A teaching philosophy is like a good book.  It never ages, yet slightly (and profoundly) changes during every brief visit.

“A teaching philosophy should be flexible and easily adaptable to the current situation, while taking into account student learning styles, institutional and technological constraints and affordances.  As a writing instructor, I am concerned with the process of my student’s writing and the importance of critically responding and engaging in student writing as a reader might.  Students should be provided opportunity to write for multiple audiences and to receive feedback from sources other than the instructor, such as through peer review and reader response group groups; revision is an essential part of the writing process and students should be given the opportunity to utilize the feedback they have received and incorporate it into future drafts.

Academically speaking, my value system (axiology)  for determining what constitutes good writing is blended between rhetoric, expressivist, and formalistic practices.  My professional writing background guides the rhetorical perspective as I am highly interested in meeting the need’s of the audience; however, I am equally vested in expressive and formalistic systems as I believe that writing and identity formation are social processes and the primary means of expressing one’s individuality is through writing; as such, expressive writing or authentic voice is still essential to become a well-rounded writer, but in order for one’s words to be understood and taken seriously, proper form and grammar must be adhered to since it has become a social standard for both personal and professional writing.  My epistemology is transactional as I believe that truth and knowledge are discovered through social interaction, which means that reality and truth are defined collectively and consequently can change without notice.  My teaching pedagogy is similar to my axiology in that it is a blending of many styles; it is equally divided between process, expressivism, and rhetorical approaches.  An example of this blended pedagogy can most easily be seen in my course design (see “Writing About Computer Games“) and through the assignment selection for pre-designed courses that I have taught in the past (see Syllabi and Lectures).  Finally, when it concerns the writer’s process and what I believe to be most important, I fall within the cognitive and social approaches; I want students to understand the logic behind their decisions during the writing process, but I am also equally concerned with preparing them to write in a social context, including collaborative writing.  Finally, I am a strong proponent of WAC and WID initiatives as students will be expected to write in various settings and for myriad audiences, both personal and professional, which necessarily requires the university to holistically prepare students for success both within and beyond the walls of academia.”