Teaching Statement - Protected
- 1. M atthew J M artinez © 1 Matthew Martinez Statement of Teaching Philosophy My passion for teaching emerged from an unexpected place. It was cultivated in the paradoxical anger and joy of early 90’s Hip-Hop music. The rawness of this art form intrigued and inspired as lyrics about social justice, poverty, educational disparities, and racial inequalities resonated deeply with my own experiences growing up. The pain I felt in these lyrics as a child galvanized me to seek holistic solutions to social injustice as a college student. This pursuit led me to serve in diverse neighborhoods like West Oakland and the Edgewood neighborhood in San Antonio, Texas, and was a catalyst for my academic research as I found empirical evidence for the lyrical truth that first influenced me. The result of this journey is a unique devotion to holistic learning which informs my teaching philosophy. My teaching philosophy centers on four principals: 1) community, 2) creative expression in the classroom, 3) active mentorship, and 4) student success. Community The knowledge I bring to the classroom spans the epistemological landscape and shapes how I teach and what I teach. My experiences growing up in poverty, working in at-risk schools, and encountering violence in the form of aggravated robbery and drive-by shootings allow me to make sociological concepts relatable and tangible. During lectures I share stories with students about real situations and people who have been impacted by the social problems described in textbooks. These stories add a level of credibility that sociology is vitally impactful in people’s daily lives. I emphasize the pragmatic nature of sociology and the importance of students as social actors by cultivating a community environment in and out of the classroom. When I was a sociology graduate student at Baylor University, I observed the teaching styles of many faculty members. One of the professors I observed was Dr. Kevin Daugherty. As I sat in his course I was amazed by the level of classroom participation and enthusiasm that he received from students. In courses I teach I incorporate some of his techniques with the goal of building a community atmosphere. Some of these techniques include calling each student by name whenever we interact which requires that I memorize each student’s name. Another way I foster classroom community is by allowing students time to announce birthdays, personal accolades, and campus/community events they are part of. Creating a classroom affinity allows students to feel safe and welcomed making them more likely to participate in classroom discussions. When students feel more involved and attached in the classroom, I have found them more apt to form study groups and hold each other accountable to complete assignments and attend class regularly. In addition to stimulating community in the classroom, I have an experiential teaching style which includes giving students opportunities to be involved in the local community. For example, in the Sociology of Education syllabus I have published in TRAILS, I give students the option to replace one exam grade by mentoring at an at-risk school in their neighborhood for the semester. This option allows students to experience the concepts learned in the classroom first- hand and helps to diversify their epistemological perspective. I do not expect students to engage in this activity alone as I believe in the concept of servant leadership. Therefore, during the semester, I will also participate in the mentoring program as this helps to build upon the community climate I expect to establish in the classroom.
- 2. M atthew J M artinez © 2 Matthew Martinez Creativity in the Classroom I believe that students are naturally inquisitive and creative. Therefore, one of my duties as an instructor is to refine these qualities so that they find proper expression. One way of accomplishing this task is to give students freedom in their presentation styles and methods. As students are assigned to give presentations, I encourage them to be creative in their delivery method – far too often we succumb to death by Power Point. Some examples of creative presentation methods are the production of a skit, poem, song, or art piece that adequately summarizes the assigned project. By having to develop a creative delivery method, students deeply engage in the material as they must know it well enough to be able to deliver an unconventional presentation. Another way that I promote students’ creative and inquisitive attributes is by developing their creative thinking skills. My teaching philosophy is focused on how students learn, as much as on what they learn. If students leave my class having sharpened their analytical skills, understanding how to critically think about topics in sociology, then I believe I have led a successful course. My responsibility as an educator is to make sure students are prepared for the workforce and for life and a teaching philosophy centered on the development of critical thinking skills is best suited to reaching these objectives. The pragmatic nature of sociology is uniquely structured to allow for critical thought and analyses while giving students great opportunities to learn how to learn and how to apply this knowledge. Along with focusing on cultivating student creativity, I continuously seek new and exciting teaching styles and methods as I grow professionally. I incorporate creativity into my teaching methods as seen in the Sociology of Education course I have developed. In this course I have created what I call, Black Jack Quizzes which serve two purposes: 1) to stimulate student reading and 2) to give a tangible way of understanding meritocracy and advantage within the institution of education. The Black Jack Quizzes are a spin on traditional pop quizzes as they have the same desired affect of keeping students engaged in the weekly reading assignments through the element of surprise. The addition of the components of skill and luck built into the game add an experiential learning dimension whereby students can understand the interaction of talent and fortune in educational outcomes. Mentoring and Training Students Having learned from engaging and committed professors, part of my teaching philosophy is to see students developed and trained to become change agents in the academy, their community, and future workplace. To accomplish this goal, mentoring students through their independent research, capstone, and/or thesis projects will be part of my commitment to the teaching profession. Mentorship is also accomplished through career guidance as students decide what steps to take after graduation and through the development of their research ideas. My large body of quantitative and methodological skills allow me to help students with a diversity of projects. In addition, working on collaborative projects will help students build their analytic and statistical skill set and professional resumes as they pursue further training or employment upon graduation. I also mentor students through a diverse curriculum. Diversity of curriculum is found in both the author’s socioeconomic and gendered background as well as their epistemological perspective. By introducing students to a varied curriculum, I expand their worldview and provide diverse academic role models to a diverse classroom.
- 3. M atthew J M artinez © 3 Matthew Martinez Seeing Students Succeed One of my favorite poems to perform ends with a big twist in subject matter and the crowd’s reaction is always the same – silence. It’s at this point I know that I’ve accomplished the goal of this particular piece and the audience is in deep reflection. I know that not every one of my instruction days will end with such a reaction, nor would I want it too, but what drives me as a teacher is to see students engage deeply with course material. At the end of our time together as a class, I hope to witness several things. I hope to: 1) see students grow as creative thinkers, 2) see students reevaluate their career goals in light of the knowledge they have gained, and ultimately 3) see students successful in the course and their future endeavors. There are several ways to evaluate if I have been effective in my responsibilities as a teacher. As students begin to think critically about their social world, they will begin to demonstrate an ability to evaluate facts and distinguish fact from opinion. An example of an evaluative metric for student’s development as critical thinkers is for students to create policy memorandums for a given policy in the subject area. A possible assignment is for students to create policy memos requiring the use of relevant research in order to advocate for education reform in K-12 or Higher Education. After students complete these individual assignments they will then critique two of their classmate’s memos as a way to develop their analytic and evaluative skills. I can evaluate my effectiveness in getting students to think more broadly and justice minded about their career goals through mentorship meetings. It is not my job as an educator to change a student’s career path, but instead to get students to think about ways in which they can align their career goals with a social justice agenda. I am passionate about education. I get no greater joy than taking a journey of knowledge with people as we learn about issues in our society with an ultimate goal to collaborate together for change. My desire to teach comes from my personal experiences with some of the most broken elements in our society. Teaching allows me to be a part of the restorative process of fixing these damaged areas. By inspiring students to think creatively and critically about society I am able to make a lasting impact in their lives and in turn they can become agents of change to bring about a more whole and promising future for others.