Teaching PortfolioStudent feedback is very important to me; I often use my students' ideas and opinions to help me mold not only my instructional approaches but also the course itself. I do not believe that student feedback should come only at the end of a semester; learning what my students think about my teaching at the end of the semester only allows me to alter the learning environment for the next group of students, whereas a mid-term course evaluation enables me to change the course midstream and adapt it to students' needs. Therefore, I ask students to give me ideas and feedback both in the middle of the semester and at the end of the semester, in an effort to encourage an open and mutually beneficial learning environment.
English 106: Introduction to Composition
Mid-term Course Evaluation Feedback
End-of-Semester Course Evaluation Report
I struggled in 106 to make readings relevant and interesting for students. Often, 106 students' biggest criticism in evaluations was that the readings did not help them or that they were uninteresting and thus took a backseat to their other course readings. I incorporated reading blogs and group discussions to encourage thorough reading of the texts, and altered reading selections to make them immediately applicable to our class discussions. I strive to continue improving this aspect of my teaching in all of my courses, since text relevancy is important for all age groups.
Curriculum and Instruction 309: Reading in Middle and Secondary Schools: Methods and Problems