My Teaching Philosophy

I was a very frustrated undergraduate student.  I wanted to ask questions and discuss what we were learning with my teacher and peers, but the format of the lecture-heavy classes didn’t allow for it.  I also did very poorly in anxiety-inducing exams and tests that focused on non-real-world problems set in artificial, time-constrained, isolated environments.  Now as a teacher and cultural anthropologist, I strongly advocate for, and actively support and utilize, the numerous benefits that individual difference brings to the learning environment. To me diversity is not about singular labels and phenotypical characteristics--- to me, diversity also encompasses different life experiences, ways of learning, ways of knowing (epistemology), what we value (axiology), and worldviews. 

That is why in my classroom, be it face-to-face, hybrid or online, I purposely facilitate a variety of activities that actively target different types of learners while also being aware of the importance of creating an inclusive, universally designed classroom. I see myself as a facilitator of the student’s learning experience; my classrooms are normally very active, often noisy, sometimes deathly quiet, and have minimal formal lecturing. I also extend this inclusive mindset to assessments; for example, for all forms of assessment, not only do I always provide clear concise instructions and a grading rubric, but I also give students choices in their assignment and options on the format of the assignment --- be it a paper, web page, presentation, poster, video etc.  In a core-curriculum course that I recently redesigned for our department, ANTH205: People and Cultures of the World, weekly modules contain a choice of three challenges: something that gets students out in the world talking to people, something to watch or listen to and reflect upon, or a form of scholarly research using an ethnographic database on a culture of their choosing.  I give students agency and choice in their education.   One of my students in a writing intensive class reported that she found my assignments “weirdly exciting”: ‘weird’ because she never thought she would get ‘excited’ about a writing assignment.

In addition to quality instruction in an active, stimulating and bias-free learning environment, my philosophy asserts that students are entitled to an excellent education that encourages and expects personal growth. With the awareness that all people learn and interpret information differently, expectations of excellence, both of me and my students, are high, yet attainable. To achieve this goal, I purposefully plan and revise syllabi to motivate students to confront worldviews, cultivate critical thinking and improve communication skills (see this lesson plan, now used across campus, to teach about Diversity and Power, entitled “Rocks in your Backpack”). Using backwards design, I clearly state my core objectives and ensure that all class materials and assessments align back to these objectives. I do not give exams; all my teaching materials are Open Access (free) and my lessons and assessments are both formative and cumulative and aim high on Bloom’s Taxonomy striving for synthesis and critical evaluation of ideas. A showcase of my student’s work can be found here:  https://sites.google.com/a/tamu.edu/claporte/student-showcase 

Whether face-to-face or online, my students experience frequent and repeated opportunities to act, react, and interact with their peers, myself, community partners and global resources; a  great examples of this include my Role-Playing activities (which is now used by professors at UC-Berkeley and Yale), and the way I assign a participation grade. This collaborative environment incorporates diverse worldviews and facilitates “real-world” problem solving and skills. This is evident in an example ‘Stop, Start, Continue’ feedback exercise, where students were encouraged to do group work and discuss theoretical concepts in relation to their own worldview. Even though some of the students hated working in groups (we all do sometimes!), they definitely saw the value in moving outside their normal comfort zone, articulating a well constructed stance, and learning from their peers. These life skills are readily transferable across other disciplines and to the rest of a student's live and career. 

This teaching philosophy has evolved with time, trial and error. I am still learning and improving… every day! As a life-long learner, I intend to continue learning, honing my skill and educating for a long time to come.