Teaching Philosophy
Amira Akl
English class is unlike Mathematics in that it can explore many real-life topics such as history, politics, art and science. By exposing students to interesting universal issues and striking up a purpose for writing, they are able to react in original ways. I allow students to use their own opinions, and grant them the ability to express them in a safe environment; thus, they become passionate about attending and doing well in the class, as opposed to being “absorbers” in the back of the room. For this reason, I encourage students to view writing as a transformative discourse, with potential to advocate positive social change. Whether a student chooses to write to further their own agenda, to contextualize another piece of rhetoric (text, film, picture, website…etc), to support another person’s point about some grand or trivial issue, or to write a rebuttal to some argument, all positions are valid if they are well articulated and clearly supported. There are no invalid interpretations, but some people write in ways that invalidate their ideas. Students are heavily influenced by their experiences because social constructions create different standpoints for different students based on their gender, class, race, ethnicity, native language, and experiences. One cannot be completely objective about anything, writing included, so the goal of college composition, to me, is to encourage students to argue their personal opinions with logic and support. In order to do this, I expose students to multiple perspectives on real world issues and ask them to respond in writing, using proper format and vocabulary and a formal writing style. Films can really help a person visualize an issue, visualize the importance of an issue, and visualize change. When we think of technology in classes, we often think of the internet primarily, but films are a kind of technology that help achieve some of the goals of a writing class. I often show the film Crash in my Composition courses and I ask students to write about racism in America. Often, this assignment results in some exceptionally sophisticated responses, which may not have been possible without the film technology. I also ask my students to analyze the "message" filmmakers have for its viewers. I often assign work that requires research and knowledge of issues outside of the text for class and I strive to help students think outside their norms, whatever they are. Every student comes to Composition class with different struggles to overcome, and whatever prevents a student from completing course objectives becomes a teacher’s issue. Open communication and flexibility allow my students to feel comfortable in the class. In order to accomplish this flexibility, my class relies heavily on technology for communication with students. Blackboard is used to post assignments, lecture notes, writing tips, and links to resources. Students must submit all their written assignments via email; they receive their comments and grade via email; and they can view their individual grades and total class average at anytime on Blackboard. Technology also allows teachers to do new things in a classroom by enabling easy access to visual rhetoric.
For a sample teaching unit involving technology click HERE.