Teaching Philosophy
When I first started teaching, my students asked me why they had to take general education classes. They didn’t understand how the core curriculum connected to their lives or professional goals and saw these classes rather as a series of tedious hoops to jump through. Their question, however, profoundly shaped my view of teaching: teaching, for me, is about facilitating connections. Thus, I strive to design all my courses around connecting students to the content, to each other, and to opportunities outside the classroom.
Ultimately, the goal of any class is for students to take what they’ve learned and apply it to other situations. Yet transfer is often difficult to achieve. One way, I’ve helped students to connect close reading and writing skills outside of the literature classroom is with a comparison essay. I had students close read a piece of Elizabeth I’s writing and a resume they created. The assignment asked students to think about the range of their whole identity. Was all of it reflected in their resume? Was Elizabeth I’s whole self-reflected in her writing? Can any one piece ever reflect a whole person? By actively comparing both writing situations students identified how what they were learning in class could be applied to their own writing outside of it. For students who may not have mentors to guide them to campus resources that can help them develop similar practical skills, I want to provide a space for them to learn and practice. For me, as a first-generation student, creating a class where students can encounter practical skills framed by meaningful content is a practice in creating an equitable college.
Alongside content and skills, the college experience is a highly social one. Students want to connect to one another, and when they do, they are often more engaged in what they are learning. When students connect to one another, they can share resources and offer emotional support in a way I can’t as their teacher. To facilitate those connections, I’ve experimented with gamifying my first-year writing courses. I constructed a game that would run alongside the course. Students were put into groups of 4-5 students. Groups came up with a team name and earned points by participating in class activities, visiting during student drop-in hours, or going to the Writing Center. The next semester, I followed up with students through an IRB approved survey and interviews to understand their experience. My research found that putting student in cohorts and giving them a reason to regularly interact built a strong classroom community. When surveyed, 73% of respondents made one or more friends over the course of the semester. And when asked if they had felt they had learned from a teammate over the course of the semester, 66% respondents felt that they had. Ensuring that I create an environment where students can connect to one another, with or without games, has become an essential part of my pedagogy.
But connections shouldn’t stop at the classroom door. I believe that part of my role as a teacher is to connect students to opportunities outside of my classroom. To that end, I strive to create assignments that help me get to know my students and their interests. For example, in a first-year writing course, I had students research a topic that was meaningful to them. One student researched coral restoration. I knew that the nearby Mote Marine Laboratory had a coral restoration internship, so I made sure to bring the internship to the student’s attention. In a one-on-one meeting, we discussed how to apply for the internship when applications opened. I believe it is the role of a teacher to support and encourage students, and to do that well, I have to know who they are as people so I can meet them where they are at and help them figure out where they want to go.
If my students were to ask me again why they take general education classes, I would explain that few things in life follow a linear path, and general education courses provides spaces to explore new content, develop new skills, and make connections that can support them over the course of a lifetime. What may not seem relevant now, may become profound in their eyes later. All it takes is being open to the possibilities in the moment.
Ultimately, the goal of any class is for students to take what they’ve learned and apply it to other situations. Yet transfer is often difficult to achieve. One way, I’ve helped students to connect close reading and writing skills outside of the literature classroom is with a comparison essay. I had students close read a piece of Elizabeth I’s writing and a resume they created. The assignment asked students to think about the range of their whole identity. Was all of it reflected in their resume? Was Elizabeth I’s whole self-reflected in her writing? Can any one piece ever reflect a whole person? By actively comparing both writing situations students identified how what they were learning in class could be applied to their own writing outside of it. For students who may not have mentors to guide them to campus resources that can help them develop similar practical skills, I want to provide a space for them to learn and practice. For me, as a first-generation student, creating a class where students can encounter practical skills framed by meaningful content is a practice in creating an equitable college.
Alongside content and skills, the college experience is a highly social one. Students want to connect to one another, and when they do, they are often more engaged in what they are learning. When students connect to one another, they can share resources and offer emotional support in a way I can’t as their teacher. To facilitate those connections, I’ve experimented with gamifying my first-year writing courses. I constructed a game that would run alongside the course. Students were put into groups of 4-5 students. Groups came up with a team name and earned points by participating in class activities, visiting during student drop-in hours, or going to the Writing Center. The next semester, I followed up with students through an IRB approved survey and interviews to understand their experience. My research found that putting student in cohorts and giving them a reason to regularly interact built a strong classroom community. When surveyed, 73% of respondents made one or more friends over the course of the semester. And when asked if they had felt they had learned from a teammate over the course of the semester, 66% respondents felt that they had. Ensuring that I create an environment where students can connect to one another, with or without games, has become an essential part of my pedagogy.
But connections shouldn’t stop at the classroom door. I believe that part of my role as a teacher is to connect students to opportunities outside of my classroom. To that end, I strive to create assignments that help me get to know my students and their interests. For example, in a first-year writing course, I had students research a topic that was meaningful to them. One student researched coral restoration. I knew that the nearby Mote Marine Laboratory had a coral restoration internship, so I made sure to bring the internship to the student’s attention. In a one-on-one meeting, we discussed how to apply for the internship when applications opened. I believe it is the role of a teacher to support and encourage students, and to do that well, I have to know who they are as people so I can meet them where they are at and help them figure out where they want to go.
If my students were to ask me again why they take general education classes, I would explain that few things in life follow a linear path, and general education courses provides spaces to explore new content, develop new skills, and make connections that can support them over the course of a lifetime. What may not seem relevant now, may become profound in their eyes later. All it takes is being open to the possibilities in the moment.