Dana Lynn Driscoll
"The purpose of learning is growth, and our minds, unlike our bodies, can continue growing as we continue to live." Mortimer Adler
My teaching philosophy includes definitions of teaching and learning, my statement on the relationship of research to teaching, and a set of educational goals.
Teaching is more than just conveying information, grading assignments, or organizing a class. Teaching is about touching students' lives, encouraging them to achieve greatness, and giving them the tools to succeed. Some of the best teachers I've had have been excellent instructors in the classroom, but more importantly, have supported me in pursing my graduate studies, challenged my assumptions, and encouraged me to grow and learn. They have become role models for me-people to look up to, to turn to in times of need, and with whom to celebrate my successes. Teaching is truly a passion of mine and is something I look forward to doing each day.
Since I began teaching, I have kept a “teaching journal” that I use to chart my progress as an instructor-my own way of continuing to learn in the classroom. I list successes and failures, student feedback, assignments, ideas, philosophies, and other information and frequently I reflect back on my journals that I might continue to improve as an instructor. This self-reflection has been a valuable part of my own learning and compliments my formal mentoring I received at SUNY Stony Brook and Purdue.
The National Research Council writes in their How People Learn book that “the ultimate goal of learning is to have access to information for a wide set of purposes-that the learning will in some way transfer to other circumstances” (p. 61). I agree with them wholeheartedly-part of learning is being able to take the knowledge and skills gained in a course and use it in civic, professional, or personal contexts. But the definition of learning for me goes beyond just transferability. Learning also embodies the liberal arts tradition of being a well-rounded citizen and developing the critical thinking skills necessary for democracy to function. Learning is about personal growth, dedication, and a commitment to excellence.
I do not see research or theory as distinct from teaching; rather, teaching embodies “praxis,” or the space where theory and research meet. My dissertation research on transfer of writing knowledge and role of student attitudes in first-year composition is an example of this relationship. I became interested in these issues after experiencing issues of transfer firsthand and watching my students experience transfer problems. I took those experiences and turned them into my research, the findings of which have since impacted my teaching. As a researcher, my work can help more teachers and program administrators make pedagogical decisions to improve writing curriculum. Furthermore, my experiences as a student and teacher have provided me with a lifetime of research questions about the nature of learning and transfer, the role of student attitudes in the classroom, definitions of writing, and the development of writing expertise.
First and foremost my overall goal as an instructor to create a diverse and welcoming classroom for every student. I want to create a classroom where dominant educational culture does not become the only culture in the classroom; where all of my students are given the tools they need to learn and grow; and where the diversity of opinion, class, and culture is respected. Every student in my classes is looked upon as someone with the potential to not only pass, but to succeed. I believe creating an inclusive classroom is vital to fascinating student success at all levels of the curriculum.
My main goal specific to writing instruction is to have my students become better, more confident writers with a strong grounding in rhetorical principles that transfer across contexts and purposes. If they gain confidence in themselves as writers and are able to hone their skills, they will be able to tackle any writing challenge. This goal includes a focus academic writing they will do at the university, personal writing, professional writing and public and civic discourse. Teaching rhetorically is not unique to first-year composition; rather, students in writing courses of all levels can benefit. In my upper-division professional writing courses, my focus on rhetorical teaching can be demonstrated through my use of service learning projects where students are required to conduct an audience analysis of their potential clients and develop materials based on the context and purpose of the assignment. Students in my ENGL 106 and ENGL 108 first year composition classes write rhetorical analyses of documents from inside and outside their chosen fields of study to better understand rhetorical concepts and how they might transfer.
My second goal is to teach with transfer in mind. In all of my courses, I encourage my students to make connections between learning in their other courses, past experiences, and to research future writing possibilities-civic, personal, and professional. For example, in my ENGL 108 class this semester, students are working on writing projects that ask them to investigate writing in their chosen discipline or field of study. This includes interviewing a professional and an advanced student and examining the communication practices and discourse community conventions of the field. Students then use this knowledge to create a “writing guide” for future writing contexts. This project comes directly from my dissertation research, where I found that some students weren't able to transfer knowledge from writing courses effectively because they did not believe they would need those skills in their future courses or learning contexts.
My final goal is to create an engaging and challenging classroom. My dissertation research has shown just how important student motivation and attitudes are for learning to write, I work hard each semester to develop creative and interesting class activities, useful assignments, and challenges that encourage students to reflect and make connections. In first-year composition, I use role-playing, debates, multimedia, technology, and games to facilitate learning. I use a murder-mystery exercise to help teach organization, reasoning, and the research process. At higher levels of instruction, students develop their own grading materials and rubrics, choose readings and lead discussions, and develop class activities based on course content.
Each day I enter the classroom, both as a student and as an instructor, I learn so much about teaching. I view each day spent in the classroom as an experience to grow as an individual, a teacher, and a scholar. And it is my sincerest wish that my students leave my classroom feeling inspired to pursue the topic further, to learn, and to grow as I have.