Teaching Philosophy

My teaching philosophy is built around the proverb, “Tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I’ll understand.” I have learned through my fourteen years of teaching at the college level that students learn best when they are active participants in their own learning process. Ultimately, my goal as an educator is to foster critical thinking skills to promote lifelong learning.

From Professor to Facilitator

Preparing students to become critical thinkers has required that I reimagine my role in the classroom. Over time, I have come to think of myself as a facilitator of knowledge rather than an imparter of knowledge. I learned through experience that the latter role lends itself to a banking model of education where the professor is “all-knowing” and students become passive receptacles of knowledge. It was only after reading Paulo Freire’s book, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, twelve years ago that I gradually began to adopt a kind of critical pedagogy that moved students from margin to center and allowed them to take control of their own learning. Reimagining my role has thus meant reimagining the role of students as well. At the beginning of the semester, I always explain to students that we are going to break down the traditional teacher-student power dynamic by simply changing the seating arrangements from the traditional rows that place me at the center, to a horseshoe shape that encourages conversation among everyone in the room. The message that this is meant to convey is that we all have something to learn from each other. To further convey this idea to students, I always include the following quote from Paulo Freire on my syllabi: “There is no valid teaching from which there does not emerge something learned and through which the learner does not become capable of recreating and remaking what has been taught.” Recognizing the importance of shifting my role in the classroom from professor to facilitator has been key to empowering my students to become responsible for their own learning and to develop into critical thinkers.

Active Engagement

Another way in which I try to help students develop into critical thinkers and promote lifelong learning is by incorporating active learning into the classroom and the course assignments. I use a variety of active learning techniques (e.g., games, role-playing, small group work, debates, short in-class writing exercises, video clips, and fishbowl activities) to appeal to the different learning styles represented in the classroom, and to allow students opportunities to interact with the material and each other. For example, I have students conduct content analyses of media to learn to be critical consumers of information, and I give applied assignments that are designed to teach by doing and place students in the role of knowledge producers.

I find that creating an engaged classroom requires that I work to create a positive learning environment where students feel comfortable expressing their ideas and sharing their experiences. I do this by using a method that black feminist theorist bell hooks describes as “radical openness.” Whenever possible, I try to connect what we are learning to my own experiences. This, in turn, encourages students to do the same, thereby increasing the relevance of the material to their own lives while at the same time creating an environment of mutual respect and understanding. This method also allows for the inclusion of many voices and perspectives. Lastly, I find that the key to creating a positive learning environment that is conducive to active engagement is to build rapport and a sense of community. I do this by making sure that I know every student’s name and that they know each other. Incorporating humor whenever possible also goes a long way in helping students to become engaged learners.

Reflexivity

Effectively guiding student learning requires that I think critically about how I teach, and that I be open to change and growth. I always solicit student feedback at various points in the semester and then apply those suggestions to improve the course and reach the desired learning outcomes for students. Being reflexive about my teaching also means that I self-evaluate in the moment. Over the years, I have learned to self-assess based on how students are interacting (or not interacting) with the material, and to change course based on those in-the-moment self-evaluations.

I know I have achieved my goals as an educator when students are excited about learning, when they are always thinking about the things they have learned through our discussions, when they learn to apply that newfound knowledge to their daily lives, when they want to share this knowledge with others, and when the new knowledge changes them and how they see the world around them.