Amy Aldridge Sanford’s Personal Pedagogy

Dr. Amy Aldridge Sanford’s Personal Pedagogy

“I always knew there had to be more to education than telling my students what I had learned in school.”

I saw a movie not too long ago called “Teacher’s Pet” (1958). It starred Doris Day and Clark Gable. Gable plays a nontraditional student who is an accomplished newspaper editor who returns to school just to prove how unnecessary a formal education is in the newspaper business. It is quick to correct the teacher when she misquotes a source to the class. It angers her and she admonishes him in front of his classmates. That movie was released nearly fifty years ago, but that scene can still be seen in many classrooms today.

I do not believe a teacher is the holder of all the knowledge in the room. The knowledge exists “between” us. Each student comes to my class with his/her own life experiences and expertise. In order to inventory what my students already know, we use many methods, including reading responses, group projects, presentations, and class discussions. To my linear students this may seem off the topic, but my global students appreciate it. By the end of the semester, most of my students “get it.” They understand my teaching style, their learning style, and that knowledge is created. We often talk about multiple truths and not Truth. We work on becoming better communication scholars and academic thinkers. I expect excellence from my students and often challenge them beyond their comfort levels. This discomfort occurs because my students’ existing paradigms are often challenged by the new material they learn in their interactions with their cohorts and me. We work to expand their paradigms in our classroom (see Bain).

My teaching methods are often considered unconventional. My students are not just receptacles in which I’m supposed to deposit my knowledge (see Freire). I am not a fan of letter grades and believe they are too often the only motivation for students to complete assignments. It is an extrinsic reward, and I’d like my students to develop intrinsic motivations. A college education should be viewed as a privilege and an opportunity to become learned and scholarly. However, until there is a better system, grades will be assigned in my classes. My grading philosophy is this: Work that meets the minimum requirements of an assignment, is completed on time and displays average involvement with the course content is deserving of a “C.” Higher grades are awarded to work that goes above and beyond the minimum standards to produce papers and presentations that reflect superior intellectual effort, excellence in critical analysis and overall creativity in the approach towards any given assignment. In other words, grades are earned in this class. An “A” is attainable but will require more than minimal effort.

No two classes have the same dynamic, and I appreciate and embrace that. I also must adjust to that and change my curriculum from class to class and semester to semester. (This is why calendars are not printed in my syllabi). In my teaching career, I have had some classes that were incredibly task-oriented. These students required and appreciated a lot of structure and organization. On the other hand, I’ve had classes that were very relational. They desired humor in the classroom and were most interested in the social aspects and real-world application of the classroom material. They were also laid back and did not require or respond to structure. I’ve had students who required practical knowledge, while others required theoretical knowledge.

I believe every student can learn. The foremost challenge faced by every educator is to create the best learning environment for every student. This issue is complicated because while a teacher has to create this individual environment, s/he must keep in mind the needs of the class as a whole. Every learning community has different dynamics and each individual in the community has different needs. It is the instructor’s responsibility to assist the students in feeling comfortable with each other and each other’s unique learning styles. If the students respect each other, there is a less threatening environment in the classroom. I believe students learn best in low-threat environments. Students’ brains just function better when they know that they will not be ridiculed or looked down upon for their answers, thoughts, or beliefs.

Ultimately, my teaching philosophy can be captured with one sentence: In order for students to reach their optimal learning environments and to expand their existing paradigms, the instructor has to embrace the informal inventory of each student’s needs, wants, histories, and abilities.