Teaching Statement
My first teaching assignment at Salt Lake Community College was a Writing 0990 course, which is college preparatory writing. At this time I was an adjunct for the Department of Developmental Education. I was soon asked to teach additional classes and because of my English-as-a-Second-Language training I was also invited to teach ESL courses. After two years as an adjunct I was successful in gaining a full-time position and my teaching responsibilities covered reading, writing, and ESL. When part of our department merged with the English Department in 2012 I also began teaching college composition; therefore, over the past seven years I have gained a wide range of teaching experience: Writing 0900, Writing 0990, Reading 0990, English 0900, English 0990, English 1010, ESL 1010, ESL 1020, ESL 1030, ESL 1040, ESL 1050, and ESL 1060. Furthermore, with the creation of the new ESL department and my subsequent move to that department I have had the opportunity to expand my ESL teaching: KESL 0355 and KESL 0365.
As a teacher I firstly strive to know and understand the disciplines I teach in. My goal is to critically assess my own understanding and abilities in my field and constantly look for ways to improve. In turn, I endeavor to use this knowledge to develop techniques and practices in my courses that will best help students. I view my time in the classroom as an opportunity to engage students in intellectually demanding and productive activities that will achieve specific learning outcomes. I expect a lot from my students and encourage them to push themselves beyond their current academic comfort zone by rethinking their assumptions and taking on new and challenging concepts. I try to convey to my students a sense of trust in their capacity to succeed but also an expectation of the demands of success. It is my belief that students must always be treated with decency and respect regardless of their progress. Finally, as an educator I feel it my responsibility to hold myself to the same expectations and standards as my students; in other words, continue to pursue my own learning and improvement, to challenge myself and be open to change, and always avoid complacency.
The theories and methodologies that most inform my teaching are primarily based around second language acquisition pedagogy and developmental education. Some of the contributors in these areas that have more recently impacted my teaching include Steven Brown and Jenifer Larson-Hall, who focus on some common myths about second language learning, Steven Pinker, who explores the science of language and the mind, Sonya Armstrong, Norman Stahl, and Hunter Boylan's edited volume on teaching developmental reading, and Susan Bernstein on teaching developmental writing. Other scholars who have influenced how I think about teaching more generally are Paolo Freire and his critical pedagogy, Mike Rose who emphasizes the importance of education for all, particularly disadvantaged populations, Rebecca Cox and her book on how students and professors often misunderstand each other, Kathleen F. Gabriel whose book Teaching Unprepared Students provides techniques and approaches for helping at-risk students, and more recently James M. Lang and his thought-provoking book Small Teaching. Finally, I would say that an overarching principle in my teaching is communication and engagement; therefore, I adhere to a communicative approach to teaching and look for ways to enhance student engagement. This is a sample of theoretical and methodological approaches that underpin my teaching philosophy and practice. Overall, I would say I strive to understand how language acquisition works, how best to teach language, how to engage with students, and provide an excellent environment for students to learn.
As a teacher I firstly strive to know and understand the disciplines I teach in. My goal is to critically assess my own understanding and abilities in my field and constantly look for ways to improve. In turn, I endeavor to use this knowledge to develop techniques and practices in my courses that will best help students. I view my time in the classroom as an opportunity to engage students in intellectually demanding and productive activities that will achieve specific learning outcomes. I expect a lot from my students and encourage them to push themselves beyond their current academic comfort zone by rethinking their assumptions and taking on new and challenging concepts. I try to convey to my students a sense of trust in their capacity to succeed but also an expectation of the demands of success. It is my belief that students must always be treated with decency and respect regardless of their progress. Finally, as an educator I feel it my responsibility to hold myself to the same expectations and standards as my students; in other words, continue to pursue my own learning and improvement, to challenge myself and be open to change, and always avoid complacency.
The theories and methodologies that most inform my teaching are primarily based around second language acquisition pedagogy and developmental education. Some of the contributors in these areas that have more recently impacted my teaching include Steven Brown and Jenifer Larson-Hall, who focus on some common myths about second language learning, Steven Pinker, who explores the science of language and the mind, Sonya Armstrong, Norman Stahl, and Hunter Boylan's edited volume on teaching developmental reading, and Susan Bernstein on teaching developmental writing. Other scholars who have influenced how I think about teaching more generally are Paolo Freire and his critical pedagogy, Mike Rose who emphasizes the importance of education for all, particularly disadvantaged populations, Rebecca Cox and her book on how students and professors often misunderstand each other, Kathleen F. Gabriel whose book Teaching Unprepared Students provides techniques and approaches for helping at-risk students, and more recently James M. Lang and his thought-provoking book Small Teaching. Finally, I would say that an overarching principle in my teaching is communication and engagement; therefore, I adhere to a communicative approach to teaching and look for ways to enhance student engagement. This is a sample of theoretical and methodological approaches that underpin my teaching philosophy and practice. Overall, I would say I strive to understand how language acquisition works, how best to teach language, how to engage with students, and provide an excellent environment for students to learn.