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Teaching Philosophy

Amy Bayliss

“For apart from inquiry, apart from the praxis, individuals cannot be truly human. Knowledge
emerges only through invention and re-invention, through the restless, impatient, continuing,
hopeful inquiry human beings pursue in the world, with the world, and with each other.”
― Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed
Language is at the heart of the human experience; I aim to engage students in an inquiry

into the nature of Language and the ways in which it mediates our reality. My teaching integrates

inclusion and culturally competent pedagogy at its foundation, incorporates my personal

convictions towards a more just and equitable society, and empowers students to participate in

conversations that span time and distance through writing about authentic and applicable topics. I

recognize that students come to my classroom with a wealth of knowledge about the world and

about Language, and that this will shape their participation in different kinds of discourse. My

classroom is a space in which students are encouraged to unpack some of their preconceptions

about Language; to apply principles of analytical problem solving to inquire about Language;

and to expand their communication, literacy, and critical thinking skills.

I believe in approaching my students as people first and students second; my first

responsibility is to ensure that my classroom is a space in which students are free to speak to

their own diverse experiences and pursue learning without fear of censure, retaliation, or

judgement. This takes continued community building and begins at the level of course design. I

select materials with diverse authorship and place a commitment to diversity, equity, and

inclusion statement at the top of my syllabus. At the first class meeting of each semester, we

discuss this statement and explore what inclusion will mean for our class. In the first minutes of

class – I introduce myself with my pronouns and ask students to do the same. This small action
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sets an inclusive tone for the course and offers students the chance to engage in inclusive

behaviors before asking them to do anything else.

Treating my students as people first demands a student-centered approach; I adapt to the

needs of the students in each course, by tailoring my pace, topics, and methods to those students.

I incorporate the individual conference model into my pedagogy and require that students meet

with me, one on one, outside of class. I remain flexible and open to students' varied writing

processes and require that students write reflectively about their choices and experiences as a

writer and a thinker, and I continue receive positive feedback from students about the

effectiveness of our conferences as a tool for writing development.

My approach to writing as an iterative process is also reflected in my instructional design.

Each substantial piece of student writing undergoes multiple revisions, and each revision cycle

targets specific skills that the students and I prioritize. I also encourage students to learn

foundational collaborative writing skills, beginning with guided workshops on revising and

editing. My lessons are discussion and activity focused and minimize lecture. When lectures are

necessary, I incorporate participation from students and keep to small tight topics that can be

delivered with high energy and plenty of visual aids. To assess student progress towards learning

outcomes, I use a variety of assignments from presentations, polished writing, reflective writing,

and timed short essay tests. I believe that the potential negative effects of assessments on

students can be minimized by opportunities for students to propose alternative assessments or

alterations to existing ones. So, whether that is changing a scheduled deadline, or scrapping a

paper on language reclamation in favor of research into hashtag social activism, I encourage

students to approach assessments as opportunities to demonstrate their individual growth and

unique knowledge.
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The topics included in my composition courses blend the interests of the students in

them, the course objectives, and the mission of my institution and department. In my

composition and speech courses, students have researched, written, and delivered presentations

on a wide variety of topics from constitutionality to healthcare reform, indigenous rights to

mental health, identity to family, literature to popular culture. I encourage my students to draw

from their personal, professional, and academic interests in order to increase engagement with

writing, reading, and research. Creating room for students to teach me (and each other) is a

crucial aspect of building a classroom community of engaged learners. I believe that students

must hear me profess my own ignorance at times and see my need for help in understanding, so

they may grow comfortable asking questions and admitting their ignorance. This creates a

reciprocity that supports a healthy classroom community and undermines the detrimental

constraints that authority figures can place on student learning.

My classroom must reflect the world in which my students live, study, and work. To this

end, digital literacy is an integrated component of my coursework. In the information technology

era, students must be able to navigate digital spaces and think critically about the information

they obtain through digital mediums (as well as print). My courses include instruction on, and

practice of, foundational professional and academic computer skills like word processing, email,

calendar management, slideshows, and search engine use. In advanced composition courses, I

ask students to explore more connections between technology and language more deeply by

examining digital phenomenon like hashtag activism and ‘Lolspeak.’

Finally, genre and conventionality are closely related and crucial concepts in my

approach teaching about Language, writing, and reading. Students are empowered by

understanding how conventionality in Language is related to social inequality in the past and
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present. By learning how Language conventions have been used to limit participation in public

discourse, students can build a customized toolbox of skills to participate more fully as a member

of the public, a member of the workforce, and as members of their communities. Exploring

conventionality provides opportunities for my classroom to be a space that affirms cultural

differences in writing, delineates expectations for differing expectations across academic

disciplines and professional communications, and assists students in their growth beyond their

time in my classroom.