Teaching Philosophy

Student Centered

I consider education to be a dynamic process between student and teacher. Following Freire’s push against the banking concept of communication, my teaching style involves in class discussions and empowering students to find and express their voice in the classroom. By creating a mutual learning environment in my classrooms, I open up the space for learning to occur in a dynamic way. Taking an active role in the classroom allows students to feel empowered. I believe learner-oriented teaching promotes learning that is purposeful and enduring.

Engaged Pedagogy

Engaged pedagogy as understood from bell hooks means inviting the whole class, student and instructor to be vulnerable. I invite my students to think of the classroom as a “brave space” instead of a “safe space” (Brian Arao and Kristi Clemens). Creating a brave space means acknowledging the vulnerabilities being shared in the classroom and acknowledging that these interactions foster connection through honesty and respect, but will not be always be comfortable. My students note that my vulnerability in the classroom made it easier for them to be speak in ways we are not normally comfortable doing. We will challenge each other in the classroom to ensure that each of us grow in our dialogue on social justice and diversity embedded in all my classes. The student’s perspectives are at the forefront of the classroom. I act as a guide to allow them to not only pass the course, but also excel at understanding the material.

Dynamic Teaching and

Learning Styles

I believe one of the most important ways to ensure that students are learning the material is to engage in many different ways. I have students create their own quizzes based on readings using the levels of Blooms Taxonomy. Students share their quizzes with the rest of the class and engage in discussions based on what they found the most interesting or hardest to understand and work through it together. Understanding the material in nuanced ways allows them to feel like each lesson is dynamic. The activities we do in class are particularized for what learning style works best for each concept being discussed.

At times we might use visual representations to understand media representations of race. Other times we might do performances of moments we lost our power or it was taken away from us and reperform how we can take our power back to understand Boal’s forum theory. It is important for me to keep learning dynamic because there is no universal way to learn in the classroom. Although there is no universal way to learn, I attempt to make my classroom accessible to all people. Using techniques of universal design I open the classroom for all students to learn in diverse ways.

Social Justice Oriented

I believe that we must all support each other in the university to help each classroom embrace critical theory and engagement inside and outside of the University. In my classroom we learn tools to challenge the status quo and imagine possibilities for change. We use reflexivity to analyze the everyday ways we uphold White supremacy, patriarchy, heteronormativity, and abelism. Beyond the micro-level discussions of oppression, we also examine the meso and structural issues. Examining power dynamics is a central part of every class I teach. I strive to empower each of my students in class so we may fight these issues together.

Community Engaged

My classrooms involve community learning around the materials in order to gain an embodied understanding of the subject. We share our experiences in the classroom through activities in and outside the classroom that expose us to familiar and unfamiliar lived experiences. Some outside of the classroom activities have included community service for Communication in the Workplace and Small Group Communication, I set up community partners around the school that needed short term assistance. When sending students to vulnerable communities it is important for me to first foster respect, support, understanding, and connections to different communities. Bringing voices of others into the classroom through multiple sources is important to ensure that the classroom environment is diverse even when the school may be lacking in diversity. After understanding the theoretical implications of going into sometimes vulnerable communities, the students engage in embodied learning and share their experiences through discussions, presentations, and reports in class. These community benefits by getting their immediate needs met and receive additional resources of reports and ongoing conversations. Students learn multiple positions by engaging in work and enhance the community.