My teaching philosophy as an Instructor of Developmental English and Composition at the college level goes beyond assisting my students in becoming better writers and thinkers. The Theories of Composition that primarily inform my instruction are Process, Expressivist, and Collaborative. Process-driven writing works to strengthen skills over time and to denote that it is never quite finished. There is always room for improvement in writing. Meanwhile, Expressivist offers the chance for students to identify themselves through language by encouraging their own authentic voice. Lastly, the value of collaborative learning is high and interaction between peers allows for better understanding of individual experiences, enhances the creative and critical thinking processes and promotes writing as a social construct.

I inspire a desire for intellectual curiosity and lifelong learning in my students and strive to foster a learning community in which that can thrive. The climate in my classrooms is respectful, inclusive and open-minded. Students are encouraged to consider the perspective of others. Consequently, this encourages stronger critical thinking, problem-solving and collaboration; skill sets that will benefit them in and out of the classroom and position them as productive citizens and effective communicators in an ever-evolving global society. Additionally, I am an advocate for equity: Everyone is entitled to the opportunity to learn and should have access to space and resources to bring that opportunity to fruition.

My methodology is an engaging mix of lecture, multi-media presentations and independent research designed to catalyze their thought process and ignite their enthusiasm for learning. Consequently, I offer my students both the chance to explore subject matter that interests them as well as provide targeted, yet compelling assignments that engage them. That, coupled with collaboration and peer review, enhances and hones the skills necessary for them to excel both in written and oral form in the classroom and beyond.  Although I teach writing as a process, I stress to my students from the beginning that they will only get out of the process what they choose to put in. In other words, while everyone is given the opportunity to learn, not everyone has the desire to and therefore, marked improvement in writing can only be achieved by the student “buy in” to the process of pre-write, draft and revision.  Assessment is accomplished both formally (i.e., tests, projects, essay writing) and informally (i.e., think-pair-share, jigsaw).

Since everyone learns differently, assignments are diverse, so that everyone experiences that aspect of equity and has the chance to succeed. For example, independent projects include Annotated Bibliographies and Research Papers; group and partner work include an oral debate, and a "collateral project" where teams choose an issue that is currently effecting society, propose a solution for it and design a collateral piece (newsletter, PSA, brochure or PowerPoint) to sell their solution to a specific audience of their choice.  Throughout the semester, social media platforms and technologies are integrated into the curriculum to further engage and evolve the writing process for them.

Additionally, students engage in a wide variety of process-driven writing that emphasizes purpose, rhetoric and audience.  Students delve into narrative, persuasive, argument and expository composition and engage in critical, close readings. Also, strategies are presented that center on assisting students to strengthen communication capabilities by improving vocabulary and writing mechanics. To further the collaborative process, students are encouraged to give constructive feedback openly and honestly within our contact spaces, so that they may learn to accept it as such.

In conclusion, by offering a variety of writing opportunities and instructional methodologies that reflect a balanced mix of pedagogies, students are able to think and write in both a critical and creative manner to specific audiences for targeted purposes. To that end, they learn from, and engage in, diverse forms of effective communication that will benefit them beyond the classroom.