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Philosophy of Teaching and Learning Statement
I still remember Professor McGinn pacing up and down the aisles, struggling to balance his broken glasses on his face as he animatedly explained some sociological concept. His visible excitement for sociology, its foundational thinkers, and enduring theories was infectious. That passion stayed with me, ultimately motivating me to declare sociology as my major and to enroll in every course he taught. He gifted each of his students a pint glass etched with a Charles Horton Cooley quote about the sociological significance of bars, a small but telling gesture that captured his approach to teaching. In doing so, he made theory tangible, memorable, and connected to everyday life, an approach that continues to shape how I think about educational practice. In addition to passion and fun, I also include collective learning, continuous application of ethics, belonging, and psychological safety in my personal philosophy of teaching and learning. My approach to teaching brings together humanism and constructivism, resulting in a flexible and student-centered structure. The humanist approach centers relationships and establishes an environment of mutual accountability to engage in academic engagement. The core elements of the course are clearly defined, but the pathways students take to meet expectations are shaped by the learning community, rather than rigid rules. Humanism settles the course’s direction in the hands of the students and seeks to create an experience guided by their interests in the topic. In present day, I might call this the “vibe” of the course. Wherever feasible within course constraints, the assignments, discussion topics, and activities are adapted for the learner’s curiosity. Paired with constructivism, I aim to add guidelines that enable the course to achieve learning outcomes through collective learning. I see myself as a part of the collective, even though I am the instructor holding power and influence. In practice, this looks like assignments that have a variety of structures and ways to demonstrate comprehension. My teaching also tends to emphasize group analysis of topics with prompts related to equity and belonging. Dialogue related to race and other identities should only proceed once psychological safety is expressed via ground rules, relationship building, and acknowledgment of systemic pressures. My teaching and learning philosophy cultivate an environment where diversity and equity are foundational and woven throughout all course activities. Students must feel comfortable being themselves and sharing openly if we hope to create an atmosphere to challenge the existing power structures. The class will establish ground rules together. As an instructor and facilitator, I monitor adherence to the ground rules and support the class to work through conflict. If most students regularly share in class, I know folks are feeling safe and will confirm by asking the class. Finally, I tend to use myself and my privileged identities (White, faculty member, educated) to bring forward tough topics of privilege, oppression, and White supremacy. A main part of my role as trainer is to model challenging skills. As an example, I might bring real feedback sent to me in a course evaluation and show it to class. From there, talk through its component parts, how I interpret the feedback, seek ideas from the class on what I might be missing, test out suggestions to improve. This is often uncomfortable for me as an “authority” in the class, to show my learning edge. I have found it demonstrates humility and openness, and closes the gap between myself and the students. Connecting back to my cornerstone theories, classroom discussion and assignments will incorporate opportunities to connect the content to their lived experiences. To achieve this, classroom time must be intentionally structured to allow for personal sharing and relationship building between learners and the instructor. My goal is not only to learn every student’s name, but also to understand what they are passionate about in their lives, beyond social work alone. As I learn more about the students, I weave in specific topics of interest into the examples to demonstrate concepts. Finally, all assignments prioritize systemic critique, analyzing how inequities are created and maintained throughout institutions. Reflection, assessment, and growth are key components for strong teaching and impactful learning. Measuring student learning involves helping them build their skills and confidence throughout each assignment. Suppose the assignment build-up can result in a final project that demonstrates the range and depth of their new knowledge, even better. Another way to measure students’ knowledge integration is to ask the students to reflect on what they learned throughout the course. If the answers do not match the learning outcomes, I take note of drift and discrepancies, consult with peer educators, and adjust the syllabus accordingly. Critical reflection is another key component of my teaching and learning philosophy. Critical process, which includes thinking and meaning making, begins by examining your assumptions. Name the assumptions and their components. Define what you know to be “true” about them. Then, interrogate them closely to determine if there is any information that could change them. Interrogation involves naming who benefits from your assumptions and who is holding authority. Seek out evidence and examine its validity, who produced the evidence and whether any groups have critiqued it. Identify where the assumption came from and who protects it. Critical reflection provides space for using antiracist frameworks and brings new perspectives. Critical thought requires that we name the racist histories tied to the assumptions that built our institutions; this as true for education as any other institution. In How to Be an Antiracist, Ibram X. Kendi argues that the institution of education itself reinforces and reproduces racist assumptions about why people make the choices they do. Being an intentional and growing instructor is designed to reverse that process by translating equitable ideas into classroom practice, also called critical action. Part of my process will also include student evaluations and feedback. Examining the identified strengths, areas of growth, and suggestions is an important step in self-reflection. Students grow through instructor feedback, dialogue with peers, and personal drive. As an instructor, I enjoy recording videos of feedback to students to ensure that tone and intention land correctly. For example, I will provide detailed feedback in writing throughout a paper, but also record summative thoughts as an overall response to the work. Learning and growth also occur through conversation and engagement with their peers in class. Sometimes, fellow students can explain a concept or challenge an assumption with more success than the instructor, and thus should be empowered to do so. Finally, students are experts on themselves and how they might augment their integration of new material. Instructors should support and authentic process of self-reflexivity, including goals for future exploration. We end as we began, with a young Professor Horky back in Professor McGinn’s classroom, feeling the passion, sowing seeds of scholarly ambitions. My approach continues to transform as I learn more about pedagogy, andragogy, theories, and antiracism. I am committed to running a student-centered classroom grounded in the foundational theories of humanism, constructivism, collective learning, ethics, and belonging. All aspects of the course will embed antiracism in practice, primarily pushing students to critique oppressive systems. I hope to bring a culture of kinship that allows personal sharing and connection to lived experience. Education should not reproduce the same line of thinking; rather, it should squabble with entrenched hierarchies if we have any hope of affecting change at all levels. |
DEI Statement
Social work and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategies must be intertwined if we are to deliver valuable educational experiences. Social work espouses specific values, such as the dignity and worth of the person, service, integrity, and social justice. DEI work includes all of these elements as well. Structural racism persists by dehumanizing specific communities and withholding safety, care, guidance, and advocacy. Together, social work curriculum meshed with DEI can keep issues of privilege, power, oppression, and inequity in constant conversation. DEI content pushes social workers to root themselves in a social justice framework using tools developed with the communities we set out to serve. My role as a teacher mainly shows up during training sessions for community-based organizations engaged in street-based work. I am committed to using diversity, equity, and inclusion ideals as core components of my teaching and learning plans. In line with my teaching and learning philosophy, one main goal when beginning a course is to create a safe space for all students to learn. The first step is to facilitate the class in forming community agreements, establishing norms, and having a shared understanding of accountability. The purpose is two-fold: useful for the current class and as a model for creating safe spaces when students begin practicing social work in a leadership role. Students should be able to take risks and engage in honest dialogue. As a facilitator, I can support exploration of experiences across power differences and attend to the climate and relational dynamics. I can also model how to explicitly name power dynamics, whether by using myself as an example or by bringing an institution into focus for critique. Additionally, I demonstrate reflexivity by acknowledging my personal biases, blind spots, and the limits of my expertise and experience. I can push that even further to talk about how my expertise was taught to me from a dominant perspective, highlighting how the system reproduces prevailing thought. When presenting content, I will use trauma-informed techniques to weave antiracist pedagogy and theory into my presentation. Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire teaches us that education is inherently political, that we must investigate assumptions through dialogue. I bring this perspective to my teaching by centering the way we relate to each other as a way to understand the content. Course objectives and learning outcomes are established for all classes. However, individual students shape the pathway for absorbing the material by way of their strengths and curiosities. Use of diverse scholarship, sources, and perspectives also contributes to an inclusive learning environment. Content can include more than journal articles or textbooks, but also other sources that feature the knowledge, experience, and theories of indigenous folks and people of color. Social work education prepares students to bring social work perspectives to their practice, into their classroom, or to other industries. My goal is to incorporate current, relevant examples from innovative non-White practitioners for students to see firsthand how to apply theory in real-world settings. I examine dominant practices and highlight examples of advocacy for alternative approaches that better meet community needs. The classroom should be a safe place to take risks in the spirit of personal development, academic enrichment, and individual growth. Ideally, students are forming relationships and becoming familiar with one another. Naturally, conflict and tension will arise around any number of topics covered in the social work curriculum. As a facilitator, it is my role to model, support, and promote dialogue related to power, oppression, identity, and privilege. I use structured discussion and reflection to navigate difficult conversations. My experience has shown that students are less likely to challenge each other or name resistance, so it becomes my responsibility as the guide to do so. Courses should be inclusive, accessible, and inspiring for all learners. Inclusive course design aims to anticipate and support the needs of diverse learners. A trauma-informed space should include transparent expectations, clear communication, and instructor consistency. The assignments allow students to demonstrate content mastery through an assortment of projects. Participation points can also be earned through a range of engagement types and styles, not valuing one over another. I deliver my assessment of the student’s work in a multitude of ways, including written, audio, video, and over the phone. I tend to focus on feedback to help the student apply the material in real-world settings. I grade against a published rubric, and students can resubmit work to earn additional points. I believe in the power of iterative learning. If the student is willing to put in additional effort, I am inclined to reward it. Being a White instructor requires additional responsibility to ensure I am providing attention and support to historically marginalized communities. White Supremacy endorses White people to easily default to favoring White students, automatically providing mentorship, and assisting more readily with issues. As an instructor, I can step into an advocacy role with the institution if systemic barriers are inhibiting a student’s success. While students must be responsible for their own actions, I can attempt to intervene and reach out to students who are falling behind early in the class. I can be a steward of the resources and student support offered on campus or in a workplace. Professional development is the process of integrating prior knowledge with emerging information and practices to strengthen ethical decision-making, deepen reflective practice, and sustain a commitment to social justice. During training, I can create opportunities to collaborate, find information outside the academic institution, and assist students with networking skills. My behavior serves as an example for a social work professional, demonstrating these concepts in action, whether by acknowledging a mistake, creating a growth moment, or taking the time to respond to student feedback. Social work and DEI work live and breathe with us. Staying engaged in ongoing DEI work requires dialogue with colleagues to understand the day-to-day experiences of indigenous folks and people of color within the institution. I must seek out training and growth opportunities rooted in an antiracism perspective. I must participate in White accountability groups, bring challenging situations, and provide fellow practitioners with honest feedback. I must volunteer for organized social justice efforts. I must continue to explore teaching strategies that advance equity and inclusion, and push against dominant practices. I want more people to fall in love with social work, as I have. The crux of social work is being together, forming community, and fighting the power structures that prevent happiness for all. White folks must contend with their history of harm and commit to the joint effort of making social work education and training a just, equitable, inclusive, and harmonious experience for anyone who answers the call to be a social work advocate. |