Yeo Geck Hong and Daniel Gan win Graduate Students’ Teaching Awards!

We are glad to announce that Yeo Geck Hong and Daniel Gan have each won the Graduate Students’ Teaching Award. Our congratulations to both of them! We took the opportunity to find out what makes them such effective teachers.

Geck Hong

What inspires you to teach?

1. My teachers – Throughout my years of education, I am fortunate to have met inspiring and motivating teachers. Particularly, I have this teacher, whom I believe have met countless brilliant students in his entire teaching career. His belief in my ability and recognition of my passion for learning, with the corresponding encouragement of always bearing the bigger picture in mind, is one of the inspirations to teach.

2. My students- The reward of teaching for me has always been the satisfaction gained from seeing that the students develop the passion for learning, particularly in the area that I am teaching.

3. My interest lies in adolescents – the people that I am teaching – as I am often intrigued by what they have to share at discussions.

What are some of the major challenges you face as a teacher?

To help students discover the connections of what they are learning to real life, in order to develop deeper understanding and make learning meaningful. I hope that students are able to discover for themselves, through the various tutorial readings and tasks, the significance and relevance of theories, research findings and empirical studies to the real world.

Why do you think you are an effective teacher?

I am still learning the ropes, hence I think I will share my own guiding principle – learning never ceases.

Daniel

What inspires you to teach?

I have had the privilege of being a student under several exceptional teachers during my years of education. Their flair for delivering information artfully and commitment to helping students achieve their learning objectives has greatly enriched my own learning experiences. They have inspired me to view teaching not just as a responsibility, but also an opportunity to be part of students’ learning journeys. This perspective drives me to give my best in my teaching.

What are some of the major challenges you face as a teacher?

Helping students understand that the value of the process of learning is far greater than the letter grade they receive at the end of a module is not always easy. Additionally, balancing teaching with my responsibilities as a graduate student is a perpetual challenge.

Why do you think you are an effective teacher?

1) I try my best to go beyond helping students master the content covered in a module, and provide them with a glimpse of how theory learnt in the classroom is translated into practice in real-world settings. I believe that this helps students to attain a deeper level of understanding of and appreciation for what they learn. 2) I endeavour to create a warm and positive learning environment where all contributions and opinions are valued 3) I encourage students to engage in self-directed learning by giving students opportunities to take active ownership of their own learning during class discussions and activities, while providing appropriate feedback and instruction.

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