Teaching statement
My teaching philosophy draws on critical pedagogy as articulated by Paulo Freire (opens in a new tab) and bell hooks (opens in a new tab). It centers the belief that learning is a collaborative, resistant process. Collaborative problem-solving is more important to me than prescribing answers or processes. I prioritize establishing context before presenting new information – I ask a lot of questions. I try to remain flexible, tailoring set material for individuals or groups. I avoid ‘sage on the stage’ forms of instruction that rely on transactional education models. I believe that students and instructors have opportunities to learn in educational settings. I model respect, organization and clear communication/expectations and expect focus and engagement from my students. I am available to students through office hours, consultations, Sakai and email. I communicate my enthusiasm for subject material while making explicit connections between materials and skills, skills and assignments, and assignments and students’ broader academic, professional and personal contexts.
My instructional approach prioritizes my belief that every person in an instructional interaction teaches and learns through Q&A. Answering a question is an opportunity to consider the question, why it’s being asked and the questioner’s context. Asking a question is an exploration of a person’s expertise, trustworthiness and ability/willingness to understand the questioner’s context. This Q&A approach (a reference interview in libraries) works well in library reference/service, classrooms, small groups and one-on-one instruction because every interaction is based on respect and openness.
My classroom style incorporates mini-lecture, discussion and active learning activities with formative assessment components. I am available one-on-one, especially during paired or group work, because I have found that students often prefer one-on-one Q&A. Roving allows students instructor access that many appreciate; some students only ask questions when I’m not standing in the front of the room. During in-class activities, students accomplish or produce something: an idea, a sentence, an image, a plan, etc. I use handouts for activities to give students focus while they work together. Sometimes the handout is a simple index card. At other times, I use highly structured documents. I list goals for all activities and assignments. I explicitly relate activities to larger assignments and use analogies to concretize abstract concepts like writing and research. An analogy that resonates with my students compares writing to a road trip: the writer/driver plans the trip and keeps the passenger/reader informed to ensure a smooth ride free of meanderings, detours, bumps or the reader feeling hijacked. Each semester, I encourage classes to pick a destination – throughout the course we talk about how we’re going to get to, for example, Miami, by completing the course activities and assignments.
Teaching samples
Below, I describe the courses I teach at Durham Technical Community College, with sample assignments and activities. If you’re interested in further activities or assignments, please contact me. If you’re interested in instructional design or training samples, please visit my Technology and Writing pages.
One of ENG111’s primary goals is to teach students analytical reading and writing skills. The first major assignment is an essay (ENG111 Essay #1 assignment sheet) analyzing a single article. The analysis must consider the author’s rhetorical appeals. I use slides (Rhetorical Appeals mini-lecture slides) to present a mini-lecture on these appeals. The slides are always available through Sakai. I encourage students to use the slides during any activities or assignments. I use a variety of in-class activities to give students analysis practice. For each essay, students analyze the assignment in groups (Essay #1 analysis activity sheet). In small groups, they answer three questions by analyzing the assignment sheet. I ask students to identify the assignment goal(s), requirements, and any questions they have about the assignment. Each group reports to the class and I address each group’s questions. I have found this activity, which I do when I introduce the assignment, especially beneficial for me and students. I’m able to determine ‘sticky points’ in my assignment or language and students have a low-stakes opportunity to engage with the assignment requirements. I started using this activity after note card (1-question) quizzes revealed that students sometimes remained confused about the focus of the assignment even after submitting it.
Another analysis activity uses Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” as the text. For the jigsaw activity (MLK jigsaw activity sheet), I assign students to ‘expert groups.’ I give each expert group a single textual aspect to consider. After 15-30 minutes (depending on session length and student progress), I reassign students to ‘mixed groups.’ Each mixed group has one member from each expert group. I make all group assignments in advance. In their mixed groups, students discuss multiple questions about the text. Each ‘expert’ reports their expert group conclusions to the mixed group. In both phases of the activity, I roam and interact with each group. I encourage groups that finish before others to push their thinking. I offer assistance to groups that get stuck with the activity or the text. The mixed groups report to the class. Students compare notes and discuss. This activity has multiple goals, including analysis practice. Later in the course, students complete peer review for Essay #1 in pairs (ENG111 Essay#1 peer review sheet). Each student completes a sheet of questions and each pair has class time to discuss and annotate their drafts. During peer review, I’m available to answer questions. As needed, I ‘pause’ peer review to address concerns expressed by multiple students.
ENG112 focuses on writing about and conducting research in a variety of disciplines. The course syllabus (Hebert ENG112.113B) outlines the department’s goals for the course and includes a grade breakdown and policies. The syllabus is always available through Sakai. The Durham Tech English department requires a basic course schedule as part of the course syllabus. For my classes, I create a more detailed course schedule (ENG112.113B Course Schedule) that includes readings, due dates, daily topics, and assignment introductions. The course schedule is the primary document students need to stay up-to-date with the course. I announce any schedule changes in class and follow up with announcements in Sakai.
The last half to third of the semester involves completing a substantial research paper. Students are encouraged to build on their Essay #2 (ENG112 Essay #2 assignment sheet) work. They complete multiple assignments that model academic research – they draft an Essay #3 proposal as a homework assignment (Homework Essay #3 proposal assignment sheet), complete an in-class outlining activity (Essay #3 pre-writing activity sheet), an annotated bibliography (ENG112 Annotated Bibliography assignment sheet), a timed, in-class writing (Timed Writing Essay #3 introduction assignment sheet), a one-on-one consultation with me, a reflection (Homework Essay #3 reflection assignment sheet) and in-class peer review. Finally, students in ENG112 present their research to their classmates with a formal oral presentation. I design each assignment and activity to give students time to refine their work with consistent instructor and peer feedback. In-class activities and examples connect directly to the final Essay #3 project, which is contextualized as an important stepping stone to continued coursework and research in their disciplines.
ENG231 is an American Literature survey course covering the beginnings of American Literature to 1865. I require heavy reading, but adapt the load to the class format (full-semester, Summer, mini-session). In addition to the literature, I introduce students to various literary devices. I use slides (Literary Devices mini-lecture slides) to present these devices (one every week or so). The slides are always available through Sakai. I encourage students to use the slides in their discussion forum posts, homework or class discussions. I want students to experience materials outside of their Norton Anthology of American Literature. Three of their required homework assignments require engagement with online primary materials (Homework archival description assignment sheet). Students choose one item from any listed online archival project. They describe the item and explicitly connect it to one or more course readings. They must include an image of the item with their homework. Students consistently express their enthusiasm for these assignments. They’re excited to see these materials in their original (albeit digitized) forms. They find broadsides, diaries, letters, images and ephemera that give them a deeper appreciation for the time period and the literature. These assignments introduce them to primary sources, archival research and an even wider variety of texts than those collected in their Nortons. Importantly, students choose the item(s) they describe, giving them agency over their learning and engagement.
I rarely include extra credit in my courses, but in Spring 2017, I offered students in each course extra credit points for watching and responding to the film Hidden Figures (Extra Credit Hidden Figures assignment sheet). While film as a medium and the events in this film are beyond the scope of ENG231, I contextualized this opportunity for students by discussing the related themes and ongoing debates present in the film and the class readings. By drawing connections between, for example, Phillis Wheatley, Judith Sargent Murray and Hidden Figures, I demonstrated the lasting impact of these authors. The connections and impact of American literary texts are often new to students and I find that they appreciate seeing how what they already know connects to what they are learning. I’m happy to make these connections and often learn from my students as they make connections to new-to-me 21st-century works. In a homework assignment that incorporates these ideas, I ask students to compare the song “Non-Stop” from the musical Hamilton with the Federalist excerpts (no. 1; no. 10) assigned in class (Homework Hamilton response assignment sheet). Students’ responses to this assignment are similar to responses to the archival description assignments.
As with all of my courses, I require ENG231 students to complete a course reflection (Homework course reflection assignment sheet). I encourage students to engage fully with this assignment. Many are unfamiliar with the term metawriting, but frequently comment in their reflections that completing the reflection helped them realize something about themselves as a reader, writer or researcher. I explicitly discuss the role of metawriting in research, especially in the humanities, and encourage students to continue to reflect on their work in future courses.