Teaching Portfolio

TEACHING PORTFOLIO

Jennifer Fazio

Table of Contents

1) Teaching Philosophy

2) Teaching Goals and Methods

3) Course Syllabi and Assignment Objectives

4) Teaching Experience

5) Professional Development

6) Future Goals

Teaching Philosophy

In drawing life lessons from my students, I have formulated my own teaching philosophy and approach. When I was teaching culturally and ethnically diverse popu.lations in inner-cities, I learned how many of these majority-minority youth felt towards the “soft sciences.” For them, the arbitrary selection of facts and perspectives greatly influence how a topic is presented, making the science in this way “soft” or malleable, often less legitimate than the hard sciences for this very reason. Paradoxically, though recognizing eurocentrism or bias in the historical text, many of these same students would never see themselves as historians or philosophers. This personal learning experience helped me to organize the curriculum with the ultimate goal of nurturing critical thinkers who pursue life with intelligence, dignity, affiliation and a strong sense of purpose and possibility. Recognizing the distance between dismissing an author and not seeing oneself as a possible counter-authority, courses sought to bridge this divide. In recognizing this disconnect, my teaching method evolved as to focus on encouraging students to see themselves as social scientists and historians, to see themselves as writing the alternative text, as able to speak authoritatively for those without voice, that is, to write of the Invisible Man rather than to be one.

I believe this approach creates a vital classroom where the material, often thought of as in terms of a singular narrative, becomes open-ended. Recognizing their own analysis in relation to various “ways of seeing,” they are eager to share their views and engage in classroom debate or discussion. By introducing students to key sociological orienting frames, such as systems theory, symbolic interactionism or social and cultural capital, while familiarizing students with methods of knowing, including historical comparative and ethnography, we are better able to explore the material. My classroom style has also benefited greatly by using day-to-day examples and language. After years of field research in working class neighborhoods, I believe the “down home” approach to the material is more likely to pique the interest of the students engaging them at the level of the immediate. Particularly with sociology, but also with philosophy and history, social relevance, use of the day-to-day example is central to meaning making and resonance. Increasingly, I not only came to prefer this classroom style, I also found that a greater percentage of the class engage in classroom discussion, the latter which I consider a measure for effective teaching.

Also central to my teaching philosophy is the idea that social inquiry is relational, that is, that it is not only cumulative but also connective, exploratory, and responsible. Incorporating student feedback as a springboard to dive into future material has also contributed to creating a lively classroom. Often a popular concept such as ‘political economy’ will require concrete examples before students can work with it, and yet, in drawing on their own examples of economic hardship or the job hunt, they are in fact already well-acquainted with its meaning, this – as I have explained to them – is the beauty of the social sciences: in terms of understanding, they are already half way there! In studying either the gentrification of San Francisco’s Mission district or World War II, students’ proposals and policy solutions are used to assess the logic of actual events and to understand political choice, human nature, the limits of free will and social context. Whether it is history, philosophy, cultural studies or sociology, material is always presented in such a way as to make links between micro-mezzo-macro processes and social patterning. Using different teaching methods, including historical comparison, small group discussion and/or debate, students are able to break down the material and then, like the best auto mechanic, reconstruct the motor of the topic in question. In addition to incorporating a variety of perspectives, views and voices, the interdisciplinary approach exposes students to other tangentially-related developments in, for instance, social movements, literary, artistic or other cultural turns, in this way developing a sense of the poetic connections of historical occasions. I believe that for the reasons mentioned students fine my courses highly informative and engaging.

Teaching Goals and Methods

Goals

In working towards fostering informed social actors, the goals and methods seek social relevance and practical use in terms of career development and community services. In terms of curriculum content and classroom organization, my teaching goals include practical skill building, especially with regard to critical writing and public speaking. Whereas many courses in which I was enrolled did not stress relevant skill building, a goal of my teaching is to incorporate practical trends in the fields of human and social services. In wanting to prepare students by providing them with a skill set that best reflects the wants, needs and demands of employers today, emphasis is placed on research, including micro-investigative field research and various forms of writing, including policy briefs, literary review, proposal and grant writing. Active engagement of all students in the learning process is used to model the higher teaching goals of inclusion and to ensure full participation. Though I avoid putting students on the spot, activities are designed to ensure written feedback and oral participation while ice-breaker activities are used early in the semester to ensure that students have been introduced to and worked with a number of other students in the classroom.

Strong critical thinking skills and an enriched understanding of society are invaluable in working towards these higher goals. I incorporate these higher aspirations in my learning style through classroom discussion, student-led learning, and in giving continual attention to higher-order forms of cognitive skill building. The social sciences are perhaps the best forum to explore questions of diversity, difference, and meaning making – crucial to critical thinking. Through my courses, students should be able to analyze a particular issue, taking up various perspectives and positions – as well as situating these positions within the larger socio-political “ways of seeing” lattice – in this way engaging the material while studying its limits through understanding its larger epistemological frame in a robust form of analyses and understanding. In this way, the ultimate goal of informed and discerning individuals is developed through fostering critical thinkers who appreciate the integral relation between difference, tolerance and a vital public space or what Benjamin Barber (1984) refers to as “strong democracy.”

Methods

My teaching methods emphasize cooperative learning, which gives the students an opportunity to exchange ideas and benefit from the insights/feedback of one another. Considering my teaching goals, a variety of teaching methods are used in the classroom including group presentations using poster boards and presentations, independent free writing, definition building, lecture, whole class and small group discussion, simulations, a final written and oral presentation and other forms of cooperative learning activities (e.g., “think-pair share” where, after posing a question, students write out a response and then discuss their responses with another student). Writing, discussion and presentation are all central to the learning process for different reasons. However, ultimately, emphasis is placed on writing and public speaking, arguably the two most invaluable tools of any future scholar. Classroom presentations are critical to the learning process also in terms of the higher levels of cognitive skill building. Independent and group research is central to the course. Towards this end, resource databases, on-line sources and other material sources are continually provided throughout the course to direct students towards a variety of available material.

In an effort to provide clear and engaging lessons, courses are often structured around overhead presentations and student-led author evaluations, where designated student pairs review the previous week’s writings focusing on key concepts and the integrity of these concepts. In an effort to provide thoughtful feedback, considerate comments are provided on student assignment submissions. Because my teaching methodology emphasizes social relevance, both in terms of professional career developments and in terms of current events and community service, I will often use ‘social artifacts’ to kick-off a mini-lecture, such as hip hop lyrics, a policy brief or graffiti images.

Assessment

My teaching method combines classroom assessment techniques (CATs) and traditional course assessment. A good example of a CAT is the one-minute paper where students write about the most important point of a lecture or ask a question left unanswered by the lecture at the end of the class period. Another useful CAT is to have students paraphrase key concepts in their own words (i.e. directed paraphrasing). Traditional assessment methods include quizzes, exams and papers. There are many benefits to assessment in that it makes a strong contribution to the teaching-learning process. I have incorporated CATs into my teaching method because they are learner-centered, formative and context specific, they tend not to intimidate students but rather invite their own assessment of course content. Through assessment, students become better monitors of their own learning. In large courses, the group work/assessment aids in helping students to overcome feelings of anonymity and in recognizing the value of their own contribution. Importantly, it alerts students to the need to alter study skills or highlights where they may think they have a strong understanding of the material when in fact they do not. My assessment methods are tied to the ultimate goals of the class, including the focus on developing writing skills, working towards clear articulation of a well-conceived argument, enhanced critical thinking skills and familiarity with the key concepts of the discipline. One benefit of ongoing assessment is that it provides early feedback to students when it is still possible to make mid-course changes in their approach to the material. I have also found that through assessment and helpful commentary, I am able to foster a good rapport with students where they are more inclined to utilize office hours and seek additional help if it is needed.

Course Syllabi and Assignments

A copy of a syllabus for a prospective course in the Sociology of Youth in Urban Settings has been provided in COURSE SYLLABI. The objective of the course is to familiarize students with the landscape of social risk within the urban setting, an arguably unique experience particularly as relates to youth. In order to achieve this objective, the course utilizes an interdisciplinary approach combining literature and theories from multiple disciplines, including urban sociology, political science, geography, education, criminology and ethnography. This course fuses the exploration of key concerns of urban sociology, such as socio-economic polarization, and urban youth. The syllabus lists weekly themes and sub-topics beginning with an introduction to current trends in youth development. The course is broken down into three units: (1) Who or What is at Risk?; (2) Urban Theory’s Playing Field for Risk Studies; (3) Beyond Social.. Global Cities & Global Youth. The first unit introduces students to current conceptions of risk and familiarizes students with mobility trends, socio-cultural reproduction patterning, delinquency and trends in urban poverty. This overview is to provide a contextual setting for the analysis of risk. The second unit familiarizes students with prominent theoretical frameworks in the field that they can draw upon in making their analysis. The third unit explores questions of scale, from local to global, as relates to youth risk in the urban setting, posing the question, “In the throes of hardship, does globalization matter at all? Can hardship actually be globally induced?”

Assessment methods continually require students to analyze and synthesize material in formulating their own theoretical claims and opinions. Assignments involving, for instance, group work, independent research and peer review, provide students with an opportunity to become sociologists, gaining insights in a collegial atmosphere while developing their own writing style. Writing assignments include 1-2 page critical summaries, 1-2 page definition building (group-based), in addition to the literary review and research paper. Students will also be given opportunities to practice their oral presentation skills, using creative forms of audience engagement such as poster board or overhead. The teaching methods most used in the class incorporate group learning and peer review. However, mini-lectures are also provided at the commencing of each class. End of class assessment might involve a 1-2 minute activity, such as the one-minute paper. Assignments and assignment materials are made available to the students through the class group listserve, such as groups.google.com, where students may also be asked to post weekly comments.

Teaching Experience

In wanting to teach since my years as an undergraduate, I pursued a teaching credential in the Social Sciences from the University of Queensland, Australia. As a full-time high school teacher in New York City, I taught Ancient World History and Modern World History for two years, both of which are part of the core subject requirements for high school graduates. In California, I have taught one course in World Cultures for two semesters. This course also qualifies towards satisfying the History/Social Sciences high school “A-G” requirements for the state. I also taught an Introduction to Philosophy course to high school seniors in an intensive college preparatory summer program for gifted students.

Ancient World History content covered material from Early River Civilization through Medieval Europe. Modern World History covered Medieval Europe through Globalization and the Twentieth Century. These courses were taught at the Secondary School for Research in Brooklyn, New York during the 2003-2004 and 2004-2005 school years. Working with students with a wide range of academic ability forced me to think on my feet and to develop the skills necessary to reach and teach to such an academically diverse group in what were often large classes of 30 to 33 students.

The World History course content often went beyond the textbook incorporating current events and outside material. The course curriculum for both the World Cultures course and the Introduction to Philosophy course was created through compiling pertinent literatures. These courses often included the use of presentations and student-led discussions. The Secondary School for Research was one of three small schools created when John Jay High School was broken up into smaller schools. An inner-city school, it is with great pride among the teachers and staff that over 90 percent of its graduating students have gone on to City College, many of whom have transferred to state colleges since.

Professional Development

Teaching Credential

In addition to my MA and Ph.D, in 1994, I received my teaching credential from the University of Queensland, Australia in the Social Sciences with a focus on World History and World Cultures. I received a "secondary subject" credential in English and High School English curriculum design.

Professional Development

While concluding the final months of my doctoral studies in 2013, I pursued additional professional training through the Graduate Student Instructor Institute and Career Services program.

Community Enrichment

With a focus on community programs and urban policies, in addition to volunteer work with West Oakland ngo's like Overcomers with Hope (OWH), I also provided administrative/educational services to Berkeley's Department of Mental Health, with the Southern Poverty Law Center, and at the United Nations, for the Department of Econonomic and Social Affairs.

Publishing

The findings from the survey data, gathered as part of my doctoral study, will be presented in an article addressing youth perception and risk in today’s urban settings. The article provides a rare window into the perceptions of students who have actually left school early and struggled to sustain a certain degree of social mobility since this time. This perspective is contrasted with data sets – as found in the National Educational Longitudinal Study (NELS) data set – which base their understanding of dropouts on in-school students deemed “high risk.”

I will also submit a 20-page piece addressing the 1990s as an unusual decade instructed largely by President Clinton, which addresses the neoliberal turn away from Keynesian and/or Growth Liberal politics as popularized and gathering momentum since Reagan's 1980s.

Community Activism

Community outreach is sustained both as an in-school guest speaker, where I share with the student body a presentation on youth, risk and dropout trends. Community outreach work is also sustained through work with a local non-profit in West Oakland involved in community building, outreach, transitional growth, and home assistance.