Teaching Philosophy

When I began teaching, I had two concrete goals in mind: I wanted my students to get a deeper understanding of the concepts in the class, and I wanted to establish the classroom as a community where we all support each other and grow together. These two goals are the foundation for all of my teaching methods and help to guide me when complications arise.

I come from a background in history, where nearly every class after freshman year is a seminar. Because of this, the majority of my methods rely on discussion, which helps dig deeper into the material and fosters communication skills. I am happy to lecture when needed, but I find that students are able to grow far more through discussion and practice. When the class design leans more heavily on lecture-based teaching, I always make sure to provide opportunities for creativity and discussion to make sure that students are engaged and can connect with the material. In order to facilitate these environments, I regularly have students engage with the material in small group or full class discussions, based on their own questions.

Many students have questions but are nervous about admitting to it, so I facilitate this process through questions due before class that I curate and websites such as Poll Everywhere where students can send in questions anonymously. Once students feel comfortable asking questions, we can begin to dig into the material deeper than when I am just reciting the information that I think they need to know. This also functions as a form of consistent evaluation, because submitting questions helps to show where they need help, as well as what they do understand. The ability to develop strong questions and work to find answers to them requires students to engage with the materials and develop practical skills along the way.

In addition to the methods I use to help students feel more comfortable working with the material, I try to make community central to the class. In part, this happens through discussions and debates, where the students have to learn how to interact with each other and communicate their opinions. I also try to facilitate community through the use of daily attendance questions, where we all answer a non-academic question. This helps me to get to know my students better, but it also helps them to grow closer to each other. Once students start seeing each other as real people and potential friends, rather than just other bodies in the room, we can start to have better conversations.

Through my time as a teaching assistant, I have also done my best to make sure that my classes are as inclusive as possible. At the beginning of the class, I ask students to fill out a student information sheet, including preferred name, pronouns, and interests, as well as any needs or nerves they may have. I make sure to use these to get to know my students better and make sure that I can address any needs that they have. With a field like communication and rhetoric, there is always a risk of discussion and debate creating problems, particularly where is concerns prejudice and bias. I do all that I can to make sure these problems are dealt with before they can arise, and to stop it and check in with the affected students as soon as possible if something does happen.

In addition, I attempt to make my class as accessible as possible, providing for individual needs as well as posting all lecture slides online at least 24 hours in advance of the class so that my students have as many resources as possible. I try to mix up my class activities to make sure that all learning styles are catered to, so that the highest possible number of students can understand and work with the material. And, of course, if confusions come up, I do all that I can to clarify the assignments in class, through email, and, if the need arises, through rewriting the assignments to be clearer.

As I continue my teaching journey, I find that I am constantly learning new ways to connect with my students and help them grow, either from watching more experienced teachers or working with my students more directly and catering to their needs. I will continue to grow as a teacher, and hope to be continually challenged so that I can better fulfill my goals and responsibilities to my students.