments, elaborate on their thoughts with teammates, and
discover the controversy within economics on their own.
Positive teacher-students relationship makes students feel safe and secure in learning
environments and promotes academic outcomes. One thing I realized during my teaching experience is how diverse classes can be. Students are diverse in terms of their merits, academic background, and learning styles. Positive teacher-students relationship
means appreciating and valuing students diversity. At the beginning of each semester,
I require each student to write me a note reflecting his/her own learning objective,
expectation, and academic backgrounds. When organizing my course, I combine problem solving, graphical analysis, data visualization, and news stories to accommodate
students’ individual learning needs and to produce a student-centered environment.
One of the things I most enjoy about teaching is personal interaction with students. It
is really rewarding to work with students both in class and individually during office
hours, and to see them progress.
As a teacher, it is my job to stimulate and encourage thinking rather than to provide
answers and resolve problems. It is my obligation to give students professional competency, energy, demand of excellence, and fair treatment. It is my job to challenge
them to learn how to use their inherent capabilities and their knowledge to resolve
problems for themselves. I believe each and every student has the potential to bring
something unique and special to the world. I will help them to develop their potential
by believing in them as capable individuals.
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Yang Jiao’s Teaching Statement
Teaching Evaluation (TEVAL) Statistics1
Average Statistics for All Courses
Overall effectiveness as a teacher
Increased desire to learn the subject
Amount learned in the course
Well prepared for class
Interest in helping students learn
Willingness to help outside of class
4.2
3.9
4.1
4.3
4.2
4.4
Course Statistics by Individual Section
1.ECON 520: Intermediate Microeconomics
Overall effectiveness as a teacher
Increased desire to learn the subject
Amount learned in the course
Well prepared for class
Interest in helping students learn
Willingness to help outside of class
2013
Spring
4.3
4.0
4.4
4.6
4.5
4.6
2014
Spring
3.6
3.6
3.6
3.5
4.1
4.2
2015
Spring
4.3
4.0
4.1
4.3
4.2
4.3
2015
Fall
4.4
4.1
4.2
4.5
4.5
4.5
2014
Summer
3.7
3.6
3.5
3.7
3.8
3.9
2014
Fall
4.4
4.1
4.9
4.6
4.2
4.6
2. ECON 540: Managerial Economics
Overall effectiveness as a teacher
Increased desire to learn the subject
Amount learned in the course
Well prepared for class
Interest in helping students learn
Willingness to help outside of class
1
All ratings are out of 5 possible points. Some ratings are adjusted for individual and cohort
attributes
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Yang Jiao’s Teaching Statement
Sample of Students’ Written Comments on
Evaluations
1. “Professor Jiao has a genuine concern for the well-being of her students. She always
wants to make sure that all of his students are on board when she explains a topic.
The handouts and exercises were very helpful in understanding the concepts. She was
always accessible during her office hours, and went above and beyond whenever I went
with classmates for help. You are my No.1 Econ Teacher.”
2. “Professor Jiao really seemed to care if all the students understood the material
and worked hard to make sure we all had the necessary resources to succeed in the
class. I really liked how efficient this professor is. She had a detailed syllabus ready
the first day of class, and stuck to the schedule. She informed us of any changes with
plenty of notice. All of our problem sets and tests were graded and returned with
impressive speed and detail. I really appreciated how she worked with the students
and would schedule office hours so that anyone could meet with her. She also answered
any questions through email with great speed and detail.”
3. “It was very obvious that the instructor really wanted to make sure the students
understood the materials. This was extremely helpful since it made the material easier
to comprehend and if something had to be restated there wasn’t a hesitation.”
4. “Her willingness and energy really inspire and encourage my learning. But I hope
she could slow down a bit, especially when she went over the homework problems.”
5. “She was very enthused about the material and was willing to help students inside
and outside of the classroom. Her teaching skills improved greatly over the length of
the course.”
6. “You were willing to adjust in order to meet the needs of the class such as extra
office hours and reviewing old exams. I enjoyed how Professor Jiao’s using of examples,
openness to clarification or any questions. ”
7. “I liked how what Professor Jiao taught in class was what she expected on tests. By
doing this, I knew exactly what to be prepared for when tests came around. I really
appreciate her patience and her devotion to this class, and I appreciate her help outside
class.”
8. “I have learned a lot from this class, but I may suggest Professor make notes on
board more organized, because they sometimes became a little cluttered / confusing.”
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