I have enjoyed many opportunities to teach and mentor students as a Course Instructor and Teaching Assistant.

Through a variety of teaching methods, I foster a classroom environment where students actively participate in thinking through social inequalities, theory, and the challenges of accurately understanding social life. In my courses students develop an understanding of the interdependencies between personal experiences, historical processes, and social contexts. They learn about the complexity of studying people who are constantly reflecting on their actions and dynamically navigating their life course in response to the shifting balance of power between networks of actors and entities at various levels of social organization. My teaching philosophy centers the fundamental uncertainty of science, which holds the promise (and risk) of continuously working with and accepting that what is considered strong evidence changes as knowledge cumulates and evolves. Regardless of the subject material, I focus on impressing on students the need to ask: what would we need to know, and what can we actually know, to make reliable claims?

My teaching philosophy emphasizes an engaging and challenging learning environment. Taking a student-centered approach helps build the analytical skills necessary for their future endeavours. In lectures, I emphasize the strengths and weaknesses of each perspective and encourage students to consider the value of diverse viewpoints as they develop their understanding. Students learn how to answer important questions about the connections between social arrangements, mechanisms, and outcomes. I provide assignments designed around learning specific skills; scaffolded feedback; group discussions, including alternative ways to participate; guest lectures; in-lecture data collection and analysis; timely and personalized feedback; the use of multimedia; and explain why I choose specific assignments and modes of evaluation. By building relationships with students, I help ensure that their perspectives are valued and that they want to come to class to learn.

 Students do not all come to the classroom with the same experiences and preparation. Watching students work hard but remain unsuccessful is among the most frustrating experiences I have had while teaching. To address this, I devote time to teaching students how to write in ways that support their arguments while considering diverse viewpoints, and how to take notes to improve retention and draw connections. I also work to enhance student effort by being transparent on assessments through detailed assignment instructions, clear rubrics, and examples of high-quality work.  This focus on equality of opportunity has been effective in improving the university experience for underrepresented groups. For example, in my recent course evaluations, the students reported that I encouraged respect for different opinions and experiences in the classroom. Beyond its pedagogical value, my approach promotes respect for diversity by exemplifying the contribution of pluralistic viewpoints. I am happiest with course design when I feel I have given students the resources to ensure that hard work brings success.

Teaching goes beyond the dissemination of knowledge—it is our duty to help transform consumers of knowledge into producers of knowledge.