erin daina mcclellan
Teaching
TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
I believe teaching is about inspiring students to think about the
world in a way they have not yet attempted. By learning new
perspectives, new theories, and new approaches to practical
problem-solving and critical analysis of thought, I hope to provide
them with an opportunity to be as prepared as possible for an
ever-changing world. Since whatever we teach today may or may not be
directly applicable to the world in which live tomorrow, I believe
students prepared to adapt, apply, and critically assess what they
learn in the classroom are the surest skill sets we can offer. I
believe in one-on-one support whenever possible and continually
encourage my students to come to my office hours for advice on how to
academically succeed in the classroom, help study for exams, seek
support in writing papers, and discuss terms and concepts that may be
more easily understood in a one-on-one environment. I consciously
design my classes to take into account a variety of learning styles and
incorporate small group activities, individual reflection assignments,
and open class participation (in both oral and written forms) as part
of my lecture-application teaching format. I continually emphasize
praxis as a foundation of rhetorical studies – the combination of
theoretical understandings of abstract concepts and terms with concrete
and “lived” examples of their application is essential to a holistic
understanding of any discipline. I encourage not only student
participation, but also interaction—with both each other (instructors
and students alike) and with the physical environments that so often
subconsciously persuade us to believe, do, and think in powerful ways.
I strive to provide an atmosphere in which students can learn from me
as an instructor, their texts, each other, and their everyday lived
experiences outside the traditional classroom on a daily basis.
Teaching is what I consider to be the true test of my academic
knowledge; I cannot claim to know what I cannot teach. Watching my
students take ideas to new levels is the joy of teaching; watching a
concept develop into a consequential project for making a difference in
even one person’s world is what matters.
Today's students need to be prepared to enter a complex world in which
critical thinking is an absolute necessity. Teaching critical thinking
skills, however, are often overlooked at the expense of "teaching to
the test." While it is important that students are able to do well on
exams, it is also important that they are given the opportunity to
explore their own interests and critically think about the world in
ways that do not result in a clear "right" answer. I encourage students
to consider the difference between a "good" answer and a "right" (or
"wrong") answer. Teaching is a continuous challenge as I strive to make
history alive in our modern understandings of how we engage in and
interpret rhetoric on a daily basis. By encouraging students to explore
their own interests when completing term projects, answering essay
questions, or participating in activities, I aim to give them as much
opportunity as possible to apply their life experiences and pursuits to
the theories and concepts we discuss in the classroom. Today's world is
not only complex for students, but it is equally complex for
instructors. By modeling to students how to be both a rhetorician and a
rhetor in various ways, I hope that they may be able to competently
navigate the complexities of everyday life, no matter what may fall
before them.
TEACHING AWARD
Best Should Teach Award (2006) - faculty nominated award issues
by the University of Colorado at Boulder Graduate Teacher Program
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
- Boise State University
- Comm 231 - Public Speaking
- Comm 321 - Rhetorical Theories
- Comm 331 - Message Analysis &
Criticism
- Comm 412 - History of Persuasion
- Comm 441 - Advanced Public Presentation
- Comm 441 - Advanced Rhetorical Studies
- Comm 484 - Studies in Rhetoric & Public Presentation:
Advanced Rhetorical Theory
- Comm 484 - Studies in Rhetoric & Public Presentation:
Public Place and Space
- Comm 484 - Studies in Rhetoric & Public Presentation:
Exploring Public Places and Spaces (Interdisciplinary Course
Cross-Listed and Co-Taught with Assistant Professor of Community &
Regional Planning, Amanda Johnson)
- Comm 498 - Seminar (Communication & Urban Life)
- Comm 501 - Research Methods
- Comm 501 - Communication Research & Writing
- Comm 510 - Communication, Community, & Politics
- Denison University
- Comm 315 - Contemporary Rhetorical Theory
- Comm 315 - Rhetoric, Culture, and the City
- Comm 315 - Cultures in Conversation
- Comm 223 - Rhetoric and Persuasion
- Comm 122 - Argumentation
- Comm 101 - Public Speaking
- University of Colorado at Boulder
- Comm 1210 - Perspectives on Human Communication
- Comm 1300 - Public Speaking
- Comm 3300 - Rhetorical Foundations
- Comm 3310 - Principles and Practices of Argumentation
- Comm 4300 - Rhetoric, Culture, and Urban Life
- Comm 4300 - Rhetoric and Civic Community
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