Jeff Kilpatrick
PhD Candidate - Historical Linguistics
University of Geogia
www.linguistics.uga.edu

Teaching Philosophy

As a teacher, I feel it is my duty to provide an informative and entertaining learning environment for my students.  A student who is comfortable, challenged and excited is more likely to engage in the learning process and therefore more likely to benefit from the course.  It is the student's responsibility to achieve his maximum potential, but it is my responsibility to create the right atmosphere for that potential to be reached. 

An informative and entertaining learning environment is best achieved by creating a dynamic classroom where students are encouraged to interact with their peers both as an entire class and in smaller groups.  I constantly challenge myself to create lively exercises which promote movement and interaction while still remaining focused on the topic at hand.  I have found that the simple act of having students move to team up with others from across the room can be enough to spark very spirited conversation even in early morning classes.  In my foreign language classes this interaction is of paramount importance, as that is the focus of the course, however, my Linguistics courses also benefit from this approach.  Every student brings unique views about language and class discussions often lead to some very insightful observations and often humorous anecdotes. 

I also believe that relating subject matter to student interests leads to a higher degree of participation and interaction in the classroom.  Students are able to better grasp concepts when they see how they affect their own lives.  In addition, this gives them additional practice outside of the classroom as they apply their new knowledge in daily activities.  While some concepts may prove to be too abstract or specific to a subject to be applied widely, I have found that relating the material to more accessible material (movies, music, community events, etc.) creates a similar effect, in that students are able to see the concept being used in a more concrete manner. 

Finally, I see the teacher-student relationship as a two-way street with both parties walking away from the classroom with more knowledge than when they arrived.  A good example can be taken from my Linguistics course where during my lesson on slang I present the terminology, definitions and cite a few examples at which point my students promptly inform me how outdated and old-fashioned they are and begin to rattle off the current words of choice.  I have gained new material for the next class, and they have gained a greater understanding of language change and the role of slang in society.  This is the give and take of the classroom.  I create the lessons, give the lectures, and provide the structure of the class which make students more aware of the role linguistics and foreign languages play in the world; my students provide the challenging questions, different perspectives, and insightful opinions that prompt me to further my own understanding of the subjects I teach.