Robert Tyler

Rather than the simple dissemination of facts, the teaching of history should provide students with insights that are relevant to their current needs and concerns. I encourage my students to understand the past in order to draw reasoned conclusions regarding their world and their place within it.
In a world connected by transportation, technology, consumerism, and international trade on an unprecedented scale, students not only need to understand their own history but also develop an appreciation of and respect for global diversity. I hope to enhance my students’ cultural literacy; to make them good citizens of a global community.
On a more practical level, through my classes I hope to teach my students some of the skills needed in any professional endeavour. Whether in class discussions, presentations or in individual writing assignments, students need to learn to convey their ideas in a clear and concise manner, while also analysing information and forming critical arguments. These skills will have practical applications in the future when interacting with clients, patients, and colleagues.
My classes make use of “blended learning”; the mixing of didactic teaching with non-passive student participation, including seminar presentations (group and individual), source evaluation, discussion boards on-line and using IT (Blackboard, Angel, WebCT) to assist the learning process.