Teaching Commitment

My research and teaching experience are interdisciplinary, centering in Language and Communication Studies, American Studies, Sociolinguistics, and Gender and Human Services Studies. My diverse scholarly background allows me to introduce students from various intellectual traditions to intersections across fields and disciplines and help them cultivate their interdisciplinary knowledge.

I view my role as an educator from a communal perspective. As an educator, I am one of many elements that affect students in and outside of the classroom. My objectives are to blend the academic with the real world in ways that encourage them to think outside the box and to view the learning process as not only academic in nature but also liberating. I guide students in the knowledge construction practices central to coursework while also assisting them in being cognizant navigators of their social worlds.

I engage students’ imagination using relevant examples via guest speakers, multi-modal class activities, flipped classrooms, and critical reading, writing, and thinking assignments to carry out this objective. I realize that my students learn best when they can engage their senses and participate in their own knowledge construction. Some of the courses I have taught most frequently, including COM 111 (public speaking), ACL 040 (developmental English), and ENGL 101 (college composition), best illustrate my approach. Students have noted on their evaluations that I bring in current examples from social media and pop culture, including videos and music, to expand their thinking about major course concepts.

I also strive to assess student knowledge in innovative ways that help them make sense of what they are learning on micro and macro levels. For instance, I avoid using multiple-choice quizzes. Instead, I utilize open-ended critical thinking assessments in which students can share what they have learned, what they had challenges with, and what they are still interested in learning. I have also explored approaches of upgrading and labor-based grading. Because I understand that there are various types of learning preferences and that my students represent that collective, I acknowledge that during our time together, we enter a safe and brave space where we are all active participants in ongoing teaching and learning processes.

I believe that students come to the classroom with many of the lived and learned skills and experiences to navigate the world. As I envision it, my role as an educator is to teach them how to nurture and utilize those skills in diverse ways, supplemented with academic yet applicable knowledge that will be useful in and relevant to various real-world environments in college and beyond. While most of my experience has been with undergraduate students, I have found that graduate students benefit from my approach to partnering with and supporting them as well.

Courses Taught

Mentorship Activities