Teaching Philosophy

I made extensive use of my newly laminated alumni library card, as I eagerly investigated subjects that I was too preoccupied to be concerned with while I was carrying a full course load and working my way through college. Oddly, I discovered that I was more informed and engaged after graduation than when I was an enrolled, full-time student.

Even beyond the practical benefits of a University library, however, I soon discovered that I had a small cohort of fellow students, both past and current who were eager to share in high level discussion on a wide range of media-related topics ranging from philosophy and aesthetic criticism to techniques of production practice. And although our group never had a formal name, identity, or schedule of meeting times, we could each expect to find one another in the lobby of the communications building (which had very comfortable chairs) at least once a week and pick up our discussion where we left off.

It was in this environment of informal, self-reflexive, and intrinsically motivated conversation that my desire to teach emerged. I reasoned that teaching on the college level would permit me to remain in the intellectually enriching climate of collegial discussion that I had been enjoying.

With the onset of my first adjunct position, I quickly realized that the atmosphere of learning that had occurred organically among my group of friends could not be easily duplicated with a classroom of students who were expecting a grade from me. Years after that realization, the lessons I learned from my students in that first classroom experience persist in forming my objectives as a teacher.

Paramount among my objectives is to find a common ground with students and, in the process, help to guide them toward an increased understanding of themselves and the world around them. Because media and communication are pervasive forces, it is important that teaching them include a critical and self-reflexive understanding of the individual’s role in the communicative process, as well as how that role can be contested and modified in order to achieve maximum self-actualization and empowerment.

For me, the first step toward helping students empower themselves and realize their full potential is to acknowledge them as individuals in a style of teaching best described as lecture-guided conversation, in which relevant concepts and provocative questions serve as the forces that shape discussion and the raw material for participants to engage with. I find that such an approach is flexible and versatile enough to benefit the vast majority of students, with an assortment of teaching preferences. An added benefit of this approach is that it promotes a classroom environment that is not unlike a peer-group discussion in which every participant feels comfortable discussing and even debating.

Consistent with my ideal of peer-group discussion, my methods of student evaluation consist primarily of essays and presentations. The essay provides me with a window into the student’s premeditated internal discussion and the presentation provides me with a perspective on how will the student can react in a spontaneous discussion which they are responsible for guiding.

To ensure fairness in grading, I apply a strict rubric that unambiguously articulates the criteria required for earning each specific grade. I firmly believe that standardization is a critical component of achieving fairness and objectivity.

In terms of my own evaluation and self-monitoring practices (which I believe are indispensable to good teaching), I make it a habit to carry on a mid-semester and final discussion about the positive and negative aspects of the class. This is accomplished by using anonymous notes, submitted by all students, as talking points. During this discussion, I encourage the class to speak freely as I take notes on possible methods of improvement.

In sum, I must admit that my day-to-day pursuit of teaching is, in part, guided by my ambition to once again help to form a group whose mutual enthusiasm for learning functions to challenge each member in unique ways that bestow the instruments necessary to achieve their highest potential.