Teaching: Courses

NOTE: Working as a professor at several institutions, I have taught 36 different courses, ranging from foundations of education (understanding learners and learning, schools and schooling, & multiculturalism) to language arts/literacy pedagogy to literature and composition.

DESIGNED & TAUGHT

FYS 190: Aesthetic Investigations of the American Dreamscape (examination of themes in contemporary plays) (4 credits) Agnes Scott College, Decatur, GA

Course catalog description: First-year seminars provide students with an introduction to college learning. They seek to foster intellectual excitement and intellectual engagement with the world; an appreciation of interdisciplinary study; a recognition that learning involves assessing and interpreting and not the mere accumulation of facts and data; an ability to make judgments and defend them reasonably; and an awareness of the social dimensions and implications of ideas and their applications.

EDU 212: The Arts in Education (4 credits) Agnes Scott College, Decatur, GA

Course catalog description: Exploration of the role the fine arts play in educational settings, particularly elementary and secondary schools, with an emphasis on the cultural implications for current philosophies and practices that often marginalize the arts and arts-based instructional strategies.

EDU 225: Digital Literacies (4 credits) Agnes Scott College, Decatur, GA

Course catalog description: Topics vary by semester, but generally focus on the following themes: social justice issues in education, human rights and education, gender studies in education, educational reform movements, educating for change, and the socio-cultural dimensions of education. Course projects incorporate current technologies (filmmaking, digital recording, digital photography, and website development, for example) to explore education-related topics.

EDU 320: Literature for Children and Young Adults (4 credits) Agnes Scott College, Decatur, GA

Course catalog description: In-depth examination of the themes that permeate current offerings form the world of publishing for children and young adults; emphasis on the following topics: literary theory, cultural representation, censorship issues, aesthetics, bibliotherapy, and pedagogical implications.

EDU 325: Primary Research in Educational Settings (4 credits) Agnes Scott College, Decatur, GA

Course catalog description: Introduction to qualitative methods of educational research. Students develop a research proposal and carry out the initial phase of the project. Topics for research vary by semester.

EDU 415: Radical Pedagogies: Educating for Social Justice (4 credits) Agnes Scott College, Decatur, GA

Course catalog description: Exploration of alternative pedagogies, representing various theoretical views about the aims and purposes of education. Emphasis on topics such as the critique of current educational systems and models, sociocultural beliefs about schools and schooling, critical pedagogy, and education as transformational practice, particularly with respect to issues of justice.

EDU 610: Understanding Learners (4 credits) Agnes Scott College, Decatur, GA

Course catalog description: Examine current learning theories and research on the principles of learning and development pertinent to the field of education.  This course focuses on the philosophies and practices of social constructivism, culturally responsive teaching and reflective practice, all of which are the foundation of the education department’s conceptual framework.

EDU 611: Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education (4 credits) Agnes Scott College, Decatur, GA

Course catalog description: Using concepts and forms of analysis from the social sciences and philosophy, the course examines the challenges and possibilities of transformative education. Emphasis is placed on the purposes of education, the nature of knowledge as understood and practiced in schools and the tensions between the role of schools in the transmission and transformation of values.

GARED 5009: Drama and Critical Literacy (3 credits) Creative Arts in Learning, Lesley University, Cambridge, MA

Course catalog description: Drama and Critical Literacy uses theatre-based learning to bridge literacy skills with meaningful community interactions while exploring diverse cultural perspectives and multiple paths to learning.  Students engage in critical questioning, explore language as social practice, create and employ spoken, written, visual, and spatial texts across the curriculum, addressing the subjects of mathematics, science, language arts, and social studies.  The course also investigates issues of diversity and differences in schooling as well as applying dramatic learning strategies to the social dimensions of classroom, family and community dynamics.

EEDUC 6001: Teaching of Writing (K-12) (3 credits) Lesley University, Cambridge, MA

Course catalog description: The Teaching of Writing (K-12) explores a variety of strategies and approaches to teaching writing in elementary, middle, and secondary schools. Topics include developing a writing workshop environment, writing as a process, writing across the curriculum, reading/writing connections, writing to learn, integrating technology, assessing growth in writing, and classroom management techniques.

GARTS 6203:  The Language of Poetry (3 credits) Creative Arts in Learning, Lesley University, Cambridge, MA

Course catalogue description:  By writing, sharing, and reading contemporary and traditional poetry, course participants gain skills in using poetry to augment language, writing, and literacy skills in their own students.  Students develop ways to combine poetry with other art forms and to integrate poetry into elementary and secondary curriculum.

GARED 7105: Drama for Community Leadership (3 credits) Creative Arts in Learning, Lesley University, Cambridge, MA

Course catalog description: This course explores the theory and practice of drama as a catalyst for positive change in schools and communities.  Students will examine current theories and case studies about the use of drama for leadership in a variety of educational settings.  They will also explore the use of drama techniques in the context of the action research themes already identified in the first part of their thesis course.  Furthermore, they will investigate democratic education and social action themes related to multicultural curriculum, school reform, and community-based education through the practice of drama structures and techniques that foster self-actualization and community action.  The course emphasizes participatory dialogue as a path towards collaborative solutions.

TAUGHT

ENG 03. Preparing for College Writing II (3 credits) Central Virginia Community College, Charlottesville, VA

Course catalog description: Emphasizes strategies within the writing process to help students with specific writing situations. Develops techniques to improve clarity of writing and raise proficiency to the level necessary for entrance into particular curricula. Lecture 3 hours per week.

ENG 101. Composition and Literary Analysis. (3 credits) Longwood College, Farmville, VA

Course catalog description: Expository writing including research, and an introduction to literary analysis. Close reading of and frequent writing on literature, primarily fiction and poetry, with extended study of one major work read serially. ENGL 100 and 101 are prerequisite to all other English courses.

ENG 101: Composition I (3 credits) University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN

Course catalog description: Intensive instruction in writing with a focus on analysis and argument. Strategies for reading critically, analyzing texts from diverse perspectives, developing substantive arguments through systematic revision, addressing specific audiences, integrating sources, and expressing ideas with clarity and correctness.

ENG 102: Composition II (3 credits) University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN

Course catalog description: Advancing concepts introduced in English 101. Intensive writing instruction focused on inquiry and research. Strategies for formulating and investigating questions, locating and evaluating information, using varied sources and research methods, developing positions on intercultural and interdisciplinary issues from diverse texts (print, digital, and multimedia), and presenting research using appropriate rhetorical conventions.

SUM 400: Portfolio Capstone (2 credits) Agnes Scott College, Decatur, GA

EDIS 541: Literature for Adolescents (3 credits) University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA

Course description: As an interpretive community, students read the latest and greatest young adult literature, practice reading as writers, learn to motivate reluctant readers by applying strategic reading techniques and critical frameworks, as well as develop individualized multi-genre and multicultural reading programs.

EDIS 542: Language, Literacy, and Culture (3 credits) (co-instructor) University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA

Course catalog description: Students focus on the relationships among culture, literacy, and the teaching of language. They explore concepts of “text”, consider first and second language learning differences, pursue team research projects related to current issues, and design effective strategies for practicing critical literacy that focus on the power of words, syntax, and semantics in dynamic language learning.

EDIS 543: Teaching Composition (3 credits) University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA

A course designed for teachers of composition K-13. Students study, practice, and evaluate theories and methods of writing and teaching writing. They prepare a personal writing project, criticize a writing program, or create a writing program for students.

EDIS 588: Teaching Associateship: English Education (6-12 credits) University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA

Course catalog description: A required student teaching internship for pre-service teachers, this full-semester experience is supervised by clinical instructors from the public schools and university supervisors. Course sections are aligned with specific program/endorsement areas and meet the guidelines for the approved licensure program in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Prerequisite: Admission to the Teacher Ed. Program; permission of advisor and the Director of Teacher Education.

EDIS 488: Field Experience: English Education (1 credit) University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA

Course catalog description: Extensive experience in observing classrooms and in practice teaching using various instructional strategies. Classroom placements are aligned with specific program/endorsement areas and meet the guidelines for the approved licensure program in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Prerequisite: Admission to Teacher Education Program.

ENG 3260: Grammar in the Context of Writing (3 credits) Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA

Course catalog description:  A study of approaches for teaching grammar in the context of writing instruction. Includes acquiring grammatical competence in oral and written communication, understanding what grammar errors reveal about writing, promoting syntactic complexity in writing, and studying grammatical structures that promote syntactic growth and diversity of style in writing. Also includes an overview of modern grammars, the history of grammar instruction, and research on grammar instruction

ENGL 3309: Principles of Teaching Writing (3 credits) Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA

Course catalog description: A course designed for teachers of writing in grades K-12.  Students study, practice, and evaluate theories and methods of writing and teaching composition.

ENG 3391: Teaching Literature to Adolescents (3 credits) Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA

Course catalog description: Using narrative as a central genre, this course introduces current English teaching philosophy and practice in teaching literature to adolescents. This course models current ways of integrating technology into the curriculum, identifies a variety of multicultural teaching texts, and extends the study of critical theory into the teaching of literature for adolescents.

ENG 3110: Playwriting (3 credits) Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA

Course catalog description: A workshop approach to playwriting that emphasizes original writing, analysis and response from classmates, and revision.  We will pay some attention to the work of established writers for models.

ENED 4475: Student Teaching: English (7-12). (12 credit hours) Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA

Course catalog description: Full-time teaching experience in English under the supervision of a secondary school cooperating teacher and a college English education supervisor. Includes regularly scheduled seminars. Proof of professional liability insurance is required prior to school placement.

EDC 730, Foundations of Pedagogical Theory (3 hours) University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY

Course catalog description: Problems in the field of the school curriculum and in the preparation of instructional materials.

EDC 777, Practice in the Secondary School (1-3 hours) University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY

Course catalog description: A critical analysis of recently developed materials and techniques in curriculum and instruction for precollege education. Includes analysis of evaluative research related to new materials and techniques.