Teaching Philosophy

My primary aim as a teacher is to help students learn to make connections. Whether a literal connection such as setting up a reporting interview, or a more figurative one such as constructing a theoretical argument, these spaces are where learning occurs. As an instructor, my role is to foster the creation of such connective spaces—but I cannot create them alone. This is a joint effort between me and my students, and indeed among the students themselves.

My college-level teaching is deeply influenced by my own experiences as a student in a Montessori elementary school—I emphasize project-based, active, and self-directed learning—and by my time as the first graduate student employee of the College of Communication’s Center for Advancing Teaching Excellence. In that role, I worked with the founding director to develop teaching programming and website materials, and to co-lead trainings for Undergraduate Learning Assistants and new faculty members. Our work centers inclusive best practices, which I carry into my own classroom.

I believe that educators have a responsibility to make learning accessible to all, and that by adhering to this responsibility, the entire class benefits. When designing class policies, I do so with the understanding that my students may have (as I did in college) second jobs—; may be first-generation students; may be parents or caregivers; may be neurodivergent; and certainly will represent a multitude of cultural backgrounds. When selecting course materials, I do so with the goal of my students are able to see themselves as potential authors of those same materials. This is particularly important for future journalists, who must be able to envision themselves in the newsroom. I aim to keep costs of participation in class as low as possible (last year, the cost was $27- the price of an Associated Press Stylebook subscription).

With regard to inclusive course design, I am intentional about transparency. I send weekly checklists for students that include how much time each task should take, and begin assignments overviews with a purpose statement – why are we even doing this lesson? How does it fit with our overall class goals? I do not believe that transparency is incompatible with rigor: I will provide a clear pathway to success via the checklists, detailed rubrics, and frequent use of revise-and-resubmit writing assignments. But it is ultimately up to the student to follow this path.

The project-based approach I take with my teaching further benefits students because they are able to tackle individual components and build on each new skill learned—interviewing, designing a multimedia project, editing a draft—without being overwhelmed at the end of the term. I intentionally overlap assignment deadlines, however, so students can gain experience balancing multiple projects at once. As one student wrote in their course evaluations this spring: “This class was educational in a multitude of ways and I believe I can apply the skills I learned here in whatever field of work I pursue.” My fall and spring Multimedia News Reporting classes last year received ratings of 4.5 and 4.6 out of 5, as compared to the departmental average of 4.4.