Statement of Teaching Philosophy
Like many other instructors, I believe that communication is a key component of teaching and is crucial for those who wish to excel in their classroom activities. That being said, unlike some of my counterparts, I believe that written communication is invariably the most important form of communication between a student and a teacher. For composition instructors, this means that assignment handouts, written commentary on completed assignments, and other written communication holds the key to flourishing in the classroom. In both my research and my in-class practices, I use written discourse as the foundation for every other form of interaction while at the same time maintaining an open line of communication for any supplemental instruction that may be necessary.
One of the reasons that I believe written communication is so essential to flourishing in the composition classroom is because the class itself is focused on writing as a form of communication. For each assignment they complete, students are asked to interpret their purpose and audience and write in a way that fits that situation. The same can be said for instructors as they assess those assignments. The instructor must be able to gauge the student to whom he or she is writing in her comments to effectively put forward her point. I like to vary my written comments based on how well I know the student, whether I feel the student will react positively to what I have to say, and whether I feel as though the comment could be taken the wrong way. I believe it is important to view written commentary on students’ work this way not just because I have had the greatest success when doing so, but also because I understand the ways in which students view the comments left by instructors.
Many students view written commentary as a justification for the grade they received on their essay. Though this is only sometimes true, students can rarely see the difference between grade justification and serious concern for the student’s educational well-being. In viewing commentary as the primary source of communication in the classroom, though, I have found that I can accurately assess a student's work while still expressing genuine emotions about how that student has affected me as a reader. It is my understanding that by allowing them to see that their writing can have real effects on their readers, students will pay more attention to what and how they are writing in a way that coincides with the course objectives that most instructors attempt to fulfill.
Furthermore, in connection to those same course objectives, I think that most students pay more attention to written communication received in the classroom than they do to verbal communication. This is not to say that teaching is an exercise in futility but rather that students merely pay more attention to written communication because that is how they receive directions, what they are allowed to physically take with them outside of the classroom, and what they return to when they are confused or intimidated. Written documentation provides students with the greatest amount of information they will receive throughout a course, and it sets the tone for how those students will react to their instructor’s personality. Professional yet personalized assignment sheets, syllabi, and emails help students get comfortable with their instructors while still maintaining boundaries. It should come as no surprise that writing is a key component of the composition classroom, yet it still took some trial and error for me to realize is that my writing is just as important as my students’.
One of the reasons that I believe written communication is so essential to flourishing in the composition classroom is because the class itself is focused on writing as a form of communication. For each assignment they complete, students are asked to interpret their purpose and audience and write in a way that fits that situation. The same can be said for instructors as they assess those assignments. The instructor must be able to gauge the student to whom he or she is writing in her comments to effectively put forward her point. I like to vary my written comments based on how well I know the student, whether I feel the student will react positively to what I have to say, and whether I feel as though the comment could be taken the wrong way. I believe it is important to view written commentary on students’ work this way not just because I have had the greatest success when doing so, but also because I understand the ways in which students view the comments left by instructors.
Many students view written commentary as a justification for the grade they received on their essay. Though this is only sometimes true, students can rarely see the difference between grade justification and serious concern for the student’s educational well-being. In viewing commentary as the primary source of communication in the classroom, though, I have found that I can accurately assess a student's work while still expressing genuine emotions about how that student has affected me as a reader. It is my understanding that by allowing them to see that their writing can have real effects on their readers, students will pay more attention to what and how they are writing in a way that coincides with the course objectives that most instructors attempt to fulfill.
Furthermore, in connection to those same course objectives, I think that most students pay more attention to written communication received in the classroom than they do to verbal communication. This is not to say that teaching is an exercise in futility but rather that students merely pay more attention to written communication because that is how they receive directions, what they are allowed to physically take with them outside of the classroom, and what they return to when they are confused or intimidated. Written documentation provides students with the greatest amount of information they will receive throughout a course, and it sets the tone for how those students will react to their instructor’s personality. Professional yet personalized assignment sheets, syllabi, and emails help students get comfortable with their instructors while still maintaining boundaries. It should come as no surprise that writing is a key component of the composition classroom, yet it still took some trial and error for me to realize is that my writing is just as important as my students’.