I believe students learn the most when educators empower them with the ability to advocate for themselves. Communication courses are often about providing information to those we need to reach or convince, clearly and effectively. Whether students need the right approach for an interview, the way to best communicate their skills or the knowledge and methods to navigate complex marketing situations, my teaching philosophy is strongly rooted in empowerment. This means providing a classroom environment that is welcoming but encourages critical thinking and a diversity of opinions.

The goals of my courses vary based on the kind of classes I teach. In more technical courses (public speaking), the goal is to have students acquire a skillset that they can use professionally. I use many exercises, both graded and ungraded, to give students confidence in using a skill and encourage them to step out of their comfort zone. With more theory driven courses, I encourage students to think creatively about the problems presented to them. Here, I often challenge students to push their own ideas further by providing several rounds of feedback on final group projects. I prefer these techniques to memorization because often students require active learning and in the information age it is more important to understand how to use knowledge rather than memorize it verbatim.

I implement this philosophy in practice as both an instructor and a teaching assistant. In my public speaking courses, I come prepared for students to have varying levels of experience and different needs, some may need more one-on-one practice during office hours and others need more opportunities for in-class activities. Here, I focus on getting students to advocate for themselves and causes they care about using four focused speeches and several in-class speaking opportunities. I find that when I allow students to incorporate their own passions and lived experience into their speeches they can tap into their public speaking skills more convincingly. I also encourage students to think on their feet by having them answer questions about their argumentation and reasoning after each speech. This is to prepare undergraduates to adapt to unforeseen questions in the workplace and get used to uncertainty.

During my time as a teaching assistant in strategic communication courses at the master’s level, I focused on providing useful critiques to students and pushing them to further their own ideas for branding and persuasive communication strategies. Given their advanced degree, professional MA students require more in-depth feedback and higher-level engagement with complex ideas. I enjoy working with these students and provide both constructive criticism and encouragement in all steps of their coursework. I also assisted with an online learning master’s in communication and worked through three 5-week courses with professional students. This experience gave me a new set of skills for working with industry professionals returning to education. For instance, where undergraduates need opportunities for one-on-one instruction, I found that industry professionals worked better with detailed feedback and clarification on iterative projects were built upon over the course of the class.

My experiences as an instructor of record and teaching assistant as allowed me to develop a teaching style that is interactive and encourages critical thinking. I aspire to share my dedication for education and passion for communication research with my students so that they can advocate for themselves and their ideas in their day-to-day life and professional work.