Teaching Philosophy
Starting a new job during the pandemic wasn't easy. I haven't yet had the opportunity to walk through UDC and greet students as they pass by. I recall with fondness my walks through Hampton University, where I couldn't go anywhere without being greeted enthusiastically by current and former students. Simple greetings like this placate my ego because they tell me that my students like me, respect me, and trust me as an instructor. Still, I wonder: what is it that I do for diverse ranges of students specifically that incites such greetings?
My teaching philosophy works in a similar fashion to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. The concepts of the affective domain and student confidence comprise the first layer of the pyramid (or the basic necessities of my teaching), and the “strategic” elements, such as collaborative learning, conferencing, and the use of technology, comprise the higher layers. My embracement of the foundational concepts provides the impetus for me to reach for the upper layers. Peter Elbow’s concept of freewriting is something I have employed heavily in fostering student engagement towards writing in my Technical and Business Communication courses, as it fosters process. Additionally, Susan McLeod’s concept of the affective domain drives the foundations of my teaching, as it is important for students to be able to foster high self-efficacy in order to write successfully.
I also employ conferencing in helping my Technical Communication students to develop their writing confidence and skills. The first thing I do when a student comes in for conferencing is to greet the student by name and shake his/her hand, as I find such a practice sets a positive tone for the session; this is a practice that transferred from my time spent as a writing tutor at several institutions, as well as the Writing Center Director at Hampton University. This philosophy helps me engage students in a dialogue about their writing as opposed to just me writing on their papers and talking “at” them about what “they need to do.” I tell them things I think they need to know, but I aim to engage the student in arriving at their own conclusions through open-ended questioning. I find that the core value of my conferencing sessions is to foster student confidence by asking them open-ended questions and engaging in active listening when they talk. This helps to engage students in critical thinking and writing, mainly because they have the confidence and can trust their instincts to do so with the proper guidance.
Helping students develop confidence in their writing abilities is also embedded into my interactions with students, particularly when I comment on their writing. When I comment, it is important that I work to ensure every student receives at least one positive comment from me on a draft, while I also offer reasonable suggestions for global and local improvements. After students receive their drafts, I encourage them to approach me outside of class with any questions or concerns they have about their writing. In keeping with this goal, I hold individual conferences with students where we can discuss their writing.
The fostering of technological aptitude is also a major element of my teaching and the second level of the pyramid; I work to aid my students in becoming familiar with a variety of technological platforms, as they will be expected to learn different technologies in their professional lives. I have recently enacted multimodal composition as part of the curricula in my courses. At the end of the semester, students in my classes design and publish digital portfolios of their work. In addition, they write short essays in which they reflect on the work in which they have engaged throughout the course. They are required to discuss what they have done well and where they wish to improve in their composition for future courses.
Another imperative behind having students publish websites is to help them understand the idea that writing is not just read by “the professor.” It is beneficial for students to understand that their composition may be viewed by various audiences outside the classroom. As part of their final projects, students design a portfolio in which they publish their work to be read by an online audience..
While my pedagogical philosophy strives to foster student confidence, I still hold high expectations for my students. One expectation lies in how students communicate with me in my role as the instructor. While my students and I consider my in-class demeanor to be approachable, they are expected to interact with me and with each other in a professional manner, particularly through e-mail. If a student does not follow that format, I will send that student an e-mail requesting that the e-mail be rewritten in the requested format. The pedagogical imperative behind this practice is for students to develop an understanding of the e-mail genre as professional communication, which is a job skill that will be essential for success in the globalized workforce.
In addition, I expect students to be punctual and prepared for every class session. I ensure student accountability by taking attendance at the beginning of every class period. After a week’s worth of absences and/or tardies, students begin to lose points. I take a proactive approach by discussing absences/tardies with students who are close to reaching the maximum number of allowed absences. Students are also expected to come to class having completed the assigned readings, which is a prerequisite for their development as critical thinkers and writers. With each reading, they write personal responses, which involve any reactions they have to readings. This practice allows them the opportunity to develop critical thinking skills outside the traditional essay assignment.
Having been a professor for seven years (six at Hampton University, one at UDC), I have learned much that has been beneficial for my students. While I cannot say I am a perfect instructor, my willingness to learn from administrators, colleagues, students, and my own insights and reflections have contributed immensely my development as a teacher over the past two years, and consequently, to the development of my students’ academic abilities.
My teaching philosophy works in a similar fashion to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. The concepts of the affective domain and student confidence comprise the first layer of the pyramid (or the basic necessities of my teaching), and the “strategic” elements, such as collaborative learning, conferencing, and the use of technology, comprise the higher layers. My embracement of the foundational concepts provides the impetus for me to reach for the upper layers. Peter Elbow’s concept of freewriting is something I have employed heavily in fostering student engagement towards writing in my Technical and Business Communication courses, as it fosters process. Additionally, Susan McLeod’s concept of the affective domain drives the foundations of my teaching, as it is important for students to be able to foster high self-efficacy in order to write successfully.
I also employ conferencing in helping my Technical Communication students to develop their writing confidence and skills. The first thing I do when a student comes in for conferencing is to greet the student by name and shake his/her hand, as I find such a practice sets a positive tone for the session; this is a practice that transferred from my time spent as a writing tutor at several institutions, as well as the Writing Center Director at Hampton University. This philosophy helps me engage students in a dialogue about their writing as opposed to just me writing on their papers and talking “at” them about what “they need to do.” I tell them things I think they need to know, but I aim to engage the student in arriving at their own conclusions through open-ended questioning. I find that the core value of my conferencing sessions is to foster student confidence by asking them open-ended questions and engaging in active listening when they talk. This helps to engage students in critical thinking and writing, mainly because they have the confidence and can trust their instincts to do so with the proper guidance.
Helping students develop confidence in their writing abilities is also embedded into my interactions with students, particularly when I comment on their writing. When I comment, it is important that I work to ensure every student receives at least one positive comment from me on a draft, while I also offer reasonable suggestions for global and local improvements. After students receive their drafts, I encourage them to approach me outside of class with any questions or concerns they have about their writing. In keeping with this goal, I hold individual conferences with students where we can discuss their writing.
The fostering of technological aptitude is also a major element of my teaching and the second level of the pyramid; I work to aid my students in becoming familiar with a variety of technological platforms, as they will be expected to learn different technologies in their professional lives. I have recently enacted multimodal composition as part of the curricula in my courses. At the end of the semester, students in my classes design and publish digital portfolios of their work. In addition, they write short essays in which they reflect on the work in which they have engaged throughout the course. They are required to discuss what they have done well and where they wish to improve in their composition for future courses.
Another imperative behind having students publish websites is to help them understand the idea that writing is not just read by “the professor.” It is beneficial for students to understand that their composition may be viewed by various audiences outside the classroom. As part of their final projects, students design a portfolio in which they publish their work to be read by an online audience..
While my pedagogical philosophy strives to foster student confidence, I still hold high expectations for my students. One expectation lies in how students communicate with me in my role as the instructor. While my students and I consider my in-class demeanor to be approachable, they are expected to interact with me and with each other in a professional manner, particularly through e-mail. If a student does not follow that format, I will send that student an e-mail requesting that the e-mail be rewritten in the requested format. The pedagogical imperative behind this practice is for students to develop an understanding of the e-mail genre as professional communication, which is a job skill that will be essential for success in the globalized workforce.
In addition, I expect students to be punctual and prepared for every class session. I ensure student accountability by taking attendance at the beginning of every class period. After a week’s worth of absences and/or tardies, students begin to lose points. I take a proactive approach by discussing absences/tardies with students who are close to reaching the maximum number of allowed absences. Students are also expected to come to class having completed the assigned readings, which is a prerequisite for their development as critical thinkers and writers. With each reading, they write personal responses, which involve any reactions they have to readings. This practice allows them the opportunity to develop critical thinking skills outside the traditional essay assignment.
Having been a professor for seven years (six at Hampton University, one at UDC), I have learned much that has been beneficial for my students. While I cannot say I am a perfect instructor, my willingness to learn from administrators, colleagues, students, and my own insights and reflections have contributed immensely my development as a teacher over the past two years, and consequently, to the development of my students’ academic abilities.