I have had the opportunity to explore many different approaches to teaching. Each approach has taught me something and has given me tool to work with. Due to this, it is difficult to express a single philosophy that engages every aspect of teaching that seems necessary to a complete educational experience. However, the most important and effective approach I have, and continue to, engaged in are learner-centered practices. The holistic view of education taken by learner-centered practices are critical to their success and allows curriculum, syllabi, assignments, and even the physical classroom space to have an impact on the student’s education. The primary goal of leaner-centered practices is to develop autonomous learners who display adaptability, innovation, and creativity in their work and practice.
As I have worked to develop my teaching philosophy, one aspect I always knew was important was agency. The student must feel ownership over the material. Education must go beyond completing an assignment for a grade which is why I have long used the idiom “effort does not equal excellence” in my classroom. Learner-centered practices have also helped me develop my curriculum and explore new and diverse assignments that aimed at providing the student with ways of assessing their own progress in understanding the material. When possible, I even like to rearrange the classroom into a format where small conversations can happen. This may look like a circle, or, in larger classes, it may take the form of small groups of four or six. Conversation is where understanding is developed and carried through to knowledge.
While not all my students choose to engage in the opportunities that learner-centered practices provide, those that do remember well after graduation how those approaches helped shape them as autonomous learners. There is no doubt that my philosophy toward teaching will continue to change, but, for now, learner-centered practices have brought together many different areas of my experience and helped me to apply them in a single concerted effort for each class, and for curriculum as a whole.
Inclusivity in the classroom, and in a program at large, must be active and intentional. The necessity of an inclusive environment extends to many areas such as racial inclusivity, physical ability, economic background, and mental health. Using the public discourse that exists within a classroom and that surrounds a production is a powerful way for an organization to advocate for diversity and inclusivity by giving voice to groups that would normally lack the privilege of having a place to have their voice heard.
Even though Southwest Baptist University’s student body is overwhelmingly Caucasian, the theatre has made racial diversity within the program a goal. By connecting with the Black Student Union on campus, we have been able to provide advocacy in our productions and our classrooms through dramaturgy, participating post-show discussions, and involvement in our productions. The theatre’s goal is to communicate an intentionality to ensure an atmosphere that welcomes all who would like to participate.
I have also carefully crafted a space that is safe for all, despite religious bias that exists on the campus. This requires a delicate balance to ensure everyone is both safe and respected, while at the same time providing room for a variety of different, and often opposing, perspectives. Toward this end the classroom is an important forum for discussion and exploration. The plays chosen for production are also an essential setting for exposure to new and different ways of thinking.
Although diversity requires commitment for the long term, I will continue to learn how to help everyone find a place with my program and to support them and encourage them in their academic and professional pursuits, no matter their background. A student’s future cannot be determined by their past. This attitude must be established and defended by those in positions of authority, especially by the faculty they encounter every day.