TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
Throughout my education, excellent teachers have helped to shape my views of how to be a successful and valuable teacher. These role models developed classes that were both challenging and exciting. They were prepared to teach, not only by knowing the topic well, but also by preparing lectures and activities that would help keep students interested. I have tried to prepare my own classes to meet the high standards set by these teachers. My goals for teaching are thus to get students excited about learning, promote positive learning experiences, help students become life-long learners, and promote personal responsibility.
Get Students Excited about Learning: The best way to get students motivated is to be excited about the course myself. As a teacher, I help set the tone for a classroom by helping students believe there is something interesting to learn. Students have often noticed and have commented on my enthusiasm in their end-of-term evaluations, with statements such as “She was a great instructor and she loved teaching and coming to class each day,” “She, unlike some instructors I’ve had, actually seemed interested in what she was teaching,” and “She has enthusiasm to teach.” Another way I motivate students is to tailor courses to their interests. I do this in many different ways, such as aiming an introductory linguistics class toward practical teaching applications for a class of elementary education students, or letting a writing class vote for a course theme. Allowing students to work in areas that they already have an interest in has often led to more interesting, exciting, and even amazing pieces of work. For example, one semester my composition class chose to work on the theme “The End of the World” which led to fascinating fictional stories about the end of the world, but also led to well researched papers on issues such as Global Warming and pandemics.
Promote Positive Learning Experiences: By varying my teaching strategies and by working to create an atmosphere of student discovery and free discussion, I attempt to help students feel engaged with a topic. I also try to make sure that when errors are made, they are not made points of embarrassment, but instead are used as learning points or points for further discussion. One way this appears in my ESL classes is by the use of “Areas to Work on” sheets, in which students keep track of types of writing errors indicated on their homework or peer reviews. I then help students find resources or strategies to continue working in these areas outside of class.
Help Students Prepare for Lifelong Learning: Learning does not stop in the classroom. Many graduates will take jobs where further learning is required to be successful. It is important for students to be able to learn effectively outside of class. To this end, students in my classes are introduced to transferable skills, such as invention and study strategies. Further, in each class, I introduce tools that can help students with their learning. For example, as shown by my dissertation topic, I am particularly interested in helping pronunciation learners feel empowered to work on their own pronunciation by introducing them to technology that can provide a safe arena in which to experiment with their pronunciation outside of class.
Promote Responsibility: Students in my classes are provided with clear expectations for their behavior and work at the beginning of the semester. In all classes, I ensure that students are presented with reasonable and clear course policies on the first day. I make it clear that students in my classes are expected to follow the course policies or take the responsibility for the consequences. Further, through fair and clear evaluation practices I work to promote the idea of personal responsibility for grades earned.
While teaching can be stressful or even frustrating at times, the great moments, the moments where you see a student’s face light up when a new idea or topic starts to make sense, make teaching truly enjoyable. I look forward to continuing teaching and to continuing my development as a teacher.
Get Students Excited about Learning: The best way to get students motivated is to be excited about the course myself. As a teacher, I help set the tone for a classroom by helping students believe there is something interesting to learn. Students have often noticed and have commented on my enthusiasm in their end-of-term evaluations, with statements such as “She was a great instructor and she loved teaching and coming to class each day,” “She, unlike some instructors I’ve had, actually seemed interested in what she was teaching,” and “She has enthusiasm to teach.” Another way I motivate students is to tailor courses to their interests. I do this in many different ways, such as aiming an introductory linguistics class toward practical teaching applications for a class of elementary education students, or letting a writing class vote for a course theme. Allowing students to work in areas that they already have an interest in has often led to more interesting, exciting, and even amazing pieces of work. For example, one semester my composition class chose to work on the theme “The End of the World” which led to fascinating fictional stories about the end of the world, but also led to well researched papers on issues such as Global Warming and pandemics.
Promote Positive Learning Experiences: By varying my teaching strategies and by working to create an atmosphere of student discovery and free discussion, I attempt to help students feel engaged with a topic. I also try to make sure that when errors are made, they are not made points of embarrassment, but instead are used as learning points or points for further discussion. One way this appears in my ESL classes is by the use of “Areas to Work on” sheets, in which students keep track of types of writing errors indicated on their homework or peer reviews. I then help students find resources or strategies to continue working in these areas outside of class.
Help Students Prepare for Lifelong Learning: Learning does not stop in the classroom. Many graduates will take jobs where further learning is required to be successful. It is important for students to be able to learn effectively outside of class. To this end, students in my classes are introduced to transferable skills, such as invention and study strategies. Further, in each class, I introduce tools that can help students with their learning. For example, as shown by my dissertation topic, I am particularly interested in helping pronunciation learners feel empowered to work on their own pronunciation by introducing them to technology that can provide a safe arena in which to experiment with their pronunciation outside of class.
Promote Responsibility: Students in my classes are provided with clear expectations for their behavior and work at the beginning of the semester. In all classes, I ensure that students are presented with reasonable and clear course policies on the first day. I make it clear that students in my classes are expected to follow the course policies or take the responsibility for the consequences. Further, through fair and clear evaluation practices I work to promote the idea of personal responsibility for grades earned.
While teaching can be stressful or even frustrating at times, the great moments, the moments where you see a student’s face light up when a new idea or topic starts to make sense, make teaching truly enjoyable. I look forward to continuing teaching and to continuing my development as a teacher.
SAMPLE OF THE COURSES THAT I HAVE TAUGHT
Engl 99S: Strategies for Non-native Speakers of English- Academic Speaking and Pronunciation
Course Description: Course helps students develop their speaking and listening skills, covering the stress patterns of long words, the rhythm of spoken English, fluency, and the intonation of English statements and questions.
Example Engl 99S Course Policies & Syllabus
Example Engl 99S- Short Presentation Assignment
Engl 99s- Student Course Evaluations (F10)
Engl 101C: Academic English for Undergraduates
Course Description: Course improves students' writing abilities, particularly in the areas of content development and organization. Students are also supported in grammar and vocabulary development.
Example Engl 101C Course Policies & Syllabus
Example Engl 101C Paper Assignment
Engl 101C- Student Course Evaluations (F10)
Engl 150: Critical Thinking and Communication
Course Description: Course develops critical reading and thinking abilities. Students are introduced to basic oral, visual, and electronic communication principles to support writing development.
Example Engl 150 Course Policies & Syllabus
Example Engl 150 Paper Assignment
Engl 150- Student Course Evaluations (S12)
Engl 219: Introduction to Linguistics
Course Description: Course offers an introduction to linguistic concepts including phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, regional and social dialects, language acquisition, and language change.
Example Engl 219 Course Policies & Syllabus
Example Engl 219 Homework on Phonetics
Example Engl 219 Homework on Semantics
Engl 219- Student Course Evaluations (S13)
Course Description: Course helps students develop their speaking and listening skills, covering the stress patterns of long words, the rhythm of spoken English, fluency, and the intonation of English statements and questions.
Example Engl 99S Course Policies & Syllabus
Example Engl 99S- Short Presentation Assignment
Engl 99s- Student Course Evaluations (F10)
Engl 101C: Academic English for Undergraduates
Course Description: Course improves students' writing abilities, particularly in the areas of content development and organization. Students are also supported in grammar and vocabulary development.
Example Engl 101C Course Policies & Syllabus
Example Engl 101C Paper Assignment
Engl 101C- Student Course Evaluations (F10)
Engl 150: Critical Thinking and Communication
Course Description: Course develops critical reading and thinking abilities. Students are introduced to basic oral, visual, and electronic communication principles to support writing development.
Example Engl 150 Course Policies & Syllabus
Example Engl 150 Paper Assignment
Engl 150- Student Course Evaluations (S12)
Engl 219: Introduction to Linguistics
Course Description: Course offers an introduction to linguistic concepts including phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, regional and social dialects, language acquisition, and language change.
Example Engl 219 Course Policies & Syllabus
Example Engl 219 Homework on Phonetics
Example Engl 219 Homework on Semantics
Engl 219- Student Course Evaluations (S13)