Colin Mckenzie Clark Griffin | Teaching Philosophy Statement
“Write what you need to write, feed the hunger for meaning in your life.”
–Donald Murray
My views on writing instruction are rooted in social-epistemic pedagogy, and revolve around the notions of perspective, relevancy, and conversation. It is my belief that these three tenets are essential to the writing classroom; they help create a learning environment that develops students’ identity as writers and that encourages the critical thinking and awareness needed to engage with prevalent issues in contemporary society.
Perspective, to me, is about helping students to realize the value of their experiences and to see equal validity in those of others. Early in the semester, I employ self-centric writing assignments (i.e. personal narratives, reflection essays) that call students to assess their self-perceptions and how their experiences have influenced that identity. As students develop agency in their personal voice, I begin to emphasize activities and assignments that push students to put that voice in conversation with perspectives that diverge from or challenge their own. I feel that, in order to wholly accomplish this, it is imperative that students read with frequency. My writing course embraces weekly readings that present varying viewpoints on pertinent topics. Such an emphasis on reading places the student in near constant interaction with new ways of thinking, which is solidified through routine class discussions that allow students to discuss their engagement with those perspectives. I strongly feel that this approach produces students who place value in diversity of thought and who see the significance of their own stories.
Relevancy, as it pertains to my views on writing instruction, entails the creation of course materials that the student can readily see as being connected to their personal interests. Furthermore, relevant work should also teach skillsets that students can identify as being beneficial to their continued studies. To achieve this, I find it important to create assignment prompts that allow students to engage with new literacies using topics already familiar to them (i.e. music, movies, sports, etc.) I feel as though the more choices students are given, the more likely they are to find connections between themselves and what they are learning. Another key part of relevancy understands that not all students will find those connections through written expression alone. Thus, the relevant classroom is one that does not privilege any one style or mode of learning. Today’s digitized society makes this increasingly more possible, as modern technology greatly extends what we are able to accomplish in the composition classroom. My in-class activities test desired academic literacies through hybridizing the traditional lecture with visual, tactile, and aural expression. When talking about persuasive writing, for instance, students may be tasked with creating a mock advertisement that they will analytically present before their classmates. I feel that assignments like the aforementioned not only give students multiple ways to demonstrate what they are learning, but also hold similarity to the types of scenarios one might find in workplace contexts.
Conversation is arguably the most significant aspect of the three tenets my teaching philosophy embraces. To me, the development of new meaning loses significance when it is not actively and purposefully shared. I make adamant efforts to encourage my students to stay involved in the discussions their works contribute to. To do this, I place great emphasis on the idea that academic work has life outside of the classroom. I see benefit in incorporating social media (i.e. Twitter, Facebook) to keep course-centric conversations going outside of the classroom space. I encourage students at all levels to seek publication of their works, and to stay current in reading what others have published in regards to their subjects of interest. My core assignments often allow students the opportunity to make their voices heard in communities outside of academia. For instance, students may elect to write a persuasive essay in the form of a letter than brings their opinions and research to the attention of elected officials capable of acting upon them. I also emphasize collaborative work in my classrooms as a means of perpetuating conversation. I place great value in students coming together as the embrace new materials and work collectively to accomplish tasks. I view the classroom as a learning community where students learn from each other as well as myself. I do not feel that this can be realized without the sense of connectedness that comes from frequent discussion. This connectivity helps to establish a non-restrictive learning environment in which personal views are championed and a true sense of growth and learning occur. In other words, the student has the ability to take the critical thinking and analytical skills he or she has learned throughout the course and apply those concepts to both their future courses and their lives as a whole. I work to not only prepare students for academic learning, but to equally prepare them for what lies ahead as they continue to develop and grow as human beings.
