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My Teaching Philosophy

Gary H. Wilson, Ph.D.

Students in my classes are challenged to think critically in an environment that

values collective inquiry. In all my teaching, onsite or online, I endeavor to create among

my students a sense of shared intellectual community that not only increases their

comfort level in the class, but also seeks to dignify their contributions to a shared learning

effort, rather than ust having them engage in !assive kno"ledge acquisition. I find that

this teaching a!!roach "orks effectively "ith both recent high school graduates and older 

students returning to the community college classroom.

  Writing at the college level can be a very demanding task for even the strong

academic !erformers. #n effective college $nglish and com!osition instructor should

hel! students understand and a!!reciate that writing is a process. %he "riting !rocess is a

multi&staged !rocess highlighted by recursive drafting and revision. It is also a

collaborative !rocess, in "hich students are challenged to think critically and creatively

as they share their ideas and shar!en their "riting skills through !eer interaction.

$ffective $nglish teachers invariably teach "riting as !rocess, not ust as an end&!roduct.

$ffective "riting teachers also develo! the "ays and means to successfully track their

students' individual needs in progress, so a!!ro!riate feedback can be !rovided. (y

assessing my students through their evolving "riting !ortfolios, I find I can teach more

effectively to their needs and understand their unique "riting orientations. )ne of my

key goals as a com!osition instructor is to hel! my students understand and develo! their

o"n *voice* in "riting. In im!lementing this strategy, I discover that student&"riters are

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able to create dee!er and more intrinsic connections "ith their com!ositions and learn to

value the o"nershi! of their o"n ideas and creative thoughts. #!!roached in this

manner, "riting becomes more of a creative and liberating activity than ust an

assignment.

  I encourage collaborative "riting strategies both inside and outside the classroom

to hel! students benefit from collaborative learning and also to enable them to benefit

from their !eers+ skills and ideas. I em!hasie to all my students the !rece!t that an

effective essay develo!s from a !rocess- it becomes a final draft only after multi!le drafts

and active !eer revie"s and individual revisions have occurred.

  y classroom e/!eriences and recent research continue to !rove that learning

technologies and online course"are su!!ort students+ collaborative learning and also

enable them to engage more dee!ly in the "riting !rocess. %his active engagement in

online course"are "orks equally for "riters in onsite and online classes. $ngaging in the

"riting !rocess online and collaboratively through digital course"are and learning

 !latforms, such as (lackboard, WI(#, or Google Docs, to name several, are "riting

activities that continue to be re"arded by im!rovements in my students+ "riting levels.

When students "rite in virtual s!aces, they are engaged in the !rocess of "riting0and

their "riting then becomes !art of a collaborative enter!rise "here others can critique and

 !artici!ate in this !rocess. 1or this reason, I "ill certainly continue to develo! teaching

strategies that take advantage of the benefits that digital learning !latforms !rovide, and I

"ill share my more successful ideas and ongoing research "ith colleagues.

  2ollege $nglish instructors !ossess the unique o!!ortunity and res!onsibility to

make the future a better !lace for their students. %hey should im!art a vision to their

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students that em!hasies a!!reciating literature and develo!ing effective self&e/!ression

and "riting skills are vital to their !ersonal fulfillment, both intellectually and

vocationally. I have an abiding faith in the !o"er of teaching literature and "riting, and

 !ursue this !rofession "ith an idealism that dee!ens every day.