Goen's Teaching Philosophy

TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

My approach to teaching communication is one of critical engagement because I believe this is the ultimate goal of education. When I began teaching, I viewed my philosophy as one of critical thinking. However, as I grew as an instructor, I realized that understanding course concepts is insufficient. I want my students to engage the material actively in a way that allows them to synthesize it, consider its application, and analyze its position within the larger contexts of the course and of life. As they engage course material, I also want my students to critique it. I think that honest critiques of ideas are fundamental to both education and democratic society. Students must possess the ability to weight the advantages and disadvantages of ideas. I firmly believe that individuals who cannot articulate all reasons against a position they hold have yet to seriously consider the issue. I think F. Scott Fitzgerald best captured this idea with the statement, “The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function.” I want my students to grasp all aspects of the material and to grapple with it. I believe that Fitzgerald’s characterization of a first-rate intelligence is actually a characterization of a critically engaged individual. My philosophy dictates that my role in the process of critical engagement is that of facilitator. No one can force critical engagement; students must achieve this independent of the instructor. I can facilitate/assist students with their education, but ultimately, it is their education and they must critically engage the material for it to be of value to them. My role is to encourage critical engagement and to create an environment that fosters it.

In order to foster critical engagement in the classroom, I employ a variety of teaching methods. Most basic to my instruction is an affinity for the Socratic Method. I work diligently to minimize lecture and maximize class discussion. I hope that posing challenging questions forces students to think about and reflect on course topics. Further, I think the best measure of student engagement is discourse. In posing difficult questions, my goal is to challenge students’ beliefs and opinions. Even if students end the semester with the exact beliefs and opinions with which they entered, I want them to possess the ability to justify why they hold these. At times, I engage the entire class in discussion; other times, I divide the class into small discussion groups which allow all students to participate actively in the conversation in a less threatening environment. Critical engagement requires that I create the safest space possible for active learning. It also requires active student participation. Thus, I use quizzes and discussion questions to ensure that students read assigned material prior to class, which improves the productivity of class discussions. Preparation is a major component of critical engagement both on the part of the instructor and the student. Thus, I prepare a variety of teaching methods for use in a given class period. I use a variety of PowerPoint presentations, handouts, whiteboard notes, discussions, video clips, activities, and websites in each class period to keep students engaged. This variety of methods demonstrates critical engagement in the classroom as it acknowledges the diversity in student learning styles and informs students of my desire to engage numerous instructional methods and technologies.

Critical engagement also requires me to engage my own teaching practice. I use several methods to accomplish this. First, in addition to university evaluations, I request students evaluate the course at various points during the semester. Student feedback is crucial to my assessment of my teaching practice. Critical engagement requires me to synthesize student feedback and allow it to shape classroom interaction. To that end, I engage students in dialogue about the content of their feedback after I receive it. This allows me to incorporate students into the teaching process. Second, whenever I meet with a student during office hours, I ask him/her to reflect on the course. I find that some of the best student feedback comes from these interactions as most students are open and honest in their assessment of the course. Third, during the last class period, I ask students to reflect on their experiences. Specifically, I pose two questions. What did you do this semester that students in subsequent classes must do? What did you do this semester that should not be required of students in subsequent classes? This gives students an opportunity to critique the course with the knowledge that their comments influence the experiences of other students. Fourth, each semester I review syllabi and teaching materials of other instructors in my department and at other institutions. Critical engagement requires me to compare and contrast my practice with that of other instructors and the standards of my field. Fifth, I incorporate at least one new idea and/or technique into the course each semester. Sometimes these ideas succeed and become an integral part of the course; other times they fail. I do this because it forces me to engage my teaching practice every semester with each course.