My approach to teaching is built on three foundational ideas: Consistency builds trust, diverse perspectives improve the educational atmosphere, and mistakes breed innovation. I have found that students come to my classes—whether online or a traditional setting, in both skills and conceptual courses—with a variety of desires and goals, but they all need a space where they are comfortable learning. This is an exciting time to be in media and journalism. The industry tumult has come with a lot of questions about ethics, audience needs, and journalistic best practices. My courses are designed to engage future leaders in the journalism industry to use creative problem solving to make informed decisions. My educational philosophy is grounded in a belief that students who know I have their best interests in mind can learn and grow into professional who are prepared to address important questions about news storytelling.
Foster trust. Trust between students and teachers is essential. This means that I must consistently be early to class, answer emails quickly, grade assignments in a timely manner with thoughtful feedback, and be in my office for my designated hours. It doesn’t mean that I am a doormat, however. My course syllabuses are designed to acknowledge that life can get in the way of an ideal learning environment, but also that the rules established at the beginning of the semester are crafted to give all students equal access to learning opportunities and a structure that students can count on. Schedules and structure as well as clear expectations about desired outcomes mean that students know what to expect from my classes.
My authority as an instructor comes from my students believing that I am actively engaged with them in the educational effort. One recent student evaluation noted that I helped guide discussion in the classroom by intently listening to students then repeating or summarizing them for the entire class to hear. This is an important technique I use in a large classroom to allow everyone to actively engage with the material. I believe that the best learning comes from students interacting with each other. This means that team learning and group work are structured into each of my classes. Additionally, whenever possible I try to build in one-on-one sessions with each student.
Embrace diversity. My educational approach is built on empirically driven pedagogical best practices. One example of this is a commitment to recognizing diverse perspectives and backgrounds to create a more robust learning environment. Human beings rarely learn from people who share their opinions, so it is important to represent my own perspectives as well as others in the classroom. I make an active attempt to incorporate traditionally underrepresented populations in my course readings and material, but I also try to discuss alternative perspectives on each topic to show a range of ideas.
Students also have a diverse set of learning needs in each classroom. To structure a lecture and discussion to embrace all learning styles, I build in opportunities for students to engage with important material throughout the class session. Often, I will use common devices like “write down all of your thoughts about” the topic we are discussing, and then use that activity to enter a discussion. One of my favorite times to do this is when we are introducing the concept of “loyalty,” a common public relations value in an ethics course. I ask students to write down all of the ideas and people to which they are loyal. This gives students—both individually and as a group—time to process a concept that we will then be talking about for several days.
Learn from mistakes. The classroom is a place where I have an opportunity to show what it means to be a life-long learner. After each semester, I carefully review my own notes and student evaluations to learn what has worked and what has not. I understand that failure fosters success and I try to model this in the classroom. Each semester, I try something ambitious and new in my courses that incorporates contemporary practices and real-world issues. At the end of every semester I have an idea of what worked and what did not.
Students must also know that the classroom is a place where they can make mistakes. In my courses, they have opportunities to experiment and try something new. Frankly, this makes assignment hard to grade, which is why I am careful to design clear assessment rubrics tied to course objectives to show students the expectations for each assignment. Additionally, explanations for each assignment include a discussion about how and why this is tied to a learning objective and learning tool.
As an educator, I know that my job does not stop at the classroom door. I attempt to build relationships with students and learn their interests so that I can reach them where they are in the learning process. My courses and I are individual components in a multi-year program designed to give students the tools and opportunities they need to succeed. I am most successful when I approach my job with this understanding in mind. I will not serve every student in the same way, and my approach will not resonate with all students in my classes, but the college experience is designed to be a series of tasks and challenges each with separate objectives. By being a resource for students with diverse needs, building trust inside and outside of the classroom, and taking chances, I am modeling the behavior that I want to see from my students.