My teaching philosophy is grounded in my desire to help my students become life-long learners and critical thinkers in their lives outside of the classroom. This, I believe, is the foundational aspiration underscoring all good teaching. This means that I become an instructor and a guide whose goal is to help each student develop the ability to analyze, evaluate, and synthesize (per Bloom’s Taxonomy) the texts and issues we are engaging with at any given moment. Having taught at a community college over the past decade, I have come to appreciate further the need for these skills in the lives of my students. Often, they are first-generation students, coming from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, and/or immigrants or children of immigrants. They see education as a way to improve their economic futures, and it is important to me that they receive more than vocational skills.  

I also realize, however, that many of my students may not feel confident or have learning styles that are not optimized for the traditional academic model. It is this demographic of students who benefit most from an active and inquiry-based learning. Thus, I provide space in the classroom, both physical and virtual, to practice their skills and ask questions that guide their learning. My classes are driven by projects that push students to develop a variety of skills, and to feel free to make mistakes along the way. Consequently, I take my role as guide quite literally. Our students are swamped by often-misleading information, and distractions abound at every bend. I view my job, then, as guiding students so that they develop the skills to cut through the jumble of information and learn to make their way to good, usable data, even (or especially) if these challenge their own worldview. Therefore, a big part of my job is not so much “imparting knowledge” as it is imparting skills that the students can use to develop their own information literacy, cultural sensitivity, respect for diverse points-of-view, and empathy towards others. I model these skills for my students and show them how to develop them so that they may also be informed citizens of their communities. 

In order to achieve these goals, I have utilized both traditional methods and virtual tools. Specifically, my classroom is one in which practice plays a central role. It is important that individual students demonstrate skills based on readings, mini-lessons, discussions, and through their own trial-and-error. I want them to feel empowered to make “mistakes,” with the understanding that they are developing the tools to think critically. At the same time, I want my classroom to be an environment in which students also learn to listen to each other and help one another succeed. Again, we practice this through the sharing and discussing of ideas, responses, and reactions to the texts, so that students can share, sharpen, and shape their critical thinking skills.  

In composition or technical writing classes, for instance, my approach manifests itself in the form of small and large writings and projects that builds on one another. I scaffold the process and include various feedback, and I spend time working with individuals periodically so that I can address their concerns. Regardless of whether the class takes place in a physical or a virtual space, my goal is always 1) to help students feel at ease working on projects and to develop a sense of mastery, 2) to interrogate their own personal views and ideas so that they may learn to ask relevant questions, 3) to consider their place in an interconnected world as an individual, citizen, and a producer/consumer of goods and services, and 4) to think in real terms about injustices globally and nationally and the uneven access to social, economic, and physical mobility. Thus, I want to encourage and empower my students to become critical thinkers and curious life-long learners who understand how to evaluate and analyze ideas. 

Teaching at Berkshire Community College, in addition to my previous experience as an adjunct at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania and at Northampton County (PA) Community College, has provided me with the understanding of the need for such skills in my students. Regardless of where they are in their academic skills, I want to meet them where they are. It is important to me that I provide the tools for my students not simply to be prepared for a workforce, but to be an engaged and critical citizen of the world. This has been my approach regardless of the class that I teach, and this is the approach that I will be improving upon as I develop and grow as a teacher and a guide.