Teaching Philosophy
Kofi Danso
Department of Social Work
Minnesota State University, Mankato
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Teaching is an opportunity to facilitate change in the world through the active participation and
meaningful transformation of students. It is a vehicle for learning and critical thinking. My goal as a
teacher is not only to encourage mastery of information and innovative ideas but also to create a learnercentered classroom environment that engages students in discussions about practical issues and
interventions that impact human life. The expectation or goal I have for my students is for them to
critically think about issues raised during class discussions and through readings and their everyday lives.
I want students to be conscious about professional ethics and how they impact practice.
The social science and social welfare disciplines are a particularly dynamic and transformative
pedagogical endeavor. This is true for both research and practice in the discipline, as well as knowledge
development and teaching. My teaching style is informed by my philosophy about working in a
borderless multicultural world in which differences in attitudes and opinions offer an opportunity for
intellectual discourse. Through critical thinking, constructive and respectful dialogue and creating a
process of active learning for student and teacher alike, a student can discover and construct knowledge.
In this setting, students are able to bring to bear strengths and limitations and practical applications of the
key concepts and assumptions that reflect their critical thinking. In essence, I challenge my students to
think differently in a way that is valuable for humankind and the profession.
As a teacher I recognize that active learning occurs at a variety of levels for different students.
Therefore, I employ methodological approaches such as lecture, group work (small group discussions and
presentations), case study, write-pair-share and the use of a global perspective with a social justice
standpoint as the bedrock. I also encourage the application of current events, local, national and
international, whenever possible so that students are able to connect what they learn in classroom with the
world around them. The purpose of this powerful and supportive learning environment approach is to
raise critical consciousness and broaden student worldview by exploring best practices. The approach
also recognizes the nature of group work and the constant negotiation that one will engage in beyond the
classroom setting in everyday life. All of this will be done within a framework of professional ethics,
values and responsibility. For example, in teaching comparative social policy class I ask the students to
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work in groups (2–3 students) and select a country of their choice to provide a comparative analysis of
health care systems in that country and the United States. In this comparative analysis students are
expected to identify strength and weaknesses of each system and recommendations for reform consistent
with the values and ethics of social justice.
Through classroom projects, papers, presentations, etc. students earn their grading based on
criterion-referenced graded assessments. This is a fair assessment that allows students to be graded based
on their progress in the class. Since students learn better if they know the immediate results of their work,
therefore, I evaluate student work in a timely manner and return them during the next class whenever
possible. Students receive extensive feedback on their work. Furthermore, I make myself available
during office hours for students who need additional support.
To be successful as a teacher, I strive to improve my teaching by seeking student feedback,
talking with experienced professors and peers, and attending teaching workshops and seminars. Today’s
most cutting-edge research and innovative ideas in the social sciences are presented and discussed at
national and international conferences. Therefore, I will maximize these conferences as a way to learn
and then present the most update information to students. I strongly believe that through these practices I
will improve as a scholar and a teacher. As a teacher, these are my goals and philosophy.
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