Pedagogy

For my first "official" post, outside of the syllabus, I want to write about my pedagogy, or my method and practice of teaching. I mentioned some of this in class today, but as we situate ourselves between paper and machine in this class, I think your knowing something about my relationship to teaching is important.

In my classroom—no matter the subject—I work with students to engage with language differently. I am very committed to drawing from their own literacies and, in the process, I help them become aware that they in fact have a discourse and critical vocabulary—essentially, their own repertoire of keywords that they use daily and often effortlessly. I realize that some instructors feel it is important to keep abreast of what they think students are interested in, television shows, music, media forms, and so on. I have never taken this approach and instead I always remain mindful that I could never predict—nor would I want to try—what students “like” or spend their time doing outside of the classroom. Instead, my own research interests and experiences largely inform my courses. And yet, my pedagogy and research are closely aligned in a way that also balances the unique positionalities of each student and each classroom.

In general, I have an interest in emerging media forms and the residual ideological, social and political effects they have in their cultural emergence. In the last several months, I have noticed that many people, including highly respected academics, are using blogs to write anything from their daily thoughts to critical essay-like productions. I haven’t known what to make of this cultural and even scholarly shift, so I have decided to utilize the space of the classroom and the power of 26 minds over 1 to think through this media form. With this course, and to a certain extent with each course I have taught, I allow for productive failures and the opportunity to rethink the plan I set forth. Again, the students are an integral part of this reshaping and I have had to learn to account for those who prefer a more passive position in the classroom. My experimental approaches are at times met with resistance and frustration from the students and, therefore, I have learned to absorb these moments as well and transform them into something productive. For example, I have introduced new media practices in the classroom and then quickly experienced those moments in which technology all too often fails, both technically and conceptually. I use these moments to discuss what it means when technology, which increasingly has an aura of infallibility in Western culture, fails.

Therefore, the students and I always confront the problem or frustration at hand and most often, this relies on my ability to faciliate such a discussion in which everyone feels comfortable speaking, even if their opinion is unpopular or controversial. This facilitation style requires incredible confidence on my part, which I have had to cultivate—and will continue to do so—over several years. Finally, my pedagogy relies on a certain transparency with my students: they know the syllabus is reworkable, that I certainly do not know the answers to every question, and that there is no distinct line between teacher and student in my classroom. On this last point, I have spent six years focusing on how such a lack of distinction does not create disarray and disrespect toward me or other students; this is not a simple task and, as I said, such a pedagogical style requires confidence and a willingness to spend time learning the intricate dynamics of a classroom community.