Course: FREN106: French II – Elementary/Intermediate

What do you enjoy about teaching? And why do you enjoy teaching this particular course? 

I enjoy crafting, implementing & observing the outcomes of well structured creative lessons. This course is fun because progress is apparent and moving students through the cognitive steps in language learning is deeply fulfilling.

What do you do to engage students in your classes? What are some of your signature pedagogical moves, especially as they relate to discussions in class?

Oral communication can be difficult, and students tend to be shy. I start by creating an environment where mistakes are welcome as valuable learning opportunities & student affect is reduced. This begins with breathing and relaxation exercises introduced early on in the curriculum. Communication takes breath and thought. Pedagogical means to engage students and have them engage with each other is accomplished through careful lesson design. For instance, introducing a ‘bingo mixer’ activity sets parameters and straightforward rules for the communication desired. All communication in this class occurs in pairs or groups. Another method I am partial to is using images along with carefully crafted questions to push conversation on specific topics or in specific tenses.

Is there anything else you would like to share about you, your teaching, or this course? 

I derive most of my communication methods from over 20 years of teaching various student groups. Among these, the most rigorous training and effective methods were gleaned from the military language program in which I taught for 3 years. The experience was eye-opening and pushed my instructional methods into a different realm, using cognitive research to stimulate real conversations, and advance speaking skills more rapidly. Now, I have evolved these methods to reduce role-play situations in oral communication and have students speak directly as themselves, using language they truly need.

Course: ENGL110: First Year Writing

What do you enjoy about teaching? And why do you enjoy teaching this particular course? 

When I step into the classroom, I feel as if so much is possible. My favorite moments are when students and I discover something new together or when a student surprises me with a new insight.

I love teaching ENGL110, especially during the fall, because of a few things: students are new and eager; it is the smallest class students take; and I get to know and encourage each student during their first (and often difficult) first year.

What do you do to engage students in your classes? What are some of your signature pedagogical moves, especially as they relate to discussions in class?

I engage my students by learning with them, showing enthusiasm and vulnerability. I also vary the activities of every class. Each class includes writing, reflection, small group work, and full class engaged discussion.

Is there anything else you would like to share about you, your teaching, or this course? 

Success and satisfaction in ENGL110 help students acclimate to college. I feel a deep sense of responsibility to make the experience rigorous, enjoyable, and educational. I always tell my students, “let’s make this class the one you WANT to come to.”

Course: ENTR253: Individual Leadership – Building a Foundation for Success

What do you enjoy about teaching? And why do you enjoy teaching this particular course? 

For me, teaching is all about cultivating and enhancing undergraduate student creativity, courage, empathy, and confidence. ENTR 253 Individual Leadership is a great vehicle for this learning process. My students explore their professional strengths/weaknesses and learn that it is more important to focus on and improve their strengths.

What do you do to engage students in your classes? What are some of your signature pedagogical moves, especially as they relate to discussions in class?

Ping-Pong Balls. Let me explain. I’m a believer of utilizing game theory into my classroom. Every student who enters my class knows they have to pick up a ping-pong ball and get rid of it by the end of that day’s class. They toss their ping-pong ball (into a bucket for points) after participating in discussion on the class topic. I balance healthy risk and reward as part of my signature pedagogical moves: (a) the risk is speaking up and adding your voice into class discussion by an acceptance of discomfort, and (b) the reward is finding your voice, beliefs, worldview, and having the intellectual humility to accept what you do not know or understand.

Is there anything else you would like to share about you, your teaching, or this course? 

ENTR 253 Individual Leadership is cross-listed with the LEAD major. The course is designed for students who want to develop critical & creative thinking, oral & written communication, leadership competency, and the ability to integrate across knowledge domains by applying leadership principles and character strengths that distinguish successful innovators. I teach at the nexus of leadership, entrepreneurship and intellectual virtues, such as creativity, open-mindedness, and intellectual humility.

Course: AFRA304: African American History to the Civil War

What do you enjoy about teaching? And why do you enjoy teaching this particular course? 

Greetings, I enjoy teaching because I get to be a part of the learning and further development process of different types of minds. I get to teach not only knowledge about content, but how to be a good human, what does it mean to be human, and what do we do with what we learn as humans. In relation to Africana Studies, I love teaching course in this discipline because I get to contribute to closing knowledge gaps about Black and Brown people globally. Doing so further allows students to understand how humans are meant to interact as one group and the role they are to play in the continued journey towards full freedom and liberation for everyone.

What do you do to engage students in your classes? What are some of your signature pedagogical moves, especially as they relate to discussions in class?

I believe that student discourse is the primary engagement tool for students in my classroom. To engage students, they participate in turn and talks, gallery walks with group discussions, structured academic controversy debates, as well as critical engagement and discussion with me on various topics. I do not just ‘lecture’ to my students. Instead, we engage in conversation and they also lead classes on some days.

Is there anything else you would like to share about you, your teaching, or this course? 

The purpose of education in America has not lived up to its promise to contribute to the growth and development of human beings. Education in America has maintained the creation of workers and not thinkers. In capitalistic society, education has become about ‘keeping the rich- rich’ and feeding everyone an unfilled dreamed and hopeless hope that one day they too can become rich. Schools have played an important part of turning students into workers. For example, many students have become use to asking ‘what do you want me to?, what do I know for this test/exam?, what do you ‘want’ me to learn?’ My goal is to deconstruct this narrative and reality and help my students become critical thinkers who understand what a freedom and laboratory pedagogy looks like, so that they can participate in it.

Once students reach the collegiate level of their career they are seeking true knowledge. They are wanting the chance to finally become thinkers and not just ‘doers’ in the classroom for a grade. As a professor, I give them what they are seeking. This is done by introducing students to rigorous coursework that instills an interest in the material taught in the classroom. Therefore, it is important to demonstrate to students how the information presented relates directly to their history and development as human beings who are capable of thinking. More importantly, students must understand the benefits of learning and thinking about the subject. However, most important is that students be taught how to think about the subject matter and know that what they think matters. They must learn what the thinking process looks like for them. This is what I aim to do, so that students in my courses can succeed and know who they are— not who I want them to be in the course.

Course: CIEG434: Air Pollution Control

What do you enjoy about teaching? And why do you enjoy teaching this particular course? 

For me, teaching is about the moment when you see a topic “click” with a student. After that, a chain reaction begins – they start applying familiar concepts in new ways, synthesizing information, and then going out to gain new knowledge on their own. I enjoy teaching Air Pollution Control because it may be the only air pollution course our environmental engineering students take, so I feel a responsibility to make it relevant and compelling. The course also calls on some concepts that students may not have seen since early in their course progression, so working with students as they journey from dusting off old concepts all the way through that “click” (and beyond) is really satisfying.

What do you do to engage students in your classes? What are some of your signature pedagogical moves, especially as they relate to discussions in class?

I love using props and models in all of my courses. In this course, it’s even more useful to develop creative visuals because most air pollution cannot be seen. I also look at the equations we use as telling us a story. We can break down the different parts of the equation, talk about how the result changes as different variables change, and we can discuss why that occurs and whether it makes sense. Giving students a lot of practice in this class is important as well; small-group problem solving is a hallmark of the course, carried over from the online flipped version of the course taught during COVID. Finally, I do try to create an engaging and welcoming classroom. Playing music as students arrive is another one of my “signature moves”. Songs about breathing (Ariana Grande, Michelle Branch, Fabolous), combustion (Deep Purple’s Smoke on the Water), driving (from the The Beatles to Olivia Rodrigo), and even specific air pollution control equipment will all make an appearance on the playlist.

Is there anything else you would like to share about you, your teaching, or this course? 

This is my second career after almost 14 years with the US EPA. I enjoy bringing my experience outside of academia into the classroom.

Course: PHYS143: Energy Technology and Society

What do you enjoy about teaching? And why do you enjoy teaching this particular course? 

I love sharing my knowledge with others, particularly the students, in such a way that it promotes critical consciousness. This course is about Energy and, of course, one of the existential threat the World has is related to how and how much energy we are producing, I teach students about both of these aspects.

What do you do to engage students in your classes? What are some of your signature pedagogical moves, especially as they relate to discussions in class?

1. Using science to help understand the problem in order to come to a viable solution. 2. Train students to speak and spread information about the issues related to energy and the environment. 3. In addition to science, read important Social/Cultural readings that might point us to the solution.

Is there anything else you would like to share about you, your teaching, or this course? 

Even though this is a Physics course, and we do cover the basic physics behind most energy producing processes, the meat of the course comes from student’s own research and related important readings that are not necessarily science based/focused.

Course: COMM209: Introduction to Public Relations

What do you enjoy about teaching? And why do you enjoy teaching this particular course? 

My teaching philosophy is based on a critical thinking and active learning approach. In my classes, this involves a variety of hands-on learning activities from role play simulations and large group discussion to independent reflective writing and small group problem-based learning that involves collaborative technology. With regard to discussions, I regularly use digital active learning platforms to explore real-life case studies based on current events. Students are graded based on short, open-ended discussion questions they can respond to anonymously, which encourages honest and candid dialogue, as well as equal opportunity for participation where there isn’t always a right or wrong answer.

What do you do to engage students in your classes? What are some of your signature pedagogical moves, especially as they relate to discussions in class?

I view the process of learning as a two-way street. Just as students are accountable to me to show up prepared for class and ready to actively engage in learning, I am accountable to them to maintain expertise in my field and the skillset to engage them in active learning.

Is there anything else you would like to share about you, your teaching, or this course? 

We will focus on “Diverse Voices & Perspectives” in public relations. I will walk students through a timeline of the 2018 Starbucks racial incident that took place in one of the company’s Philadelphia stores, where two Black men were arrested after a Starbucks manager called 911, claiming they were trespassing. Students are role-playing that they work for our fictional class PR agency, Smith & Co. Public Relations, to help our clients at Starbucks manage the crisis. Discussions will focus on evaluating the company’s social media response and providing the client with feedback, describing the key talking points students think the CEO should address in his public statement, and ultimately reflecting on what they learned and discussing if they think Starbucks’ overall response was appropriate.

Course: HDFS424: Professional Development Seminar I

What do you enjoy about teaching? And why do you enjoy teaching this particular course? 

I enjoy the dynamic interaction with intelligent young people who are connected to the issues and core of education, and who feel equally passionate about children and families. I enjoy this course because my students are in the field student teaching and this adds a much needed layer of support.

What do you do to engage students in your classes? What are some of your signature pedagogical moves, especially as they relate to discussions in class?

I enjoy creating dynamic engaging class sessions that integrate various modes of instruction, discussion, video, peer interaction, low tech & high tech tools. We may watch a video or read a short article, then discuss in groups and debrief in whole group. It is also important to allow students time to speak freely and informally with peers around varying topics and their student teaching experiences at large. Because my students are also Teacher Candidates and are my colleagues, it is important to model flexibility and varying teaching styles.

Is there anything else you would like to share about you, your teaching, or this course? 

Im excited to share discussion methods that seem to resonate with one of the toughest audiences (future teachers).

Thank you for your interest! These events take a few months to plan but we intend to have an Open Teaching Day in Spring 2025. We will post an open call for Spring 2025 instructors shortly after the conclusion of Fall 2024 Open Teaching Days

Due to the limited number of seats in each course, only registered attendees who have received a confirmation email from CTAL may attend classes. You must indicate your preference for the class sessions you would like to attend in the registration form. We will then email you your own class schedule with the meeting time(s), location(s), and anything else you need to know before attending class.