Teaching Experience
Instructor:
Teaching Assistant:
Fellowship:
- 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021 (Spring); 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020 (Fall); 2023, 2022, 2021 (Summer): Introduction to Sociology at Palm Beach State College
- 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021 (Spring); 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020 (Fall); 2021 (Summer): Sociology of Marriage & Family at Palm Beach State College
- 2023, 2022, 2021 (Summer): American Social Problems at Palm Beach State College
- 2019 (Spring): Introduction to Sociology as an adjunct instructor at Durham Tech Community College (see course reviews)
- 2018 (Fall): Introduction to Sociology as an adjunct instructor at Durham Tech Community College (see course reviews)
- 2018 (Summer): Social Research Methods as the instructor of record at Duke University
Teaching Assistant:
- 2020 (Spring): Introduction to Sociology as both a teaching assistant and lab lecturer
- 2019 (Fall): Social Research Methods
- 2019 (Spring): Social Research Methods
- 2018 (Fall): Social Research Methods
- 2018 (Spring): Sociology of Entrepreneurship
- 2017 (Fall): Sociology of Health and Immigration
- 2016 (Spring): Sociology of Drug Use and Abuse
- 2015 (Fall): Introduction to Sociology as both a teaching assistant and lab lecturer (student evaluations of TA/lab lecturer)
Fellowship:
- 2020-2021: Bass Instructional Fellowship Instructor of Record, returned to take job at Palm Beach State College (Duke University)
Courses I am prepared to teach
- Introduction to Sociology (see syllabi above)
- Social Research Methods (see syllabus above)
- Social Problems
- Medical Sociology
- Aging and the Life Course
- Social Determinants of Health/Fundamental Causes of Disease
- Demography
Teaching Philosophy
I am passionate about teaching sociology, and I take this responsibility seriously. My role as a teacher of sociology is to inspire students to think about and engage critically in their social worlds. In the classroom, I create a learning environment where students can process materials and construct new ideas, develop an identity, and learn about society and their place in it. I strive to help my students become better informed about the past, present, and potential future social problems that they might face. Students must be equipped with skills necessary to assess society by recognizing issues, seeking solutions, critically evaluating available information, and getting involved in their communities. With these abilities, students can succeed, not just academically, but in their professional and personal lives. My courses are designed to teach the theory, methods, and arguments of sociology as well as to foster an active learning environment where they can grow.
As a teacher, I claim responsibility for my students’ learning regarding the course material. In my classes, students are strongly encouraged to move beyond recollection so that they can explain and apply sociological concepts to their lives and professions. I want my students to learn to apply social theories and research methods that are foundational to the field in order to differentiate between “good” and “bad” research and reporting. For example, when students read social research in periodicals, they must be able to judge the quality of the study and determine if the report is scientific or biased and misleading.
To accomplish these objectives, I let three major principles guide my teaching practice: encouraging hands-on learning, developing comprehension, and practicing equitable feedback.
Encouraging hands-on learning.I find that lecturing or talking atstudents is ineffective for helping them retain and recall course materials. A better approach is providing students with regular opportunities to apply the course topics. For example, in class, I pose questions about social issues, income inequality, gender discrimination, and racial biases and open the floor to discussion. Many people live in a world of learned ignorance, and I find that in these instances, students have the opportunity to use course materials and real-world opinions to unlearn ignorance and recognize what they did and did not know about their peers, themselves, and society. Since student engagement is vital to increasing classroom participation, I work to create an active learning environment by developing syllabi that include research assignments, group projects that focus on concretely solving social problems through policy briefs, and debating proposed policies or solutions. To further facilitate in-class discussions, I utilize real-time technology such as Poll Everywhere, Kahoot, and videos to provide students the opportunity to engage with me, their peers, and the material.
Developing comprehension.For many students, understanding difficult concepts or abstract ideas is not an intuitive process. It takes time for them to internalize and follow thoughts in a way in which they apply to their lives and careers. One approach I find to be useful for helping students increase their comprehension over time is creating assignments that build on each other over a semester. For example, instead of asking students to write a term paper that is due the final week of the class, I create multiple smaller assignments: in a methods course, students develop a research question, then create an annotated bibliography and a literature review, then propose appropriate methods and data sets that build into a complete term paper by the end of the course. This incremental approach to creating a paper or project enables the students to focus on one or two aspects at a time and to get feedback earlier in the learning process. Furthermore, this process assists students in connecting the steps of research, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of scientific research as well as a better grasp of the course materials. This approach also enables me to keep a finger on the pulse of the class and allows me to work with students on a one-on-one basis as necessary.
Practicing equitable feedback. I provide my students with prompt and fair feedback. By providing students with regular hands-on and in-class learning activities, they see how to improve moving forward. Instructors are not immune to biases in grading or feedback, and I practice several techniques to ensure equitable grading. I develop and distribute clear rubrics before the term begins and adhere to the stated requirements when grading. When possible, I grade blindly without student identifying information. Periodically, students write minute papers providing feedback on that day’s class and how it could be improved. I do mid-course evaluations and adjust the course as necessary. Additionally, I have an anonymous online comment box for each class where students can share feedback, suggest ideas, or express concerns.
My teaching experiences taught me a great deal about how to be an effective teacher. My first role as a lab instructor received mostly positive reviews from the students. In general, students provided positive feedback about my energy level, knowledge of course material, and ability to relay information and convey concepts in an exciting and meaningful way. A few students felt I could do a better job of asking thought-provoking questions and bridging the course material to personal applications in their lives. I have used this student feedback to develop questions that challenge my students to think critically. I also get to know my students and their career goals by talking to them before and after class so that I can develop concrete examples of how the material covered in class applies to them. Student reviews from the introductory course at the community college indicated that I had improved from my previous experiences. Many students noted that the class was both “fun and informative” and that I was able to communicate well and adapt to the audience throughout the semester. Other students indicated that they became very interested in sociology and were considering more sociology classes or even a sociology major. Personally, I found responses those responses the most professionally rewarding compliments. During another semester of an introductory class, students were not as engaged as a previous semester, so I had them complete a mid-semester evaluation of the course and my teaching. Using their feedback, I adjusted my remaining lectures and materials to meet their requests of even more ways they could interact with the subject material. For example, as a class, we did a “privilege walk” to physically illustrate how society creates advantages for some and disadvantages for others.
I am always seeking to improve my teaching so that I can best communicate with my students. In every teaching opportunity, I ask students to evaluate both the course materials and the effectiveness of my teaching. As a part of my professional development, I am currently completing the Association of College and University Educations Certificate of Effecting Teaching, and I completed the Certificate in College Teaching Program provided by the Duke University graduate school. As a part of this program, I advanced my skills in syllabus development, effective teaching methods, and how to best reach and mentor my students.
As a teacher, I claim responsibility for my students’ learning regarding the course material. In my classes, students are strongly encouraged to move beyond recollection so that they can explain and apply sociological concepts to their lives and professions. I want my students to learn to apply social theories and research methods that are foundational to the field in order to differentiate between “good” and “bad” research and reporting. For example, when students read social research in periodicals, they must be able to judge the quality of the study and determine if the report is scientific or biased and misleading.
To accomplish these objectives, I let three major principles guide my teaching practice: encouraging hands-on learning, developing comprehension, and practicing equitable feedback.
Encouraging hands-on learning.I find that lecturing or talking atstudents is ineffective for helping them retain and recall course materials. A better approach is providing students with regular opportunities to apply the course topics. For example, in class, I pose questions about social issues, income inequality, gender discrimination, and racial biases and open the floor to discussion. Many people live in a world of learned ignorance, and I find that in these instances, students have the opportunity to use course materials and real-world opinions to unlearn ignorance and recognize what they did and did not know about their peers, themselves, and society. Since student engagement is vital to increasing classroom participation, I work to create an active learning environment by developing syllabi that include research assignments, group projects that focus on concretely solving social problems through policy briefs, and debating proposed policies or solutions. To further facilitate in-class discussions, I utilize real-time technology such as Poll Everywhere, Kahoot, and videos to provide students the opportunity to engage with me, their peers, and the material.
Developing comprehension.For many students, understanding difficult concepts or abstract ideas is not an intuitive process. It takes time for them to internalize and follow thoughts in a way in which they apply to their lives and careers. One approach I find to be useful for helping students increase their comprehension over time is creating assignments that build on each other over a semester. For example, instead of asking students to write a term paper that is due the final week of the class, I create multiple smaller assignments: in a methods course, students develop a research question, then create an annotated bibliography and a literature review, then propose appropriate methods and data sets that build into a complete term paper by the end of the course. This incremental approach to creating a paper or project enables the students to focus on one or two aspects at a time and to get feedback earlier in the learning process. Furthermore, this process assists students in connecting the steps of research, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of scientific research as well as a better grasp of the course materials. This approach also enables me to keep a finger on the pulse of the class and allows me to work with students on a one-on-one basis as necessary.
Practicing equitable feedback. I provide my students with prompt and fair feedback. By providing students with regular hands-on and in-class learning activities, they see how to improve moving forward. Instructors are not immune to biases in grading or feedback, and I practice several techniques to ensure equitable grading. I develop and distribute clear rubrics before the term begins and adhere to the stated requirements when grading. When possible, I grade blindly without student identifying information. Periodically, students write minute papers providing feedback on that day’s class and how it could be improved. I do mid-course evaluations and adjust the course as necessary. Additionally, I have an anonymous online comment box for each class where students can share feedback, suggest ideas, or express concerns.
My teaching experiences taught me a great deal about how to be an effective teacher. My first role as a lab instructor received mostly positive reviews from the students. In general, students provided positive feedback about my energy level, knowledge of course material, and ability to relay information and convey concepts in an exciting and meaningful way. A few students felt I could do a better job of asking thought-provoking questions and bridging the course material to personal applications in their lives. I have used this student feedback to develop questions that challenge my students to think critically. I also get to know my students and their career goals by talking to them before and after class so that I can develop concrete examples of how the material covered in class applies to them. Student reviews from the introductory course at the community college indicated that I had improved from my previous experiences. Many students noted that the class was both “fun and informative” and that I was able to communicate well and adapt to the audience throughout the semester. Other students indicated that they became very interested in sociology and were considering more sociology classes or even a sociology major. Personally, I found responses those responses the most professionally rewarding compliments. During another semester of an introductory class, students were not as engaged as a previous semester, so I had them complete a mid-semester evaluation of the course and my teaching. Using their feedback, I adjusted my remaining lectures and materials to meet their requests of even more ways they could interact with the subject material. For example, as a class, we did a “privilege walk” to physically illustrate how society creates advantages for some and disadvantages for others.
I am always seeking to improve my teaching so that I can best communicate with my students. In every teaching opportunity, I ask students to evaluate both the course materials and the effectiveness of my teaching. As a part of my professional development, I am currently completing the Association of College and University Educations Certificate of Effecting Teaching, and I completed the Certificate in College Teaching Program provided by the Duke University graduate school. As a part of this program, I advanced my skills in syllabus development, effective teaching methods, and how to best reach and mentor my students.