Teaching philosophy

Like all of us who stand in front of classrooms full of students, my experiences outside of school as well as my joy and success in the academic environment have greatly influenced my pedagogical approaches and aims. I feel that good teaching – whether it is in a traditional university or community college classroom, a one-on-one writing conference or an e-space – begins with ideas of empowerment and active learning.

Growing up on the edge of the Appalachian region in Kentucky, my first teaching assignment as well as my own educational experiences involving writing by necessity addressed the power and sometime problem of writing voice. So many of the students assigned to my developmental composition class were told that their writing was incorrect or broken or less than standard because of their inclusion of regional sayings and phrases. While I understand and support the need to aid students in using writing to learn and to craft their own ethos and identity, I find that students must be encouraged continually to nurture and trust their own voices. I want to provide students with an environment in which they feel their work and ideas are valued. As such, students in my intermediate writing course were encouraged to choose discourse communities they were involved or interested in and to study the commonplaces and communication patterns of those communities.

To that end, it is also important to recognize and legitimate the literacies that students bring into the classroom. Whether they are beginning composition or speech students or upper-division journalism majors, I find that students bring so many insights and abilities to class that educators must be careful and cognizant not to miss. Incorporating digital media is one important way to encourage students' interest as well as active, engaged learning. Computers and writing scholar Cynthia L. Selfe advises, "When teachers begin to pay some respectful attention to the new kinds of literacies students develop in these electronic contexts, composition classrooms might become better places in which to learn and teach" (2004, p. 57-58). Her advice – and those of others in the field (Gee, Wysocki, Sirc) – rings true for all sorts of teaching. Attending to students' use of things like MySpace, Instant Messaging, and wikis, allows them to see the classroom as a place to hone real world skills rather than as the inaccessible ivory tower seemingly above their messy, engaging real lives.

Incorporating multiple media and assignments with use beyond the course are just the beginning in fostering the active learning that leads to open communication and mutual respect in the classroom. In my introductory composition and speech courses I often include blogs, online discussions and other assignments intended to expose students to a multiplicity of communication theories and modes. Assignments dedicated to visual literacies like scrapbooking and online design are also included so that students may expand their repertoire when it comes to reading and composing the multimodal messages they doubtless encounter online, in class and in the work world. As a once working journalist I want students to see composition and speaking skills as means to communication and realizing goals rather than just proving to a teacher that work is being done. Taking cues from the newsroom, I encourage students to work often in groups, especially for brainstorming and peer review. Additionally, crafting assignments with an emphasis on audience is important in helping students discover the power and relevance of their new knowledge. Engaging students in learning begins, I believe, by fostering open communication among students and between students and teachers. I want my students to feel free to seek advice and information – whether in class or online – as well as to offer feedback about class meetings and assignments. I hope that this message of respect for students' work and ideas coupled with my own high expectations for quality are always at the center of both my communication with students and my instructional methods.

Classes Taught

COM 201 - Writing and Reporting News I

ENG 095 - Developmental Composition

ENG 111 - English Composition [Syllabus]

ENG 112 - English Composition II [Achievement Requirements, Syllabus, Researched Essay Assignment, Coffee Shop Wars]

ENG 207 - Intermediate Writing [Syllabus, Major Essay, Major Essay Rubric, Scrapbook Assignment, Research Expansion Assignment]

ENGL 211 - Writing in the Humanities and Social Sciences: Identity and New Media

ENGL 326 - Cultural Identity and Representation Across Media

ENGL 543/643 - Multimedia Theory and Production

ENGL 548 - Empirical Research

ENGL 549 - Graduate Study in Writing: Online Magazine Publishing

ENGL 578/678 - Topics in Rhetoric and Technology: Online Identity Performance

ENGL 579 - Gender and Popular Culture: Images of Girlhood

JOU 302 - Newspaper Practicum

JOU 305 - Feature Writing

SPE 100 - Introduction to Human Communication [Syllabus, Group Presentation]

SPE 101 - Public Speaking [Syllabus]

SPE 102 - Interpersonal Communication [Syllabus, Blogger Assignment, Group Project, Group Project Rubric]

SPE 210 - Small Group Communication [Syllabus]

 

Non-University Teaching Experience