Philosophy of Teaching
My teaching (and learning) philosophy revolves around the ideas of intentionality and clarity of outcomes; it is a philosophy driven by two deceptively simple questions, “What are you doing? And why are you doing it?”
In addition to my classroom teaching experience, I have served as an instructor on an amateur racing circuit, shouting commands over roaring engines and squealing tires from the passenger seat. Backwards mapping is an inherent skill of both race car drivers and teachers. Race car drivers will often walk a track backwards, using track out points to identify apex points and turn in markers. Once a driver knows where the turn ends, it’s easier to figure out where it should start, depending on the car and the skill of the driver. And the same is true for teachers. Once the instructor knows what the goals of the course are, it’s easier to design rubrics and assignments to support that learning, with adjustments for the students and their existing knowledge and skills. It’s part of the “And why are you doing it?” question—starting with the end in mind. I build my essay rubrics, weekly assignments, and discussion questions to directly support the long-term goals of the course. When students complete their assignments, I use their submitted assignments to make small course corrections to keep everything on track. If one or two students are confusing main idea with author’s purpose, I’ll correct it with individual feedback; if a majority of the class shows that confusion, it’s time to reteach. Frequent, low-stakes feedback works as well in the classroom as it does in the passenger seat, and just like on the track, early feedback can save us from a bigger crash later on in the course.
Academic reading and clear writing are the “What are you doing?” portion of my courses. Reading is key. When I say reading, I mean real reading. I mean, “genuine, academic, critical thinking, applicative, learning-through-text reading.” That kind of reading is one of the most important, fundamental, foundational skills anyone can develop. Studying English reading and writing is not a simple academic requirement, but a life-long skill that empowers people to shape their lives. A strong foundation of fundamental skills—critical, academic reading and clear, demonstrative writing—support students throughout college and career pathways. One of the standing assignments in my English courses is the rhetorical précis, where students must critically read and consider a text before crafting a rigidly constructed four sentence overview about main idea, structure, purpose, and tone of the reading. It’s an assignment that puts all the responsibility for reading comprehension on the student while remaining quick and easy for me to assess. I also require my students to submit rough drafts of their essays for feedback. I don’t know anyone who cranks out a perfect first draft, myself included, and students who develop their own understanding of the writing process will be more successful as writers.
Finally, thinking back to the idea that writing is a process, I always leave room for reflection in my teaching and learning, as teaching and learning are themselves processes. Here, my experiences as a student have helped define my teaching philosophy. In addition to the numerous conferences and professional development opportunities inherent in the profession, I’ve taken welding classes in the summer at BC, just to experience something far, far outside my comfort zone. I’ve enjoyed the BC course offerings for Canvas instruction and asynchronous online teaching. And most recently, I’m a single course away from earning my Graduate Certificate in Learning Design and Technology from Harvard Extension. As I student, I study the curriculum and the instructor’s presentational style. I reflect on different presentation styles, different approaches to learning, personality alignments and conflicts, and think about how I might incorporate those differences into the courses I teach. Even as a teacher, I am a life-long learner.
