Writing, Teaching, and Editing

Teaching Philosophy

I have always been passionate about the art of storytelling, and this is a passion that I want to share with my students, whether that is through literature or creative writing. I want to teach my students to understand and interpret literature by examining how writers use different tools to further advance and complicate their work. I also want to help them explore new works so they can find things they enjoy that they otherwise might not have found, and show them how they can find more through research.

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I believe that students learn best when they get to interact with the material and have a say in how the classes proceed. For example, I have always heard that there are three main ways a person comprehends information so it is easy to retain: Visual, Auditory, and Tactile. That’s why I believe a good teacher prepares their lessons so that all three of these methods are involved and all students get a chance to work the way they like. Incorporating all three methods also helps students who learn best by combing those methods, like me. It usually depends on the circumstances, but I usually learn best in a hands-on environment, with some auditory explanation to support me and clarify things I need to understand. Visuals help me too, but just one of each thing doesn’t usually help me. That’s why I have a hard time in lecture-heavy classes, because my attention tends to drift in lectures and even though I want to learn the material, my mind always wanders to some other thing.

My lead teacher, Dr. Doug O’Keefe, gave me some good advice on having visuals, such as writing the agenda on the board or having it on a PowerPoint to show to the class so they know what is planned for the day. He also said that having the goal for the class posted daily will help students understand why we are doing the activities and what they should look for, thus helping them pay attention.

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 I’ve noticed that students enjoy creative projects the most. I’ve had them do two creative writing projects in this British Lit. class so far, and they really enjoyed them both. They were both suggested to me by Dr. O’Keefe. For one, I had them do retellings of “Little Red Riding Hood” to understand the difference between story and discourse. The other time I had them make a production plan for Everyman so they could get an idea of what theatre productions do for the play, and how different theatrical elements can add to the overall story. I think they enjoy these projects because it is highly interactive and lets them look at works in new ways. I would love to do more assignments like this.

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It’s because of these strategies that I have become a firm believer in the importance of combining formal lecture with interactive activities: lecture to cover large, general topics, and the activities to tune in on more specific details. I also believe the formal lecture should not involve just the teacher speaking; rather, the teacher is leading discussions by asking questions and having the students get involved.

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Another activity I have done with my students that was moderately successful, (again, suggested by Dr. O’Keefe), was a competition where students were split into groups to examine a work and write questions about it to quiz the other team. The questions had to be mostly about literary devices in the work and how they affect the work as a whole. The two teams would test each other and be given the opportunity to discuss the answers with their team before submitting their final answer. The team that answered the most questions correctly won a prize, usually bonus points on the next assignment, (though in future face to face classes, I wouldn’t be opposed to rewarding them with something like candy, either). This activity gives them an opportunity to look at the work from another unique perspective.

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In order to encourage creativity in the classroom, I would usually have at least one project per semester where the students are given a choice between a research project and a creative project where they can create art that is inspired by a work of their choice. One professor I had at MUW, Mr. T.K. Lee, usually did this as his midterm project for his literature survey courses because it helped some students to stretch their creative muscles and look at the work from a different perspective, especially during a more stressful time in the semester like midterms when they may appreciate the break from essays and exams.

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I believe a good teacher also knows when something they are doing isn’t working and are willing to change their approaches in order to help the students. When I was in high school, I had several teachers who were shocked that we didn’t know/remember some skills or facts and would then angrily lecture us all about how lazy we were and tell us we were bad students. A good teacher doesn’t blame the students, especially when it is apparent that all (or at least the majority of them) are struggling to grasp something. If that’s the case, the teacher needs to adapt rather than students. Perhaps they need to incorporate more visuals or hands-on activities in their lessons. Perhaps they need to explain a concept again in a different way. I believe the purpose of teaching is to make students want to learn more, not drill something into their heads. When a student is stimulated by the material, they will be more likely to retain the information and it will be more likely to peak their curiosity so that they’ll want to learn more. Teachers should encourage exploration, and never stifle a student’s creativity or curiosity.

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In conclusion, as an instructor I would use my experience and passion for storytelling to help students explore literature by examining literary tools. I would try to lead them and give them room to explore these works by looking at them from multiple perspectives, such as from a critic’s, professor’s or artist’s perspective. I also would adapt my lessons to best fit the needs of my students and assist them by providing different learning methods for them.