Theresa Wills
This is why I Teach at George Mason University
If you are thinking about teaching online, or you are a leader who can influence structures and policy about online teaching, it is important to consider the advantages that I had in creating student-centered synchronous online courses. These are the values at George Mason University, and they are at the heart of my success.
Our Students Come First
Our top priority is to provide students with a transformational learning experience that helps them grow as individuals, scholars and professionals.
Keeping our students first was my goal when starting the first synchronous online Masters in Mathematics Education Leadership. This picture showcases some of the first graduates of this program.
Diversity Is Our Strength
We include and embrace a multitude of people and ideas in everything we do and respect differences.
Moving to a synchronous online delivery modality allowed our Math Specialist program to reach across many school divisions in Virginia, across many states, and even across many countries. Their diverse perspectives were valued in group discussions and fundamental in deepening their understanding.
Innovation Is Our Tradition
We strive to find new and better ways to deliver on our mission while honoring time-tested academic values.
Innovation is fundamental at Mason. Because innovation is so highly valued, I was able to design and improve courses to move to a synchronous online format as early as 2010.
We Act with Integrity
We hold ourselves to the highest ethical standards as educators, scholars, students and professionals.
When transitioning from in-person classes to synchronous-online classes, I taught two of the same course, back-to-back, using both formats to ensure that the instructional delivery was of the highest quality and that I did not compromise great pedagogy because of the conveniences of online learning.
We Honor Freedom of Thought and Expression
We protect the freedom of all members of our community to seek truth and express their views.
My online courses value and require student thought and reflection. I use many structures to ensure that every student has a voice and that they have choice of how and when to use their voice.
We Are Careful Stewards
We manage the economic and natural resources entrusted to us efficiently and sustainably.
When teachers moved to synchronous-online teaching in early 2020, I used a drop everything approach to reach out to teachers across the world. For 170 consecutive days, I modeled synchronous-online teaching in free daily professional development seminars. In addition, every Saturday was devoted to MATHurdays, a PD specific for math teachers to learn how to elicit student created representations of mathematics in problem solving.
We Thrive Together
We nurture a positive and collaborative environment that contributes to the well-being and success of every member.
A fundamental component in my online teaching is shared ownership because we are better together. This means that every student has full editing access to the slides, and they are the contributors to the lesson.
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