Teaching Philosophy

My answer to question No. 1 from the teaching philosophy document comes from something I learned in Dr. Sherman's 571 class. To paraphrase a Peter Elbow quote, I teach to life, not to college. I had never heard this statement prior to this semester, but I'd like to think I have been teaching to life and not to college. However, reading that Sirc article (in which the Elbow question is asked) has made me question how much I have been teaching to life and how much I have been teaching to college. Ideally, I have been teaching to life with a bit of college. I say this because I'd like my students to learn writing skills that they can use in other classes. From that perspective I'd like to think I have been teaching to college. The bigger picture, however, is that I want my students to "foster critical thinking, facilitate the acquisition of life-long learning skills, prepare students to function effectively in an information economy, or develop problem-solving strategies." I want my students to think, to analyze, to form opinions based on facts/literature/etc., and to be able to express themselves in ways that best fit their needs. To me, that is the definition of teaching to life.

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