Teaching Deliverables

Teaching Philosophy

Core to my teaching philosophy is the belief that each class I teach has its own personality—its own ethos—based on the individuals that comprise the class roster. Because no class is the same, no approach should be the same. As a student of rhetoric, I understand the importance of adjusting my style to fit the needs of my audience. I believe there is a misconception among composition scholars who have been teaching for many years: “this is the first time my students have taken this class, but it’s the ____ time I’ve taught it, so they should adjust to me.” I hold the opposite view; I look forward to each section that I teach as a chance to discover what motivates that particular group of 22-26 students not just to learn, but to want to learn. While it may be tempting and convenient to rely on tried and tested lesson plans, what worked three semesters ago is not necessarily what will work for today.

Being responsible for more than 300 students in 7 semesters has taught me an important lesson, fundamental to my teaching philosophy: as students and teachers of rhetoric we need to stay true to the rhetorical triangle. In other words, know your audience: I get to know each of my students individually, in and out of the classroom, to know what they’re interested in, what sparks their desire to learn. I’ve found that by understanding how a student sees the world—be it through sports or engineering metaphors, pop culture references or in terms of family values—I can relate the important lessons of each assignment (and course) in a different way that makes sense to each individual student. It takes a lot of energy to customize each class and lecture this way, but the payoff is worth it in the end, and the challenge is often times enough of a reward to motivate me to do it all over again with a fresh crop of new faces each semester.

I believe every student learns best in a different way; there’s no catch-all remedy that will make sense to across the board. Instead, I try to get to know each of my students individually and in multiple contexts. It takes more time and effort, but in the long run this practice allows me to find the most effective way to relate my lesson plans to each student on his/her terms. What works for the mechanical engineering student with an interest in 1960s hobby cars won’t necessarily work for the music performance major with a penchant for Vivaldi. Whenever possible, I relate the day’s lessons in a calvacade of tropes. Metaphors, like “each of your paragraphs is a boxcar, and without strong connectors, your train of thought will fall apart," often make more sense to students than arbitrary vocabulary or intricately woven lesson plans. Of course, for metaphors to be successful, my students have to have a frame of reference, and for me to connect to that frame of reference, I need to get to know my students: hence, the extra effort "pays off" (which is, in itself, a metaphor).


Techno-Teaching Philosophy

My teaching philosophy can be represented in a number of ways--textually, like the one above, or in an interactive mind-map, like the one linked here. Please take a moment to explore the mind-map. Click on its links. View its images. Observe the explicitly drawn connections, and draw some implicit ones of your own.


Sample Student Evaluations

After each semester wraps up, I'll have access to my latest round of student evaluations. I take these very seriously, and almost always adjust my pedagogy and personal teaching style to reflect the helpful constructive criticism I receive.

NC State | Eng 101


Sample Course Materials