Teaching
Jose Eos Trinidad
I have been instructor for four courses, teaching assistant for three, mentor of 23 undergraduate theses, and research supervisor with more than ten students publishing in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings. My courses ranged from an interdisciplinary research methods course to a class on education inequalities and innovations, from teaching undergraduates in Manila and Chicago to assisting an NSF-funded advanced quantitative methods course for early career scholars. With these diverse experiences and my scholarly interests, I am prepared to teach courses on research methods, organizational sociology, education policy, and causal inference. The goals of my teaching are threefold: (1) equip students with knowledge and skills to understand sociological phenomena, policies, and statistics; (2) promote critical reflection and integration of different sociological and organizational perspectives; and (3) develop an appreciation for the craft of social scientific research. I attain these by combining challenging curricula, high expectations, rigorous lectures, active learning strategies, and intentional assessments.
At the University of Chicago, many of my instructional experiences have been in instructing research methods courses such as the undergraduate class on Human Development Research Design, and the NSF-funded Summer Institute for Advanced Research Methods for STEM Research. In these courses, my strategies include discussion of the anatomy of good research papers or designs, hands-on work with STATA or R, weekly submission of drafts, and constant refinement of the research. In particular, my students and I discuss specific papers in depth to comment on its structure and research design in order to understand aspects important in doing rigorous studies. Aside from these methods courses, I have also worked with undergraduate research interns in the United States and the Philippines, mentoring projects related to higher education and student coping with COVID-19. These mentorship experiences resulted in curated resources and datasets as well as journal articles published in journals like Teaching in Higher Education and College Teaching.
At the Ateneo de Manila University, the country’s premier Jesuit university, I have taught courses on Interdisciplinary Approaches and Research Methods, and Inequalities and Innovations in Education. In my substantive courses, I bring together classic disciplinary theories, diverse methodological approaches, and contemporary practical applications. For example, in my class on education inequalities, I first provide a lecture introducing core concepts such as oppositional culture, human capital, or the hidden curriculum. After this, we would have a discussion on empirical studies that show and/or negate the theory—using these to point out methods for studying education, organizations, and policies. We then discuss new examples and practical applications of such theory before devoting time for students’ written reflection of the discussion. In these types of classes, I value the balance between didactic sharing of my expertise and students’ active learning through discussion and class activities. I also value the connection between theory and students’ broader interests and concerns, showing how organizational and sociological perspectives apply to everyday life.
Aside from carefully prepared lectures and thoughtful student activities, I also believe in different forms of assessments of and for learning. I take assessments in the form of quizzes, exams, and papers very seriously such that I devote time to think about the connection between my learning objectives and the assessments I provide. I believe that assessments can be used to deepen students’ engagement with the material; that it is not just a measure of their effort but that it can be an added pedagogical tool for learning. Concretely, I do this by returning papers within a week of their submission so that students have the time to reflect on their work and make revisions. I also periodically ask students to metacognitively reflect on their performance in class, what they are learning, and how their learning connects to their previous knowledge.
Having taught different courses and various students over the years, I have seen my teaching improve by attending to the unique differences of students. Many have appreciated my style of teaching that integrates lectures, active learning strategies, and intentional assessments. Students have often given my courses a score of 4.90 out of 5.00. It is not unusual also to get comments such as, “He was more than helpful, constantly going above and beyond to ensure our success,” or “I looked forward to coming to each class.”
In sum, teaching is important to my identity. Studying schools and education, I have a deep respect for the craft and profession of teaching. Given my background, I am prepared to teach basic courses on Research Methods or Introduction to Sociology; more advanced courses on Sociology of Education or Organizational Theory; and specialized courses on Schools as Organizations or Organizational Strategy.