Category: Week 6 – Your Authentic Teaching Voice

When reading the materials for class this week, I began to ask myself “what sort of teacher am I”? Now, this isn’t a question I’ve ever sat and reflected upon before. I struggled to related the writings of Sarah Deel, Seymour Papert, and Shelli Fowler to my personal teaching persona because I never considered myself to have much experience teaching. By that, I mean I haven’t done much “traditional” teaching. The only “traditional” course I’ve ever taught  was a wines course just this past fall, and even then I wasn’t the main instructor. During my master’s program I taught  the odd lecture or seminars (related to extension activities) vs. regularly scheduled courses in a classroom. Additionally, I managed a lab where I taught undergraduate lab workers how to perform all lab activities and testing.

I guess I have yet to find my “teaching voice”. I do recognize that my “non-traditional” experiences are valuable, and there is much I can learn about myself from them. In fact, reflecting upon them has shed some light onto qualities I possess that will define my future teaching self. I think these qualities are best summed up by the fitting acronym E.L.I.Z.A.B.E.T.H. (aka my first name).

Earnest– I’m not distracted by things unrelated to my goals. If my goal is to educated my students, you can guarantee it’ll happen.
Laudable– This applies not to myself, but how I respond to those I teach. I’m great at providing feedback, and praise those who show they are making progress and/or an effort.
Imperfect– I will never claim to be perfect, so I don’t expect my students to be perfect either. I readily admit when I make mistakes or don’t understand something, and would like for my students to feel comfortable doing the same.
Zealous– I’m very enthusiastic and passionate about food science. That passion shines though when I’m instructing, and hopefully will inspire my students to take interest in the subject.
Attentive– I put a lot of thought and attention into everything I do, which I like to think will translate into the attention I will give to helping my students learn.
Bold– Fearless and daring. That’s how I’ve been in pursuit of an education and that’s how I want my students to be in my class. I want them to step out of their comfort zone, and take on challenges to better themselves.
Empowered– The support I’ve had from several key educators throughout my career has given me the confidence to succeed academically. I will strive to help my students feel empowered so they will have the opportunity to  achieve their full potential just as I have.
Tenacious– To achieve your goals, academic or otherwise, you have to be tenacious. I have always exhibited determination in pursuit of my academic goals, even when faced with adversity. I hope my experiences enable me to relate to my students’ struggles, and assist me in helping them overcome any adversity they may face.
Harmonious– Years of life in academia have taught me one thing: you need to have balance in your life or you’re going to be miserable and never succeed. I want my teaching to be harmonious, offering options that balance the needs of my students with the goals of the course. I want them to feel they are learning something valuable from my teaching just as I hope I can learn something valuable from them. If mutual learning is happening, I’ll consider my teaching voice to be in perfect sync.

When I first started this post I though I would start by doing a review of the teachers I’ve had and think about what I liked/hated about them. Then use that review to help form my teaching voice. BUT, after going through the readings for this week I decided that instead of trying to portray myself as someone I’m not I would focus on identifying my personal strengths and use them to decide my teaching voice. The top personal strengths that come to mind when I think of myself are the following:

1. Organized
2. Detail-oriented
3. Approachable (open-door policy)
4. Excited about mechanical engineering

I’m going to cover each of these items in more detail below and how they are infused into my teaching voice.

Organized:
In general, I’m a very organized person and I plan to carry that through my teaching. When it comes to teaching, I want to be prepared for every class. This means having “lectures” that are well formatted and designed such that each lecture lasts a single class period AND have this done for the entire semester before the class even starts. Now I should mention that I’m not much for scripts because I feel I do better ‘winging it’, but I do want to have bullet points so I make sure to cover the necessary information at the right parts during the lecture. In addition to being organized for the in-class portion I want to be organized in how assessments are distributed, collected, and graded. One last thing that I want to make sure to be organized in is the online parts of the class; I want to make sure the online part of the class compliments the in-class portion.

Detail-oriented:
Not only do I like being well prepared for lectures and class in general, but I’m also detail-oriented and like things to be presented in an organized and well thought-out manner. For this reason, when it comes to designing lectures I plan to put a lot of effort into the layout and design of the lecture to make sure that it is as informative and useful as possible. In addition, I expect students to reciprocate by putting effort into the format and presentation of their homework. I don’t want to have to sit there straining my eyes to make out their hieroglyphics that they claim are their answers.

Approachable:
Due to my undergraduate education, I really like the idea of an open-door policy opposed to strict office hours. For this reason, I always like to inform students that they are free to come past my office with any questions they have. Right now, I always tell students to email me first so we can setup a time that works best for both of us. When I’m in a more teaching oriented position I plan to just tell students they can email me with questions, but if my door is open they are more than welcome to come in.

Excited:
I genuinely love mechanical engineering. There are too many topics that I enjoy talking and teaching others about to try an outline here, but for simplicity, as long as it isn’t fluids or thermodynamics related I enjoy it. Therefore, when I get to teaching others about these subjects I can’t help but get a little to a lot excited about them. I like to think that this excitement rubs off on the students and gets them to be more interested and engaged in the material.

My friend, Audrey from South Carolina, seems to have this unshakeable belief about dancing and Africans. To her, dancing is in the genes of an African. Nobody can let her believe otherwise. Audrey has managed to convince herself, my roommates and perhaps, myself, that dancing is one of the evolved traits, characteristic of African descendants.

You see, Audrey has spent quite a substantial amount of money on herself, with the aim of being a good dancer. She has been in salsa classes since she was 2, joined a hip-hop dancing crew in high school and took African studies with emphasis on African dance as an undergrad. She goes to the YMCA to dance every second and last Saturday of the month and dances to every beat she hears, no matter the place, to the embarrassment of the people around.

However, no matter how often and hard Audrey tries to dance, she always comes across as clumsy and trying too hard. Once, she hit her foot against a table while trying out a simple dance move and had to see the doctor to ease her pain. A mutual friend of Audrey and I, recently confided in me about how uncomfortable she feels whenever she sees Audrey dancing at the YMCA.

One day, while dancing with Audrey, she threw her hands in the air despairingly, while muttering that I was so good at dancing because I was African. Like Audrey, I too, love to dance. I dance whenever I can, in the shower, in the kitchen and usually, in the living room with my friends and roommates cheering me on. But, there is a little difference between Audrey and I… people love to see me dance. My roommates think that unlike Audrey, I move with the rhythm of the song, I do not strive to dance, I just go with the flow and dance. I am my authentic self when I dance and that’s why people love to see me dance.

I so wish I had that kind of flair for teaching as I have for dancing. When it comes to teaching, I am a 100% Audrey. I love to teach and I want to be a teacher after school, but I come across as trying too hard and perhaps, clumsy. I cannot place a finger on the rhythm of my students and go with the flow. I always overthink and end up in pain, just like Audrey. Had it not been for the fact that most of my teachers, growing up in Africa, were amazing, I would be tempted to throw my hands in the air like Audrey, and say lamely that I am bad at teaching because I am African.

I know that teaching is not a genetic trait but when I see some people teach with very natural flairs, I begin to question my quest to be a good teacher and wonder if I have the teaching genetic traits…..

When it came to finding an “authentic teaching voice,” I was a slow learner. Although I entered the secondary classroom with a teaching certification (and, therefore, some education courses) under my belt, I had no idea how to set up a classroom or how to establish classroom routines. This led to a greater than desirable level of anarchy in the classroom to which I responded with a greater than desirable level of despotism. Needless to say, I was not having fun and neither were my students. In the same spirit that I declared I would never go through childbirth again after the birth of my first child, I took my GRE’s during the spring of my first year of teaching in preparation for graduate school. I ended up having two more children and teaching for 30 years.

When I first started teaching, I thought that teaching was about knowledge delivery. I would lecture, give students homework, go over homework, and do a few labs. Although I asked my students to tell me about their lives, I did not share much about my own life and did not think that this mattered. In my second year, I decided that teaching was about helping students structure and build knowledge. I began to create activities that allowed my students to explore the natural world and to answer questions with more questions. It was not until many years into my teaching practice, however, that I finally understood that teaching is also about relationships. One year I stood in front of my class and told my students how much they meant to me–that they were the reason that I looked forward to coming to school each day. (I got quite a few hugs that day.) I thought that they knew, but saying this made so much difference in my classroom.

Teaching and learning are, for me, a discourse between me and my students that involves trust, respect, and caring. I have learned to be explicit about both my classroom practices and how I feel about my students. Fortunately for me, I like people and tend to find the good in most of my fellow humans. When teaching physics, I explain to my students how physics will change the way that they see the world and give them a set of tools to understand the physical universe. I tell them that I love teaching physics and that I love working with students. All of this happens on the first day. At subsequent meetings I am always certain to greet as many students individually as I can as they enter the classroom and I try to learn student’s names as quickly as I can. I also explain that I will not give them busy work and that most people learn physics through practice and discourse. I make sure to give students opportunities to discuss ideas and to act as experts for each other when appropriate—in other words, when one student understands what another does not. I explain the purpose of each assignment and how each one relates to what we are studying. I tell them they are doing well when they are and help them figure out what they need to work on when they are not. I also continually help students relate new topics to old topics so that they can practice thinking like a physicist. Finally, I say, “I don’t know,” when I don’t.

In conclusion, my current “authentic teaching voice” is honest, audibly curious, and openly enthusiastic about teaching and interacting with my students. I try to use my voice to incite civility and reason. (Okay, I stole that from the Coffee Party. I really do try to promote civility and reason in building a classroom community, however.) My voice is explicit about the purpose of learning activities and invites questions and insights. I keep my voice quiet sometimes (I know that may be hard to believe!) so that I can hear my student’s voices as they work out their own answers and questions. I have found that when I allow myself to be all of these things, both my students and I enjoy coming to class and learning happens for all of us. We also have fun!

I find it very hard to determine what my authentic teaching style is. To me teaching is a very dynamic experience, where I have to constantly adapt to the ever changing mood of the audience. For example, my lecture before a big “test week” requires a different type of engagement than as if it was just a normal week. I have to find new ways to engage the students in the topic that I am presenting, and be understanding that their success in other class is also a priority for me.

More interestingly enough, each one of the three sections that I teach have different characteristics. I may present a topic a certain way for my 9:00AM class, and everyone is active and engage. While presenting in the same manner for my 3:00PM class causes my students to become disengage. I have learned to read the aura of the classroom and present the materials in multiple ways in order to maximize student engagement.

The way that I deliver my information may vary from class to class, but my enthusiasm of delivering the content remains the same. I feel that the students can sense the passion in what I teach. Being excited and believing what you are teaching are extremely important because the students can feel that energy. In addition, I understand that not all of my students share my views. As long as they put in efforts to understand multiple perspectives they will do fine in my class. My objective as an instructor is to train my students to be active thinkers and are able to adapt to any situation necessary. Adaptability is a key trait that I want to teach my students because there are not many “best” methods of doing something. But there are a lot of different ways to accomplish the same task.

In addition, I do try to share as many practical experiences as I possibly can in my class. I feel that by relating the course materials to what I have experience in my life helps the students see the intricacy of the topic. By doing this, I hope that my students are able to take what they have learned in the classroom and apply it to the “real” world. I know throughout the undergraduate curriculum we only learn to get the “A”. However, what differentiates an “A” student from and exceptional student is the ability to utilize and adapt the knowledge that they have gain to solve new problems. By showing my students how I have adapted my course material to my life experiences, I hope that they can do that too with all of the classes that they are taking.

Of all of our readings for this week, I enjoyed Dr. Fowler’s “The Authentic Teaching Self and Communication Skills” the most. It summarized my own experiences with teaching well. I’m in a fairly unique position this semester as an instructor. I taught labs for two semesters when I started my MS in 2013 and 2014, and now I’m teaching labs again in 2017 as part of of the requirements for my PhD program. I am having such a different experience this time around! Granted, this is a different institution and the course material that I’m responsible for this semester is also very different, but I don’t think those are the only reasons. When I think back to when I first taught, I was 23 years old and was just getting started in this world called academia. I was barely removed from my students in age and experience and pretty introverted. I had very little experience giving public presentations, let alone being seen as any sort of authority figure. Being responsible for 75 students a semester and getting called “professor” on a regular basis made me uncomfortable and anxious. Who was I to be teaching these students? Inexperience and impostor syndrome combined to make teaching incredibly stressful. Of course there were amazingly rewarding moments where I connected with students on personal levels or saw them improve over time, but those often felt overshadowed by my own frustration and resentment, stemming in the end from a lack of confidence I think. I was relieved when my teaching responsibilities were over, but also saddened. Teaching and sharing knowledge are so important across disciplines, so I wanted to do so much better! I wanted to enjoy it! I hoped that I would have the opportunity to try again.

Over the next couple of years I was consumed by my MS research, but I did have many opportunities to practice speaking and teaching in both formal and informal settings. With every presentation, I slowly but surely went from blindingly anxious, to nervous, to just some butterflies 30 seconds before the talk. In the moment it didn’t feel like I was making that much progress, but apparently I was! This became especially apparent when I started teaching again this semester. I don’t get nervous at all. It is mind-blowing to me the difference between now and then. I think my lectures must come across more clearly and the students genuinely seem to be enjoying themselves. As I mentioned before, there

are definitely differences between the course I’m teaching now versus the one I taught in the past, but I don’t think that it’s entirely due to that. I think I am more comfortable with myself as a speaker and instructor. I speak with confidence from my own experience during my previous degrees, my studies now, and my life in general. When I talk about the scientific method, interesting insect species, or the things that can (often humorously) go wrong during field work, I use real examples from my own research. I try to present myself as honestly as possible. I am unafraid to laugh with my students when I flub the pronunciation of a scientific name or if make some other relatively trivial error. No one can get everything right all the time! I try to leave space for both myself and my students to improve. I am both unapologetically sarcastic and prone to making cheesy jokes. This is as much for my entertainment as it is for theirs. I know that the material that they’re learning is tough, but it doesn’t have to be torture, and neither does teaching itself. As an introvert, I never thought I would get so much satisfaction from public speaking. I can report that I am enjoying teaching much more this time around, and would happily teach again in the future.

So in thinking about this week’s post, I wasn’t exactly sure what to write about.  I asked myself, “How do I know what my authentic teaching self is because I am just starting my career as a counselor educator.”  But after going through the assigned readings for the week, I felt myself associating with a lot of the faculty experiences and suggestions.  I had to remind myself that my teaching experience began over 15 years ago.  I started helping my karate instructors lead classes when I was only about 12 or 13.  A few years later, I was one of the senior instructors at that karate studio.  Teaching karate classes was such a special experience to me that was engaging both mentally and physically.  But since that time, my teaching experiences have varied drastically!

The next stage of my teaching came years later when I worked as a math tutor at the community college I was attending.  That was quite the learning experience also as I had to hone not only my math skills but how to help people individually instead of in groups.  The physical nature of my karate instruction was no longer necessary when teaching a student algebra.  Eventually, several years of tutoring experience provided my supervisors with enough confidence in me that I could teach developmental algebra classes.  It took some adjustments to my teaching style, but it was the same material I had been tutoring people on for a few years.

The biggest challenge to my authentic teaching self came last semester when I co-taught my first counseling class.  Up until that point, I thought I was pretty comfortable in the teaching role, but that role completely shifted with a counseling class.  Not only was I not the only teacher at the front of the room (a first for me), but I was no longer meant to be in an expert role.  Teaching math, I was the one with knowledge to impart on the student and algebra usually involves very specific right and wrong answers.  Teaching counseling classes, we encourage the master’s students to not think about counseling as right or wrong because there are so many ways to counsel that are just “different.”  Teaching math, my own personal experiences weren’t relevant to the topic, but in counseling, sharing my own personal and professional experiences was encouraged.  Another random aspect that I never much thought about was where to put my hands while teaching now.  I always had a marker in my hand before and used the board regularly.  Now where do I put my hands?!

First image to appear when I googled “sage on stage:”

So after all these changes, I was shocked that my “authentic teaching self” for math and karate classes actually made finding my “authentic teaching self” for counseling classes more difficult.  For karate classes, I was clearly the higher rank over my students, and respect for those of higher rank was extremely important.  Teaching math, I was the one at the front of the room who had the knowledge the students needed.  Now all of the sudden, I’m NOT supposed to be the one “sage on stage!”  We want to treat master’s counseling students as colleagues and give them the autonomy to develop their own unique professional identity.  And now suddenly issues of privilege in the classroom were on the forefront instead of being an afterthought as before.  All of these changes in my environment made for a much more difficult transition than I expected, and my views on pedagogy have forever been expanded.

Picture from VT counselor education webpage (different type of learning):

Fortunately, there have been some consistencies in my teaching that were touched on in the readings this week.  I’ve found that in each of these situations, good communication skills has been the cornerstone of teaching.  I’ve also valued being genuine, even though different parts of myself tend to emerge in each setting.  I acknowledge wholeheartedly that people taking algebra classes probably only do it because it is required, while counseling students usually feel a call to the profession as I did.  There is no need to pretend about either of those realities.  But the overarching theme that I am taking away from my experiences and this week’s readings is that my “authentic teaching self” is always evolving and must be adapted to the teaching situation.  As hard as these transitions have been, I hope that it has provided me with greater awareness when approaching a class and the abilities to reach out to students’ individual needs.

In my blog On Why I am Reluctant to Blogging, I expressed the importance I attach to authenticity. While teaching, I strive to be my authentic self. Finding my teaching voice has been a journey of conciliating the different voices and educational systems I was exposed to and creating my own voice.

I had the privilege to be educated in three different educational systems; Arabic and French system in Morocco, and the American system. These three educational systems, although very different, do share some similarities in teaching styles.

For some context, Morocco was under the French protectorate from 1912 to 1956; the French controlled most of the educational system during this period. After Morocco’s independence in 1956, Morocco undertook the educational system under the influence of the French system and kept French as a second language. As for the anecdote, German almost became America’s official language in 1795 (but that’s another story).

The reason I am uniting language and educational systems are that I firmly believe that language shapes our learning and how we learn. Studying in any language means that there is some degree of influence by the system of education in that country where the language is natively spoken. By extent, a teacher is also subject to an already set environment of teaching that they adapt to, be it French system, American system or any other system. In other words, teaching American history in English in the United States could be different from teaching American history in French in Morocco, and not just regarding language but also teaching styles and methodologies.

I grew up studying at a Moroccan school, where I was instructed in Arabic, French, and English. When I started my higher education, most of my professors and classes were taught in French, so I got very accustomed to the French teaching and educational style. When I came to the United States, I had to transition into the American system.

In mentioning “American” or “French” or “Arabic” system, I do not mean to present a monolithic and homogenous view of what that system is. I simply would like to reflect on common trends that I have personally experienced throughout my higher education. 

From my experience in the French system, classes were formal, professors mostly lecture in a very structured format with headings, and numbered points. When the teacher speaks, students are expected to take handwritten notes and ask questions by the end of the lecture (preferably not during the lecture in order not to interrupt the professor). In my field of political science, I was often encouraged to have a nuanced standpoint as opposed to the strict dichotomy of bad or good, right or wrong. In most of my classes, formal attire was highly recommended. These little anecdotal facts reveal a bigger picture of the orderly setting of the French educational system. Students and professors had a straightforward relationship, which meant that if a professor were unsatisfied with a student’s performance or work, he or she will not manage their words or coat it in sugar but say it bluntly and openly.

When I transitioned to the American educational system, I was surprised by how laid back the teaching style seemed. Professors didn’t hesitate to use games and class activities to convey a learning lesson (which felt like being in kindergarden). In addition, professors were not overly conventional in their class rules, food, caps and fit flops were allowed (it took me some time to get used to that). Formal attire was not a requirement (I got asked so many times if I had a presentation, so I gave up wearing formal after a while). The relationship between professors and students was closer, with regular office hours and interactions. Instructors tried to protect students against criticism, my instructors never told me that my answers were wrong, only that there may be another way to respond.

While I don’t favor a system over another, I think both the French and American system has taught me to be a better professor. I, as an instructor, am a blend of these three educational systems, French, Arabic and American. I had the opportunity to learn from three approaches that complement each other in so many ways. For instance, while I hold my students to very high standards and provide honest and generous feedback, I also make sure that I am always available to meet my students and help them overcome their difficulties. While I encourage my students to take handwritten notes during class, I also share pamphlet summaries of the methodologies discussed. While I think it is important to maintain a formal relationship, I do not hesitate to introduce myself at the beginning of the class (which few of my professors do) and help my students get to know me better and understand my teaching style.

I have enjoyed writing this blog and could write an extended version of it later with more details and precision. The main message that I want to convey is that: before being a teacher, we were (and still are in some ways) students. As students, who are becoming professors, we are shaped by the teachers who taught us and by the systems in which we were trained. I like to share this diversity of teaching styles with my students. Teaching is, after all, knowing yourself and bringing the best of you, to the service of the student’s learning.