Teaching Philosophy

The academy is not paradise. But learning is a place where paradise can be created. The classroom, with all its limitations, remains a location of possibility. In that field of possibility we have the opportunity to labor for freedom, to demand of ourselves and our comrades, an openness of mind and heart that allows us to face reality even as we collectively imagine ways to move beyond boundaries, to transgress. This is education as the practice of freedom.

(hooks, 1994, p. 207)

Drawing of a monarch butterfly. Image by Fleur

Centering Transformative Critical Pedagogy

My primary goal as an instructor is to create a learning environment that promotes an atmosphere of safety in risk-taking while stimulating critical thinking and collaboration in learning. Freire (1972) posits that it is risk-taking that leads to problem solving in education. Approaching course material with a critical analysis and examining the role of power, privilege, and oppression throughout society and within the classroom is essential to the education of practitioners in training, regardless of whether they plan to practice in micro or macro contexts. Students do not enter social work education as empty vessels; they bring experiences, assumptions, and critiques that inform their theories of the world. Framed by Mezirow’s (1990) transformational learning, my commitment to participatory education utilizes collaborative learning and teaching approaches in the classroom. I build on students’ preexisting knowledge, experiences, and identities to support their development of critical thinking and skill building. Therefore, course activities are designed to achieve praxis through a cycle of experience, awareness, reflection, practice, and ultimately, transformation. By providing opportunities for students to develop a critical consciousness of oppression and examine their own roles as oppressor and/or oppressed, I contextualize social work to the lives of my students.

Despite the promise of these teaching methods, critical pedagogy has been criticized as privileging white perspectives in the classroom, primarily by continuing to center white students and focusing on identity politics (Blackwell, 2010). In order to counter this, I emphasize intersectionality in every course, recognizing that power cannot be explained by one factor. I find that these discussions result in an impactful collective learning experience, one where students are able to see beyond their own identities and genuinely learn from each other.

Praxis

Included in my teaching toolbox is critical arts-based pedagogy, which allows me to make my teaching can be creative, out of the box, and vulnerable. I often format class as a circle practice, echoing Freire’s culture circles (Souto-Manning, 2010). I push students out of their routine by incorporating art projects, poetry, and activities, such as those exemplified in the techniques of Theater of the Oppressed (Boal, 2000), which often include modeling of self, classmates, and other elements of theater and role-play. I find that many of these activities are also beneficial for students with varying abilities; for example, a student who was hard-of-hearing fully participated in many theater exercises in a BSW Research Methods course, and a student with low vision in a Grassroots Organizing and Social Justice course took the lead in the use of music and rhythm in the classroom to convey ideas.

Outcomes

Although I have yet to discover a specific formula to induce collaborative, critical pedagogy, I have come to realize that an essential step in reaching this goal is consistent engagement in self-reflection, specifically regarding the idea of control in the classroom. Through this reflexivity, I have identified themes of my willingness or reluctance to cede control, students’ resistance to taking ownership of the classroom, and increasing investment in shared learning. I am also aware that my social identities as a queer, gender fluid, mixed-race, able-bodied person impact the way that I negotiate power and expertise. These identities also influence how I model risk-taking in the classroom. This may take the shape of disclosing aspects of my social identities (when appropriate) as examples of those who hold power and those who are more oppressed. I also hold myself accountable to students: one concrete way this happens is through midterm evaluations, the results of which I discuss with my classes.

I am committed to fostering learning environments that equip future social workers to transform the social reality they share with their clients. I use active and creative strategies to incorporate themes of power, identity, and oppression into course content. By moving away from hierarchical models of teaching where the instructor maintains control, I hope to make learning a paradise for all of my students.

References

Blackwell, D. M. (2010). Sidelines and separate spaces: Making education anti-racist for students of color. Race Ethnicity and Education, 13(4), 473-494.

Boal, A. (2000). Theater of the oppressed. London, UK: Pluto Press.

Freire, P. (1972). Pedagogy of the oppressed. Harmondsworth, UK: Penguin.

hooks, b. (1994). Teaching to transgress: Education as the practice of freedom. New York, NY: Routledge.

Mezirow, J. (1990). How critical reflection triggers transformative learning. In J. Mezirow (Ed.), Fostering critical reflection in adulthood (pp. 1-20). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Souto-Manning, M. (2010). Freire, teaching, and learning: Culture circles across contexts. New York, NY: Peter Lang.

Advising Philosophy

My advising philosophy is based on my own experience of having multiple advisors and mentors during my college career and graduate program and my current tenure-track position here at the University of Minnesota. I am a social scientist who values interdisciplinary research and I ground myself in anti-racist research and pedagogy.

I enjoy collaborating with colleagues and community members in my work, and seek to include students in my manuscript writing. My goals include supporting students in presenting research findings at conferences as well as publication in peer-reviewed journals. My research agenda includes a range of topics related to youth power and systemic oppression, currently focusing on the school-to-prison nexus and schools as a place of love. I am especially committed to mentoring students in qualitative and critical quantitative research. I have a strong background in qualitative analysis, including grounded theory and phenomenology. I have a basic background in statistical methods and am comfortable in SPSS and Stata. I never rely on quantitative data alone and employ mixed-methods research using critical approaches.

My communication style is direct. I believe that regular check-ins are essential in a mentoring relationship, and appreciate in-person interaction. However, I also understand the need to be flexible. I strive to be available through multiple modes of communication - text, email, Zoom, etc. I don’t check my email during non-business hours, campus breaks or holidays and expect this to serve as a model for the students I work with.

I am happy to read over abstracts or sections of a paper within an appropriate time frame. I ask that students be specific in their requests and the type of feedback they seek. I am also happy to write letters of recommendation or or supporting documents. I provide tools, such as a research activities inventory, to the students I work with. I expect to receive those, along with a C.V. and a couple of bullet points for discussion, along with any requests for letters.

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