Teaching Philosophy

Before I ever imagined being a teacher, I observed my professors: the restless, energetic public speaking instructor whose nervous energy made it impossible to calm or soothe my anxieties; the ex-politician turned political science teacher who thrilled the students when he assigned group take-home midterm and final exams; and the lively Spanish teacher who fostered friendships when she encouraged we share our interests, hobbies, and favorite foods with the class (en Español, of course). Fast forward ten years and here I am, standing at the front of my own classrooms, teaching, hoping to engage my students, and striving to enhance their academic experiences.

Teaching is relational. Like Freire (2000), I believe that we are all students and teachers, learning together and teaching each other, not being merely in the world but being with the world and others. Operating with an ethic of care and compassion, I am attentive, sensitive, and responsive to needs (Held, 2005) as each student arrives with vastly different life experiences, interests, and reasons for taking my class. By encouraging students to share prior knowledge, emerging ideas, and personal narratives, I put them and their experiences at the center of activities (Willingham, 2009). I look for individual strengths, give constructive feedback, and work to create a warm, welcoming atmosphere.

I promote learning through collaboration and creativity, combining lectures, activities, performances, and discussions to connect theory and practice. Collaborative learning reduces students’ anxieties, boosts confidence, and enhances initiative and enthusiasm (Slavin, 1990). Using art, cooperative writing assignments, and social media (Tumblr), I offer multiple pathways to understanding and learning. Humor, wit, and comedy assist with content retention and enhance the learning environment (Garner, 2006).

Teaching is experiential. When I teach, I interrogate the literature, call for open dialogue, and invite different perspectives. I encourage all voices to participate asking my students to apply what we are learning to their lives, to tell stories, and to share passions, fostering a sense of community in my classroom which becomes evident in the ways my students interact not only with each other but also with me. Teaching is an act of love; an act of courage and compassion; an act of creating and re-creating the world through dialogue with my students (Freire, 2000).

Teaching is constitutive. I ask students to give feedback, highlighting their role as co-creators of our classroom culture. Asking questions and actively listening in an effort to understand and grow from each interaction, I am responsive to critical feedback which models learning in action. Fassett and Warren (2007) ask us to actively search for the moments to reflect, make connections, and recognize how each interaction transforms the worlds of our students as well as our own. Reflexivity is integral to my philosophy. I strive to do better, be better, and grow as a person and instructor, questioning methods and lessons, determining whether or not they work, and continually making adjustments and improvements.

References

Fassett, D. L., & Warren, J. T. (2007). Critical communication pedagogy. Sage Publications.

Freire, P. (2000). Pedagogy of the oppressed. Bloomsbury Publishing.

Garner, R. L. (2006). Humor in pedagogy: How ha-ha can lead to aha! College Teaching, 54(1), 177-180.

Held, V. (2005). The ethics of care: Personal, political, and global. Oxford University Press.

Slavin, R. E. (1990). Cooperative learning: Theory, research, and practice. Prentice-Hall.

Willingham, D. T. (2009). Why don't students like school?: A cognitive scientist answers questions about how the mind works and what it means for the classroom. John Wiley & Sons.