What I Learned in 5060

This class was very interesting and I thoroughly enjoyed the classroom discussions.  I can honestly say that my views on education and the priorities in a classroom have shifted greatly.  My original teaching philosophy focused on three things: students writing about things they understand, students understanding the relevance of classroom material, and students writing about what they care about.  As I looked closer at these elements, I realized that a class should not exclusively focus on what students already understand, even if it is easier for them to write (technically speaking). A teacher’s job is to work towards students understanding the course material well enough that they can write cohesively about it. Looking back, this seems to be very obvious.  At the time, however, I was concerned with the student’s basic writing skills that I saw while grading.  Now I see that our main job is to teach them to think, and if they think will they will write well. Also, I adjusted my understanding of reverence. Relevance does not only refer to the subject about which they are writing, it also includes understanding the relevance of composition in their lives.  Of course when they write they will write about things that are relevant to them or their careers, but they need to be show how the act of writing and choices made while communicating are instrumental in interacting with the world around them. The last focus of my original philosophy was students write best when they write about things they care about.  This is basically restating what the first two went over.  The more important key in teaching is making the students care about what you are teaching.  I feel like my revised philosophy sums up what I learned in this class:

Good teachers are reflective teachers: those whose teaching strategies evolve and adapt to the needs of their students. When it comes to teaching composition there are two basic things that I believe:

1.      1.  Courses need to be designed to include assignments and assessments that support a myriad of learning strategies.

2.      2.  Students want to explore topics that are relevant to their lives and experiences

Composition is more than simply learning to write. It is about understanding how choices affect how their message is communicated.  While clear and professional writing is a desired of goal of composition classes, students should be given the opportunity to do more than write. Essays are extremely complex and require comprehension of a number of elements: grammar, spelling, organization, and all the requirements of a given genre. While mastery of these concepts is desired, there should be alternative ways for students to express their knowledge about how rhetoric can be used to manipulate a message. Students learn in different ways and it is unfair to assign projects that appeal to one kind of learner. Modern students are constantly exposed to all forms of composition and communication, and composition teachers need to create a course that facilitates discussions of the burgeoning forms of communication. Students should be given options as to how to represent their comprehension of the course material. By allowing them to explore modalities such as in-class presentations, podcasts, or visual projects, students get to choose what strategy best expresses their understanding and gives them agency over their education.  Giving students control and respecting their needs allows them fully explore composition and how it is relevant to their lives.

When a topic is interesting or relevant, students will engage with the subject.  The most important aspect of teaching adults is demonstrating to them why the subject is relevant to them and how it will help them achieve their goals. A student’s time and energy deserves respect, as college students they are beginning to demand more out of their educational experience and need to know that what they are doing will help them.  It is my goal to make sure that each student feels respected and that their time is valued. Approaching composition as a way of improving communication skills is applicable to every career path. Making connections that allow students to understand the course material will directly affect their lives will encourage them to engage with the material. Conveying relevance is a struggle for composition because it is a required class and often it is a subject that students resist due to lack of confidence or poor past experiences. As a composition teacher, I combat this by including the students in the conversation of how composition is relevant to their lives. I cannot fully comprehend how a lesson or subject will be relevant to every student in the class; therefore, it is a useful exercise to ask the students how they think the material is relevant to them. This will give them responsibility and control over what they get out of the class, and engage them in the course material in a significant way.

Composition requires students to learn to articulate their thoughts and interpret those of others. As a teacher, I provide new information and lead discussions that foster a respectful environment that considers a multitude of perspectives and opinions.  Just as the assignments will allow students to express their thoughts in a way that best appeals to their personal learning strategy, students will be taught to appreciate those differences and the value in presenting information using different modes. Students will engage in conversations that allow them to offer different opinions on the relativity of the subjects, creating a discussion that combines multiple experiences and perspectives. Students want to express themselves, and it is the teacher’s job to allow them to do so.  They will want to communicate clearly and thoroughly if they are allowed to express themselves in a way that makes sense to them. If teachers can help students realize that the skills they are learning in first year composition will help them express their views and communicate in their future careers and life goals, they will be eager to learn.