I have participated in a number teaching improvement seminars. For a list of them [ click here ].

In addition to these seminars, I have actively tried to improve my teaching skills in variety of other ways. First, I often try to remind myself what it means to be a student, and to build my lectures around the approach and attitude that I found to be effective and engaging when I was in college. While this may sound trivial it is rather important because professors often get carried away by the jargon and expectations of their title.

Next, I believe that students are the greatest asset for every professor, so I try to use their feedback most efficiently. My lectures could be very eloquent and full of meaning to me, but if my students are lost and can’t make sense of the examples I give, at the end of the day the experience will be worthless. Continuously seeking my student’s feedback is the only way for me to find out what is it that I am doing right and I should keep doing, and what is that I am doing wrong and I need to change. For more information see [Feedback]

Indeed, I often engage in long conversations with other graduate students and faculty about the role of education. In this respect I have to thank Professor Phillip Porter and Don Bellante who have been a great inspiration for me and have provided me with valuable advice how to excel as a teacher. In fact, I first started using non-computerized experiments (games) in my lectures due to the recommendation of my undergraduate microeconomics professor Brian Peterson, to whom I am also indebted for valuable advice.

I have also tried to educate myself by reading what some of the greatest minds have to say about education – from Aristotle to Bertrand Russell. While their insights have been more philosophical than practical, they have nonetheless helped me realize the true value/role of education and more clearly define my ultimate goals as a professor.

Further, I have sought simplicity and relevance in my lectures and by now I have built a habit of buying books about everyday life economics—from David Friedman’s Hidden Order to Henry Hazlitt’s Economics in One Lesson. These books have given me great guidance into how to approach and teach important economic problems with no jargon and more common sense.

Similarly, I am always looking for readings on current public issues and unorthodox theories, which I try to incorporate into my lectures. Using new examples keeps my mind and motivation fresh, which is essential for my successful performance and development as a teacher.