Teaching

My learning and teaching philosophy is grounded in the belief that students learn most effectively when they are active participants in the learning process rather than passive recipients of information.

When I first arrived at university, I quickly discovered that success in quantitative disciplines required more than simply attending lectures and tutorials. Data science, statistics and mathematics can be intimidating subjects, and many students approach them believing that they are “not mathematical people”. Early in my degree, I often found myself focusing on individual formulas, coding functions or assessment tasks without fully understanding how they connected to the broader discipline or to real-world problems.

I often think about learning as the difference between shopping at Aldi and shopping at an Apple Store. At Aldi, products are stacked on pallets, minimally presented, and customers are expected to work things out for themselves. The experience is efficient, but largely transactional. By contrast, Apple Stores are designed around engagement. Staff guide customers through products, explain how different components work together and help them understand the broader ecosystem. The experience is educational as much as it is transactional.

As an educator, I strive to create the “Apple Store” experience for my students. My goal is not simply to teach statistical methods, programming techniques or mathematical concepts. Rather, I aim to help students understand how these ideas connect to one another, how they can be applied to meaningful problems and why they matter beyond the classroom. Whether teaching hypothesis testing in an interdisciplinary science unit, data wrangling in an intensive course or introductory data science to large first-year cohorts, I seek to move beyond procedural knowledge and foster genuine understanding.

This philosophy has naturally led me towards Students-as-Partners initiatives and curriculum development work. I believe students are not merely consumers of education but valuable contributors to it. Through curriculum review, assessment redesign and educational scholarship, I have sought to create opportunities for students to influence and improve their own learning experiences. Feedback is therefore central to my practice, not only as a mechanism for supporting student learning, but also as a means of continuously improving my own teaching.

Ultimately, my goal as an educator is to help students develop confidence, curiosity and independence. By creating supportive learning environments, encouraging active participation and connecting concepts to authentic problems, I hope to equip students with the skills and mindset required for lifelong learning long after they leave the classroom.