Teaching Philosophy

I consider education as a means by which we gain knowledge of the world and develop ideas for improving it. Therefore, I organize my teaching around the ideas that education must be accountable to society, be committed to learner development, rely on continuous learning, be founded on a pedagogy of care, and employ an effective mode of delivery.  

My experience as an educator in diverse political and cultural contexts has taught me that education can inspire and mobilize students to strive toward better futures and provide opportunities for social justice. Earlier in my career, I learned that freedom did not imply an escape from violence, pain, responsibility, or the “real” world into the imagined worlds of the literary texts I assigned students to read. Instead, freedom meant the capacity to develop moral imagination to understand how to make sense of the world and re-imagine ways of improving it. I anchored my teaching in critical pedagogy that encourages learners to critique structures of power and oppression. In literary studies, especially Global Black Studies, learners must consider the social significance of their scholarship and the effects it will have on other students and society at large. Given the colonial legacy of Black Studies in the US., my teaching must be responsible for the ongoing strategies of decolonization that foreground scholarship that resists violence and promotes healing. My syllabi include readings that enable students to discuss colonization as ongoing rather than purely historical. For instance, in the “Dramatic Literature”course, I assign students contemporary works by scholars and dramatists who seek to evolve “tragedy” from different perspectives beyond its heritage in Western thought. My goal is to push students to learn how to challenge radical narratives, oppression, racism, and neocolonialism. I achieve this by creatively using critical journals and discussion boards as platforms for students to engage with each other’s ideas. The prompts and feedback I give students push them to consider multiple ways of understanding an issue. I organize course content by thematic concerns to enable students to find relevant connections to their lives, leading to higher engagement and an active learning environment. 

To teach well, I strive to connect with students and care about their education. I recognize that students have different learning needs and preferences due to their backgrounds. The courses I teach in English and Global Black Studies require students to make connections across African and African Diaspora cultures, languages, and ways of knowing. Therefore, I encourage students to connect their cultures to the rich black tradition that is often the subject of our classes. For instance, in the “Africa and the Atlantic World” class discussion sections, I ask the students to be mindful of the diversity of the learning communities they work with and to engage them with respect. I incorporate the requirement into the discussion syllabus to remind students to learn to talk about cultures other than their own. I sustain devotion to my students through self-reflective practice, allowing me to cultivate a consciousness of equity in and outside the classrooms.

I recognize that students in my courses vary widely regarding positionality, prior knowledge, and relationships with African and African diaspora perspectives and communities. Therefore, I design class activities that encourage the students to build knowledge collaboratively, drawing upon their multiple and diverse understandings, identities, and experiences. For instance, in many of my classes, I design a signature assignment that encourages students to work in group projects geared to solving national and global challenges. These projects teach students the value of tearing down the empathy walls that prevent people from understanding the Other, who holds different opinions and beliefs or whose life is anchored in different circumstances. As a teacher, I believe in letting students build meaningful relationships organically and without coercion. This practice allows me to respect my students as they learn to embrace their shared values and identify opportunities for enhancing their lives in different ways.  

My course delivery is founded on the idea of the “circle process” as a strategy for encouraging multiple viewpoints and promoting inclusive discussions. The circle locates discussion leadership around the rim and provides an inclusive means for discoursing, acknowledging the importance of people, and honoring the learning space. Students often come to class with personal interests that they try to advance during the discussion. The circle provides a structure for the students to balance respect with personal accomplishments. Students learn to advocate for themselves while paying attention to their colleagues, speaking candidly, and remaining unmatched in discussion outcomes.

The idea of the circle is not simply about arranging seats in a circle and inviting students to speak in turns. It is much more as it involves critical practices that order participation and facilitation. Where possible, a talking piece (artifact agreeable to students) is passed around, giving the holder a chance to contribute to a discussion without interruption. A talking piece reduces the urge to interrupt with humor, sympathy, disagreement, opinion, or diverting inquiries. Instead, it encourages students to trust the process, not speak for the sake of it, and to have the courage to take their turn when a contribution wells up inside them. More importantly, the talking piece slows down the students to let them think critically about their contribution and whether it is accountable to other students and society. During the first class, I teach students about the circle process and invite them to set discussion guidelines, strengthen the circle, and increase accountability. The circle guarantees students equal opportunities to participate in discussions. Although I use the circle as the primary format for discussion, I make sure to incorporate other interaction techniques beyond the circle (e.g., working individually, in pairs, or class-wide) to maintain student engagement over time.

When designing course assessments, I incorporate students’ choice, creativity, and flexibility regarding assignments. This initiative allows students to develop innovative projects that speak to their areas of interest. Furthermore, to avoid overwhelming students with the workload, I break down major assignments into small portions to be completed throughout the semester. This strategy appeals to students new to the college experience or those with other responsibilities beyond college that may affect their ability to meet course requirements. Finally, I provide a rubric and instruct students on how to use it to improve their work. My goal is to mitigate bias and promote inclusive practices in assessing students’ work. 

In conclusion, I consider teaching as a “practice of freedom,” achievable through a series of classroom and beyond classroom activities. As a teacher, I must cultivate a critical self-reflective practice to enable me to identify areas of improvement that can advance learner development. I remain firmly rooted in my commitment to marginalized communities, and the social transformation required to see diverse peoples treat each other with dignity ensures that my approaches to teaching and learning are characterized by enthusiasm and integrity.