Design Forward
An emergent exploration of critical instructional design.
Design Forward
Portfolio Part: Teaching Origins
Your Teaching Origins
Teaching Origins
Step One
In the boxes below, Name those things/people/experiences that have shaped your approach to teaching. Describe their Influence. Add as many as you would like.
In the Rank column, try to rank your influences (as best as you can), where the lowest number means the greatest amount of influence.
| Name | Influence | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Bruce Perreault | I already thought Social Studies was exciting, but he made learning fun. I remember the first day of class, he played “We Didn’t Start the Fire” and went on to share that by the end of our time in US History, we’d understand all of the references. He went out of his way to make the material accessible. He was the first teacher I remember who lectured but provided handouts that were guided to help us with notetaking – he was also a bit of an artist and they were handwritten and had doodles (connected to the material). I did not understand it until later on, but he was the person who lit a spark for being an educator. | 1 |
| Peng-Khuan Chong | Much like Mr. Perreault, Prof. Chong has a theatrical quality to him. Chong took a personal interest in his students. I felt he showed compassion and empathy in an authentic way. When I look back to him, I see much of my teaching practice as a reflection of what would Prof. Chung do? | 2 |
| Erin Martin | When she first talked about her passion for teaching, I knew she was exemplary. However, over the years, I have had the chance to see how students interact with her at school events. Through the pandemic, I heard her teaching students during the day and her teaching different courses over the year for her EdD students. She was vital to that first year’s success when I was developing my first course. More than anyone, she is the most significant influence on my teaching since we talk through items daily. | 2.5 |
| Don Taylor | I took an online 8-week strategic human resource management with him for my MPA and he is the GOLD STANDARD when it comes to teaching in that modality. In addition to flawless assignments and projects that forced students to engage in the material, he had an ethos of serving students and preparing them for their next thing. His lasting influence was making the material – no matter the topic – applicable to students’ lives outside of class and how assignments are just practicing for our careers. | 3 |
| (Name Withheld) | I debated omitting this one; however, this person had stuck with me for the wrong reasons yet influenced me. I once had a class with a faculty member who wrote B+ on a paper with no other feedback. Given my habit (obsession) with self-improvement, I visited this person during their office hours. I asked for their feedback on the paper and what I could have done differently for an A+. That person looked at the paper, looked at me, then flipped the paper back across the desk saying, “Listen, you wrote a B+ paper, you got that for a grade, be happy. If you want an A, then write me a A next time.” | 4 |
Step Two
Choose three influences you identified and write three paragraphs about the impact they had on your teaching.
Paragraph 1: Identify specific ways in which these influences can be seen in your teaching.
Paragraph 2: Discuss whether you feel like that overall impact has been positive or negative.
Paragraph 3: Imagine your future teaching self and write how you would like to further integrate or eliminate these influences.
Bruce Perreault – I see his influenes in how I make my teaching accessible and interactive. For example, I provide information in different formats, so students take an active role in the learning versus sitting back and listening to someone talk for 100 minutes. I think our personalities are similar, so I certainly try to bring fun to the classroom. Like his Billy Joel song example, I think about how to make lessons different and memorable. I often think about what students will remember 20+ years from my course. I want to continue to bring in his zest for life and his students. He always seemed happy and full of gratitude.
(Name Withheld) – I think this person is why I take a long time reading students’ work and using rubrics that clarify why I am grading this in this way. I always provide comments and suggestions for improvement while also highlighting the good things I liked. I am grateful for the influence; in some ways, negative experiences guide us more than positive ones since we know what we should be looking to correct. I have no doubt I plan to continue to be empathic and direct in my feedback. Students should feel valued and an active part of their learning.
Erin Martin – She has
