Teaching Philosophy

My approach to teaching centers on the goal of creating a democratic classroom, where students actively engage in the learning process, cultivate critical thinking, and develop the skills necessary to be informed and responsible citizens in a diverse and interconnected world. As a teacher, I want to foster a classroom environment where all students are excited to explore important questions while learning a set of skills that improves their well-being. My courses emphasize charitability, respectful criticism, and authentic self-expression.

I deploy many strategies in service of these aims. Students often enter my classes without having any formal study in philosophy, and the subject therefore feels foreign to them. Many students often think that philosophy has little to no relevance to their daily lives. In truth, however, they have all entertained philosophical questions—What is the meaning of life? How do I live? What is a mind? What is a good argument? By reminding my students that they’ve already spent time thinking about such questions, I am ensuring that philosophy is not useless, and it is not foreign to them. Moreover, because all of my students have explored these questions before, they are all in position to collaboratively search for the answers. I keep this in mind when designing my courses. The topics we cover are chosen with an eye towards what will be useful and engaging for my students to learn. 

My students also have a say in the course material. I may not always know what is best for my students to learn: what will engage them most? What will be useful for them to know? I typically leave a few weeks for my students to decide what questions and readings they’d like to explore. In addition, when I assign final papers, my students are free to choose the topics they want to write on. I have found that giving them the power to choose increases their engagement. They can use the skills we have been honing together on a project that they care about. One of my students commented in a course evaluation that they “loved this discussion because Hunter did an amazing job at making it a class we would want to be involved in. It was very helpful because we got to talk about the readings more in-depth and focus on [whatever] we needed most help [with].” By increasing their authority in the course, I increase their investment in the course. By increasing their investment, I increase their engagement. This all translates to them doing better and learning more.

Democratic classroom discussions can take many forms. Sometimes I am merely a facilitator in my students’ quest for the most reasonable answers to questions of their choosing. At other times, I model critical engagement by taking an active role in asking and answering questions with them. In yet other cases, I am merely an observer of their small group discussions (e.g., in “think-pair-share” exercises, where students have an opportunity to write down their thoughts, pair with another student to discuss, and share with the class). I also give students time to reflect on their discussions as a group and as individual discussants/interlocutors. These opportunities can take the form of written reflections, online surveys, or meta-discussions led by myself or other students. Such moments often end with suggestions from students on how I can improve the discussions, as well as my feedback on what the students can do to improve. 

In a democratic classroom, assessment goes beyond grades; it involves formative feedback and opportunities for self-reflection. Indeed, my focus is less on grades, and more on narrative evaluation that emphasizes my students’ strengths and areas for growth. I encourage students to self-assess their learning progress, fostering a sense of ownership and agency in their academic journey. I have been nominated for both the University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Letters and Sciences’ Teaching Mentor Program and its prestigious Early Excellence in Teaching Award.

As a teacher, I view the classroom as a microcosm of democratic society, where students learn not only from me but also from one another. By fostering democratic values such as collaboration, critical thinking, active listening, and empathy, I believe that my teaching can help shape informed and engaged citizens who will contribute positively to their communities and the broader world.