Teaching Philosophy
Effective teaching requires actively engaging students with sociological theory and research. Adapting to the diverse needs within my classes and ensuring that students are equipped with the tools they need to succeed are central to this and require maintaining high expectations of both myself and my students. Learning is a collaborative process, and, as the instructor, I am responsible for creating a holding environment where all students feel safe to lead with their curiosity. To do this, I focus on experiential learning, feedback and reflection activities, and accountability in my classroom.
Experiential learning activities are helpful for students to both understand and navigate difficult topics. I have an extensive portfolio of experiential learning activities that I draw on for different lessons. For example, when I teach about climate change communication, I use a role-playing activity where students act as one of several characters who are experts of climate change, all with different professional backgrounds and personal identities. Students are led through a discussion as their characters, which is followed up with a reflection. This exercise engages students with the tensions, contradictions, and limitations surrounding emotional intelligence and intersectional identities. It fosters consideration for how these dynamics influence both the communication of climate science and how this information is received by different groups.
I incorporate many activities for engagement in my classroom and try to continually introduce new approaches to learning. I utilize some group discussions, but I also lead activities such as reflection free-writing and pair-and-share that may be more comfortable for less vocal students in the classroom. I have found this to be an effective way to incorporate an intersectional lens in my classroom, as it allows us to hear from different perspectives. I believe that being attentive to who speaks freely and who is more reserved is critical for shaping a classroom environment in which all students can participate fully. It also allows avenues for case-in-point pedagogy, where I can model for students what respectfully calling in their peers can look like and demonstrate the way that microaggressions persist in seemingly innocuous ways.
In addition to meeting the course objectives and teaching students the necessary, sociological skills and theory, I also reserve time for the development of skills that I believe are often taken for granted in university education. This includes skills related to writing a good thesis, organizing a paper, strategically reading books and journal articles, accessing library services, and citing correctly. This is an area that I have received significant positive feedback from students on, as many of them were previously unaware of these norms.
My assessments center heavily around writing and communication, as, for my students studying at the intersection of the environment, people, and social justice, I believe these to be the most important skills they will develop. The ability to take in knowledge, reflect on it, and then articulate this into an argument is critical, regardless of whether they choose to remain in academia or pursue another endeavor. I utilize numerous writing exercises, including long answer quizzes, critical reflections, and argument papers to foster strong writing skills among students. I put a great deal of effort into providing timely and detailed feedback to students so that they can improve throughout the course. Many of my students have commented on the dramatic improvement in their writing over the course of a semester. I have developed techniques that allow writing centered coursework to be manageable in larger class sizes, particularly through peer review exercises and the intensive mentoring and training of graduate teaching assistants.
Accountability centers heavily in my approach to teaching. I set the expectation for students that they are accountable to themselves and their own learning, while providing resources for how they can ensure their own success. I have frequently had students and mentors comment on my ability to push students without compromising their mental wellbeing. Clear and consistent communication has played a large role in my ability to do this, as has modeling accountability as the course instructor. At the beginning of the course, I make it clear what students can expect of me and I follow through on those commitments. For example, the need for timely and in-depth feedback is critical to ensuring that students remain the focus of course teaching by helping them engage in an iterative learning process. I make the commitment to turn my students grading around within two weeks as this demonstrates that not only are deadlines important, but that I value their time and efforts.
Courses
Taught
GRADUATE COURSES
University of Alberta, Principal Instructor
Rural Communities and Global Economies
winter 2022
winter 2023
Peter Lougheed Leadership College Teaching Fellow
DIVE Foundations of Adaptive Leadership
fall 2021
winter 2022
UNDERGRADUATE COURSES
University of Alberta, Principal Instructor
Rural Communities and Global Economies
winter 2022
winter 2023
winter 2024
The politics of food and natural resources
winter 2024
University of Alberta, Co-Lead Course Development
Considering Gender in Extractive Industries
asynchronous