Prezi Link: here.
Philosophy
of Teaching: Agency and Integration
Leah L. Heilig
Leah L. Heilig
The core value of my teaching
philosophy is anchored in the belief that language is a product of environment,
and understanding how we engage and react to our environments is a critical part
of finding opportunities for agency. I believe in higher education being an
avenue of empowerment, and that a liberal arts curriculum should not only
foster future members of the working force, but also create informed,
reflective citizens. The core principles of my teaching philosophy include:
·
Emphasizing the role of critical
thinking in the composition process
·
External applications of course
material
·
Actively integrating technology into
the composition classroom
·
And having transparent teaching
practices
My teaching philosophy is grounded
in both social epistemic and expressivist pedagogy. Language is a method used to
establish and perform individual identity, as well as form connections between individuals
and their society. Language, and by extension writing, is most powerful in its
fluidity, especially in its employment over a variety of contexts and genres.
I believe that the first step in
using writing as a tool of agency is to understand that language does not exist
in a vacuum. Our environment at large, and the student’s writing environment in
particular, is a collection of unchallenged truths. In order for a student to
take control and have a personal investment in their own education, they must
first realize the frameworks they operate within on a day to day basis. The
first step to viewing writing as more than product is to first examine how we
form ideas, how we communicate those ideas, and how we assume meanings based on
those communicated ideas. Simply put, the first step to writing is
awareness.
In my teaching practices, awareness
begins in the act of inquiry. I rely upon Classical rhetoric as a starting
point to engage with reflective processes, particularly the Neo-Sophistic
teaching practices of deconstruction and argumentation, as established by Susan
Jarratt and Kenneth Lindblom. The fundamentals of rhetoric, such as the appeals
of ethos, logos, and pathos, are footholds to establish the birth of critical
thinking and self-reflection within my students. I view researched writing as
an active, dialogic practice, one that should cultivate the spirit of
exploration, creativity, and discovery. Students should interact with a text
when they read it, and invite their own lines of inquiry into whatever material
is researched. Much like Ann E. Berthoff’s dialectic notebook practice, as
discussed in “How We Construe is How We Construct,” I believe it is not enough
for students to research or read, they should converse, question, and reflect.
Developing awareness, both of their
own biases and rhetorical constructs such as context, exigency, audience, and
purpose goes hand in hand with the development of their identity as students,
writers, and citizens. In order to facilitate the application of course
concepts beyond the walls of the classroom, it’s essential for students to have
elements of external application to their course materials. As the majority of my
students are adults, knowing how to connect the information I discuss in class
to everyday practices, whether they be mundane or vocational, is integral to
student investment.
Students should have the opportunity
of civic engagement through their writing, of being able to witness how their
communication connects and effects their respective professional and social
environments. When students are able to see direct, applicable use for course
objectives is when students begin to become active learners. For this reason I
believe in public writing that is also reflective of modern environments.
When entering an era where more and
more students are able to be categorized as digital natives, it is increasingly
irresponsible for higher education instructors to avoid the incorporation of
multi-modal technology in the composition classroom. For most adult learners,
digital environments are where they conduct most of their reading and writing,
where they receive most of their information, and where they are most likely to
engage in public writing. And in terms of external motivation, digital literacy
and competence is becoming increasingly in-demand for most job postings. Technology
should be viewed as something that is integral, not separate, to the
composition process, particularly in relation to research practices,
cultivating the spirit of inquiry, and engaging in communication outside of the
academy.
In the modern era, students are more
familiar with searching a database than a card catalogue, and modern
composition instruction should be proactive in including the already-existing knowledge
bases students bring with them into the classroom. I follow the philosophy of
Cynthia Selfe in stating that ignoring technology is a “luxury” and “dangerously
shortsighted” (Selfe 414), and that we as composition instructors have a duty
to understand the effects that emergent technology has upon the composition and
research processes of society, as well as incorporate our understanding into
our teaching curriculum. The best preparation and education we can give to
students is one that is inclusive of their own values and practices.
In that vein, it is important that
my students understand the values and assessment strategies of the curriculum I
am teaching them. Transparent teaching practices are necessary for keeping
students engaged in the learning process, and help to mitigate that territory
between challenged and frustrated. I want my students to have personal
investment, power over their own education, and an understanding of
communication that applies beyond the bare minimum expectations of
undergraduate students. Students should always retain autonomy in the
classroom, and be allowed the freedom to explore different styles, approaches,
and most importantly, varying conversations in the process of receiving a
higher education.
I teach not to have students
understand the ultimate correct method of composition, but for them to
understand their own method of composition. Students who feel
as if they have something to contribute, who have agency in their writing and
ownership of their intellectual work, are often active in their learning. And
active learners achieve something that is not often associated with writing
when it is conceptualized as product: pride. I want my students to feel that
their education is more than a diploma, it is also an avenue for personal
fulfillment and a way to give themselves a voice to the environment outside of
the classroom. Awareness and critical thinking are skills that exist outside of
academic writing, and by giving students agency over learning, research,
thinking, and writing, they can ensure that their education exists outside of
the classroom as well.
Works Cited
Combined for the presentation and philosophy of writing
Combined for the presentation and philosophy of writing
Berthoff, Ann E. "How We Construe is How We Construct." Fforum:
Essays on theory and practice in the teaching of writing (1983):
166-170.
"Blugold Seminar, UW-Eau
Claire." Blugold Seminar, UW-Eau Claire. University of Wisconsin, n.d.
Web. 26 Sept. 2015.
"CCCC Writing Program
Certificate of Excellence." NCTE Comprehensive News. National Council of
the Teachers of English, n.d. Web. 26 Sept. 2015.
Faris, Michael. "University of Wisconsin:
Eau Claire Interview." Personal interview. 8 Sept. 2015.
Jarratt, Susan C. “Rereading the
Sophists: Classical Rhetoric Refigured.” The
Classical World 85.6 (1992): 738. Web.
Lindblom, Kenneth J. “Toward a
Neosophistic Writing Pedagogy.” Rhetoric
Review 15.1 (1996): 93-108. Web.
Selfe, Cynthia L. "Technology
and Literacy: A Story about the Perils of Not Paying Attention." College
Composition and Communication 50.3 (1999): 411. Web.
"University of Wisconsin-Eau
Claire Blugold Seminar in Critical Reading & Writing University Writing
Program Application for The CCCC Writing Program Certificate of
Excellence." University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire (2013): n. pag. PDF.
Hey Leah,
ReplyDeleteI loved your extended analysis presentation! You are an excellent presenter and thoroughly prepared. One of my interests is WPA and development of TC programs. Your presentation on U. Wisconsin Eau Claire's changes must have been prepared especially for me as you said, "The best preparation and education we can give to students is one that is inclusive of their own values and practices." You covered all the bases -- the past, present, and future of the program; the funding they received through the NCTE; and the ideology/theory behind your own teaching as related to the U. Wisconsin E.C. model. I am honored to be working with you through this PhD process. Your insightful brave just-go-knock-it-out style I'm sure shines through in your classrooms inspiring your students to produce great work if not follow in your footsteps.
I plan to explore many writing program models in my education. You bet I'll be following your example as I engage in that research. As Dr. Clarke said in his welcome: "Rock on!"