"[E]ffective teachers are masters of their subject, can organize and emphasize, can clarify ideas and point out relationships, can motivate students, and are reasonable, open, concerned, and imaginative human beings" (Seldin, 1991, p. 1).
For me as a teacher, the best way to clarify ideas and point out relationships is two-fold: 1) relate the content to the lives of my students, and 2) keep a loose agenda for the day's learning.
The reason I love to teach writing and thinking is because of the endless application to the lives of my students. Some of my favorite classes involve applying stasis theory the awkward moment in dating when couples determine the status of the relationship. Other times I take events in the news and use them to teach other rhetorical principles. In the 2014 fall semester at Utah State University, Anita Sarkeesian cancelled a campus appearance after a death threat. We looked at the statement Sarkeesian released, as well as the University's response, and broke down each argument using Toulmin while simultaneously addressing pathos, ethos, and logos as well. These are the lessons students remember.
To facilitate these connections, I create loose teaching agenda's each day to open a space for serendipitous teaching moments. One instance stands out in an English 2010 class: after realizing that my planned lecture was loosing my students' interest, I put them into their magazine groups, I asked them to begin brainstorming magazine topic ideas. One group of three males and a quiet female as the editor-in-chief decided their topic would be sex. I let them play with the idea for a few minutes before adding my suggestions. As it turns out, the editor-in-chief had suggested sexism as a topic, and the male students changed it to sex, overlooking their female group leader. Before walking away, I suggested they assess their current situation with the knowledge that they were being sexist. The entire group dynamic changed for the rest of the semester with each male member giving her the respect she needed to create a successful group magazine.
Without the ability to be flexible in my day-to-day teaching, that learning opportunity would go unnoticed. That flexibility, combined with bringing in student interests, enables me to help students make clearer and stronger connections between course material and life outside of the classroom.
The reason I love to teach writing and thinking is because of the endless application to the lives of my students. Some of my favorite classes involve applying stasis theory the awkward moment in dating when couples determine the status of the relationship. Other times I take events in the news and use them to teach other rhetorical principles. In the 2014 fall semester at Utah State University, Anita Sarkeesian cancelled a campus appearance after a death threat. We looked at the statement Sarkeesian released, as well as the University's response, and broke down each argument using Toulmin while simultaneously addressing pathos, ethos, and logos as well. These are the lessons students remember.
To facilitate these connections, I create loose teaching agenda's each day to open a space for serendipitous teaching moments. One instance stands out in an English 2010 class: after realizing that my planned lecture was loosing my students' interest, I put them into their magazine groups, I asked them to begin brainstorming magazine topic ideas. One group of three males and a quiet female as the editor-in-chief decided their topic would be sex. I let them play with the idea for a few minutes before adding my suggestions. As it turns out, the editor-in-chief had suggested sexism as a topic, and the male students changed it to sex, overlooking their female group leader. Before walking away, I suggested they assess their current situation with the knowledge that they were being sexist. The entire group dynamic changed for the rest of the semester with each male member giving her the respect she needed to create a successful group magazine.
Without the ability to be flexible in my day-to-day teaching, that learning opportunity would go unnoticed. That flexibility, combined with bringing in student interests, enables me to help students make clearer and stronger connections between course material and life outside of the classroom.