My philosophy as a teacher 

As a professor in Business Taxation, I believe that my role is to serve as both a trainer and an arbitrator for my students. I view my job as a trainer, responsible for providing my students with the necessary techniques to prepare them for success in their future careers; and as an arbitrator, who facilitates discussion and debate among students, rather than simply lecturing at them. 

To achieve this, I start by structuring the course in a way that encourages student engagement and participation. This involves creating a preparatory material that outlines the course deliverables, readings, assignments, and assessments in a clear and concise manner.  Rather than just delivering materials for students to memorize, I believe in creating engaging and interactive classroom experiences that challenge students to think critically and apply their knowledge in practical scenarios. By emphasizing experiential learning, I am able to provide my students with the tools and confidence they need to tackle complex business taxation problems in any professional setting. The emphasise delivering the core competences for a legal professional: conducting research, applying rigorous legal reasoning methods, and implementing what they have learned in practice in a business orientated manner.  Upmost, I stir up personal progress, for that I provide constructive feedback on students’ work, offering guidance on how to improve their research and analysis skills and how to commit into aligning legal studies with business trends and needs. 

As an arbitrator, I strive to ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to express themselves and to learn from each other. I believe that through respectful communication, active listening and observation, we can foster a more engaged and successful inclusive learning environment.  I allocate time for in-class discussions, debates, and group work, allowing students to exchange their views and learn from one another, I intervene when necessary to ensure that students are on the right track and that accurate information is being shared. I encourage students to advocate their argument, but also foster them to actively listen to others’ perspectives and adjust appropriately. By facilitating an inclusive learning environment, my students are enabled to perform effectively in the real world and achieve their full potential in their future career. 

As an experienced teacher, I have come to understand that learning is a unique journey for each student. My role is to equip them with the necessary tools and offer helpful shortcuts. My approach is one of humility and facilitating learning, by recognizing the importance of both personal growth and the advancement of the group. 

My objectives and goals as a teacher for my students and myself 

In my field, business law, taxation, and economic law, the main drive is constant legislative developments accompanied by business practice.  Therefore, thinking and articulating for yourself is the utmost objective. The students need to foster critical thinking for conceiving which information out of the plethora of current developments is relevant for problem-solving strategies in concrete cases.  Critical reading also allows being in the position to follow legislative proposals and keep the knowledge up-date,  for the expertise to last for a life career.  Life-long learning skills permit them to add value to the legal practice, fit their career progression to the market trends, and provide new services by anticipating the business community’s needs in a proactive way. 

How my teaching enacts your beliefs and goals 

As a Professor in Business Taxation, I believe in incorporating real-life case studies and teaching my students about the process of law-making - from its inception to its implementation. Through detailed legislative and administrative provisions, my students gain an understanding of how upcoming laws will impact companies' structures and business processes.  I encourage my students to analyse and identify which corporate structures will be affected and what changes need to be made in terms of business lines, processes, and products. This approach prepares my students to become knowledgeable legal practitioners who are proactive in responding to changes in the industry.  Students are encouraged to follow-up current developments and create opportunities for themselves as legal practitioners and for their clients. Beyond that, it prepares them to become knowledgeable adults, that react reasonably and proactively to changes and new learning. 

A description of how my teaching facilitates students’ life-long learning 

I strongly believe that instilling confidence in students is a change-maker in the learning process.   To ease their anxieties and provide a level playing field, I create pre-educational materials such as quizzes and short questions/answers. This not only allows me to identify any knowledge gaps that need to be addressed, but also enables students to feel more confident and prepared before entering the course. By understanding their personal learning process and reflecting on their goals, students are more incentivized to work. 

When it comes to creating an inclusive learning environment, I believe in two key considerations. Firstly, recognizing that every individual has their own unique approach to learning that should be accommodated. To achieve this, I ensure that my teaching materials cater to different learning patterns through the use of visual aids, audio recordings, webinars, short films, and group discussions. By presenting information in several forms, I allow students to select the method they find most effective, thus increasing their confidence and understanding of the subject matter. Secondly, I understand that each student comes into the classroom with their distinct objectives, and concerns about the subject. Corporate strategies, for example, may inspire different reactions based on students' backgrounds or career goals. Therefore, I encourage my students to ask questions and participate in a horizontal communication model to contribute their unique perspectives and engage with other learners. I do not assess oral participation based on accuracy, but instead encourage an open dialogue that takes everyone's experiences and opinions into account. In essence, by fostering diversity of thought, and individual learning needs, I create an inclusive learning environment for my students where all perspectives are respected.