Why I Teach

I stumbled upon teaching in 2018, and it quickly became a passion. Seven years on, it has become part of my life. Whenever I see former students pursuing further studies or excelling in their careers, I feel heartened. Notes and messages from them—saying I’ve made an impact or left a positive impression—encourage me to keep going. Teaching feels meaningful to me, and I’ve come to realise that it suits my character. I enjoy nurturing and guiding others, and engaging in meaningful dialogue.

How I Teach

My teaching is contextual and student-centred. I believe students learn best when they understand why something matters, so I always begin by situating content in its broader disciplinary, professional, or societal context.

Structure and clarity are important to me. I plan and organise lessons carefully so that objectives and expectations are transparent. This consistency builds trust and gives students confidence that their efforts will be supported and outcomes achieved.

I favour interactive, practice-oriented formats. Beyond lectures and seminars, I prefer workshops, tutorials, studio sessions, and small group consultations. These more intimate settings create space for dialogue, questions, and hands-on application.

I believe in progressive scaffolding where I usually begin with theories and concepts, frameworks or methods—followed by activities that bridge theory and practice. Over time, I scaffold learning so that students gain confidence and independence.

Ultimately, my aim is to create a learning environment where students feel supported, challenged, and inspired—moving them towards clarity, competence, and creativity.

What I Teach

At present, I teach design innovation at the Singapore Institute of Technology. Previously, I have taught in the social sciences at the American University of Yangon, and architecture at the National University of Singapore. This diversity reflects my wide-ranging interests and curiosity, which keep me attuned to developments across disciplines and sharpen my ability to connect insights across fields. It also embodies my values of curiosity, consistency, and discipline—qualities that guide me in becoming a polymath still in formation.

Regardless of subject, my approach remains student-centred. I aim to meet learners where they are, broaden their horizons beyond their disciplines, and help them unlock potential they may not yet see in themselves. I bring empathy and relatability into the classroom, supporting not only knowledge acquisition but also reflective and introspective capacities.

Critique is also an important part of my teaching. I see it as a space for mutual learning: it sharpens my own thinking, offers me a sense of the evolving episteme and paradigms of knowledge, and allows me to bring multiple perspectives to students’ work. I use a simple three-step framework to ensure critiques are constructive and actionable.

Looking Ahead

Looking forward, I hope to deepen my engagement with both teaching and research. My experiences—spanning regional practice in various fields, public and private sector work, and teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate levels—have given me breadth. What I now seek is depth, through a PhD in architecture, which I believe offers one of the best lenses to understand the world.

I feel that my past experiences—life, practice, and teaching—are converging. Over the years, many questions have surfaced, and it is time to pursue them in greater depth.

Teaching is demanding work. It carries the weight of responsibility of shaping not only knowledge, but also lives and perspectives. Yet it is precisely this challenge that I embrace. I find joy in mentoring students and engaging deeply and meaningfully in discourse.

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Selected Student Design Innovation Projects