About

Purpose

This blog is a collection of resources for teaching undergraduate, lower division college English. Herein are my ideas, syllabi, musings, and thoughts for various English classes-from literature and composition, to technical writing and basic reading skills. This blog is mainly self-serving as I use it to collect resources for the courses I teach; however, students as well as employers (past, present, or potential) are welcome to visit. 

Philosophy

For as long as I can remember, teaching has been a part of my career goal. Throughout my various college majors (everything from dental assisting to anthropology), teaching was always a part of the equation. If I was evaluating a discipline as a potential career focus, my criterion consisted of its teaching opportunities. When I realized this common denominator, I switched my focus to teaching and combined it with my favorite subject, English. Although, English has always been my preferred subject, by no means has it been easy. Writing is difficult. It’s challenging. But when the right words come together, the effect is transcendent. I believe that writing, as well as learning, is a life-long process. As a Professor my goal is to meet students at their level and get them where they need to be. I hope to help students become better writers, readers, and critical thinkers.

In his book, Emerging: Contemporary Readings for Writers, Barclay Barrios sums up the central pedagogical practices he emphasizes in his own classroom: “Discussion, not lecture. Groups, not classes. Feedback, not assessment” (25). These principles are how I structure my own approach to teaching. An integral part of this process is creating a learning environment where students actively participate in classroom discussions, in which learning is part of a conversation as opposed to, what Paulo Freire calls, a ‘banking’ concept of education. Guided group work, peer review, and one-on-one conferences coupled with targeted and timely feedback on writing assignments, are also an important part of my methodology.

Technology

I also feel that students need to learn to function effectively in a global, information-driven society. I hope to help them be better able to assess, and assimilate the information they are presented with on a daily basis. This is the impetus for not only integrating technology into the classroom, but also choosing readings based on technologically related themes (e.g. texting as an emergent language pattern; social media, and its effects on society and the individual; the influence of pop culture; multi-modal literacies, etc.).    

So, feel free to browse and drop me a line if you wish. Thank you, and enjoy!