Teaching Philosophy
My teaching philosophy is simple: students deserve the chance to gain the knowledge, skills, and tools they need to make their lives and this world a better place. Read more below!
OverView
I have had the good fortune to teach in many different contexts so early in my career. I have taught in summer sessions and the academic year; taught an online course and been in the classroom; and I have been able to teach a wide variety of students with different majors and different backgrounds.
Most of my experience is in teaching American National Government, with non-majors making up most of the class. I have also been able to teach a course in critical thinking and try new ideas in an online setting. In the future I will be teaching a course in comparative politics as well as politics and media. These courses range in size from 20 to 50 students and have been adapted for both summer sessions and semester-length course structures.
PEdagogy
I am passionate about the science and application of politics because of its sheer importance in the daily lives of our students, whether they are fresh out of high school or non-traditional, domestic or international. Many students see political news every day and assume it has nothing to do with them; impressing upon my students the role that politics plays in their lives is central to how I approach teaching.
I believe it is essential for students to learn to place themselves and their community in a broader context than they are used to. Thus, my lectures are constantly updated to include real-world, current examples of the phenomena we are studying. I create assignments and discussions that push students into recognizing the ways their lives interact with politics and government on a daily basis, from renewing a driver’s license to interacting with a vocal family member on social media. There is no better feeling than watching a student have an “aha!” moment in class when they realize that they finally understand the why behind how a political system works and why it matters to them.
I also believe also that all students—both majors and those enrolled for general education credit—can benefit from the technical skills that are used by political scientists. I impart these ideas and skills through lecture, discussion, and assignments targeted at fostering engaged and informed citizens.
For example, in lower-level courses I emphasize skills that will help students better interact with the political world around them. These students learn how to read opinion polls and identify misinformation and valid media sources, as well as how they can get involved in the political process. In my upper-level courses I assign essays that require a high level of analysis. The essay is not done the day it is due; we take time in class to revise for both content and clarity.
And in all my classes I offer ample opportunity to increase critical thinking skills, through activities and discussion. I offer real-world contexts in which they can put their critical thinking to the test, such as evaluating public surveys, different media outlets, and potential consequences of adopting different policies
Techniques
Passion is infectious, and I bring my passion for the material and its importance to class daily. While my enthusiasm shines through in lectures and discussion, I believe in the inclusion of frequent active learning opportunities. Encouraging student questions and making time for discussion in class is an important part of giving students the chance to dive deeper into the material.
I also try to keep my classroom flexible, and where possible I allow students to drive the discussion. Students provide opinions, questions, and examples from their own life that help solidify the material as being important to their lives outside the classroom. There is always more to learn than can be discussed in the classroom, and sometimes the class material can change based on what students are interested in learning about and what they are most excited to apply to their own lives.
The assessments and tests also reflect that each class might choose to focus on different aspects of the course material. Students have frequently told me that they appreciate how important I make their voice in class; I tell them that, like democracy, the classroom works best when everyone is involved.