Philosophy

A teaching philosophy is like a good book.  We hang on to its most memorable ideas, and every visit – no matter how brief – changes our perceptions in the slightest yet most profound ways.

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 with student writing as a reader would.  Students should be provided many opportunities to write for multiple audiences and to receive feedback from sources other than the instructor, such as through peer review and reader response groups; so, I use small peer groups so that students learn to accept and appreciate critical feedback from other sources as being both valid and useful.

In English Studies, we often discuss the importance of the writing process, but we rarely incorporate it into our classroom practices usually due to time constraints; however, 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 which is why I allow revision on all major written assignments.  It does increase my grading load substantially, but by offering revision opportunities to students, I place the “ball in their court,” if you will, and allow them to take on the responsibility for improving their own grades.  In this way, I think it also demonstrates how writing and revision is an on-going process.

My professional writing background guides the rhetorical perspective I employ because I am highly interested in meeting the needs of the audience in a pragmatic or practical way; however, I am equally vested in expressive and formalistic systems in my teaching practices as I believe that writing and identity formation are social processes and the primary means of expressing one’s individuality is through writing. This is especially the case with struggling or disadvantaged students as they come to know themselves, others, and their place in the world through their writing.  Ultimately, this is the case because our writing is a part of our identity – if students feel that they cannot write well, then they will likely have low self-esteem and low performance.  So, in a sense, I am not only a writing instructor who strives to encourage expressive writing or authentic voice, but in order for one’s words to be understood and taken seriously, proper form and grammar must be taught since it has become a social standard for acceptance and success in the corporate world.  As such, I will personally ensure that all of my students are well-prepared to move forward in their educational and professional lives.

– Cynthia Pengilly