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teaching philosophy
Although what happens in the classroom can often change the way I think about what it means to teach composition, several unchanging principles are at the foundation of my work with student writers. My teaching philosophy explains more.
selected teaching artifacts
critical thinking and writing > multiple semesters > saint xavier university
Critical Thinking and Writing is the first-semester course required of first-year students at the university. The course focuses on introducing first-year students to principles of rhetoric, the writing process, and academic inquiry as the foundation for writing effective arguments. Students complete a portfolio of their work for the entire semester, and incorporate reflective thinking and writing throughout their writing and revising processes.
> course website > sample lesson plan > course evaluations (.pdf)
honors english > spring 09 > saint xavier university
Honors English is an accelerated first-year writing course designed to help students become familiar with the principles of rhetorical theory and its applications to academic writing. By focusing on not just what an argument says, but also how the argument is constructed, students begin to understand and enact the rhetorically-sensitive writing required of them in the academic setting.
> syllabus > policies > sample lesson plan > course evaluations (.pdf)
advanced composition > spring 06 > purdue university
This course was designed to help advanced undergraduate students find a more definitive answer (or answers) to the question, "What makes good writing?" Throughout the semester, we considered the forces at play that determine one person's idea of good writing, how we as scholars of writing, teachers of writers, or writers ourselves conceive of the writing process(es) so that we attain that end goal of "good writing," and how do we negotiate our own ideas of "good writing" with those of our professors, bosses, or other audience members?
> syllabus > policies > sample lesson plan > course evaluations (.pdf)
instuctional design > spring 08 > illinois institute of technology
Instructional Design (COM 535) is an elective course for graduate students studing technical communication in the Lewis Department of Humanities at Illinois Institute of Technology. This project-based course is designed to provide students with the opportunity to learn and practice the principles of instructional design in a real-world setting. Students were expected to conduct a needs analysis, develop instructional materials for students and instructors, and conduct user testing to evaluate the validity of the materials they developed.
> syllabus > policies > sample lesson plan > course evaluations (.pdf)