Teaching Philosophy

Statement of Teaching Philosophy

My teaching style is one that first recognizes and respects the student as a person and as a scholar. They enter the course with a wealth of knowledge and I do not let that knowledge rest. Accordingly, I do not tend to lecture much. My job is to provide students with tools and a language that allow them to enter literary or theoretical texts with more confidence and agility. In creative writing, my job is to foster a sense of craft that is in accordance with the student's own tendencies and interests. This approach requires that I get to know the student and work with them as individuals rather than an amorphous or homogenous collection. No two classes are alike and no two students are alike. This style of teaching takes time and trust; my presence in the class initiates dialogue, interaction, and meaningful communication. It is through this process that students discover their own power, develop their own skills, and leave the class not only with knowledge but with knowledge that has come from within. It is also knowledge that is highly transferable; when I teach a literature class, I teach reading and critical thinking skills that can be applied to all other disciplines and many life situations. Even in large classes, I believe that it is important to talk with students, not at them. This is sometimes a challenge but I always find it rewarding and see how the students benefit from such efforts.

When I completed my B.Ed. at the University of Manitoba in 1989, one of things I took away from my teacher training was a clear sense of my own student-centered pedagogical philosophy. It was not a philosophy that many of my professors held. I learned from the pedagogies of thinkers like bell hooks and Paulo Freire. One of the precepts of this philosophy is that a student will quickly forget something you tell them, but will remember forever something they tell you, something they thought of on their own. My job as a university instructor is to create the optimum environment for that discovery to happen.

I believe that the university not just a site for the acquisition of knowledge, but more importantly, a site for development of values and 'soft skills'. The men and women who come through the doors of UNBC should be provided a context for them to grow; this context involves safety, challenge, engagement, openness, and, occasionally, good-natured provocation. I value the contact I have with students and cherish the relationships that often last well beyond the time-frame of a class. If I too am not learning in class, then it is not functioning well.

I enter each class with enthusiasm and creativity and, so, expect the same from students.