My approach to teaching is built upon amplifying alternative ways of knowing while embedding a cognitive rigor leading to deep individual and communal growth. By centering embodied, affective, and creative processes, I build student voice and critical thinking alongside skill development. In doing so, the classroom becomes a transgressive process and I agree with bell hooks’ statement, “I celebrate teaching that enables transgressions—a movement against and beyond boundaries.” In my courses, I strive to develop student voice through expression and creation, allowing students a space to experiment in leveraging the academic skills being developed to build a better future.

A liberal arts approach is key to my philosophy. In practice, that means I center discussion within a foundation of cultural context beyond knowledge students have upon entering the classroom. In an upper-division Theatre History course, I scaffold discussion based learning through mini lectures, introducing key academic vocabulary that provides a foundation in which to situate perspectives that is often missing in a pure discussion environment. For example, in a week spent on Theatre of the Absurd, I introduce the important theorists, artists, and key terms. Students then view and respond to a portion of Ionesco’s The Rhinoceros, providing a canonized example from which to begin their thinking. The following day, students read a non-canonized work, for example Daniil Kharms’ Elizaveta Bam or Maria Irene Fornés Fefu and Her Friends. The second day is spent entirely in student led seminar discussion around the works and potential production. My approach recognizes the singular story of theatre which much industry work is based yet expands beyond the canon as students focus their time on reacting with and to diverse voices. I find that when students have adequate expert-provided frameworks in which to situate discussions, the learning potential is greater and reduces any echo-chamber effects.

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Drawing from the queer theoretical work that informs my research, I incorporate diverse ways of knowing in the classroom, with special emphasis towards embodied and affective approaches. My Introduction to Theatre courses are structured to build embodied practice over the course of the semester. Early on, students select work they find relevant from the New Play Exchange, gaining exposure to emerging artists. Students then apply their analytical work through creation. Whether designing a costume, acting out a scene with a partner, or building interactive audience engagement tools, students engage deeply with the work. I then engage students affectively by asking them to reflect upon their process through a short presentation of their work. Doing so allows students to rigorously demonstrate their metacognitive processes that reveal their learning of course objectives. By engaging both embodied and affective processes, assessment becomes an inclusive process and learning remains the focus. In spaces requiring performance, I model and teach Liz Lerman’s Critical Response Process to activate artistic agency while providing feedback that is relevant to the students, empowering their choices while creating a more collaborative ensemble rehearsal process.

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As an experienced educator, I’ve modified my approach and philosophy to teaching countless times. At present, this document represents my presentation of where I am at in my pedagogical/andragogical development, what I value in the classroom, and what I hope to build in my students. At the core of my philosophy is self-reflection. Currently, my approach centers discussion, affective, and embodied processes based on active scholarship with the intent to build empowered thinkers and creatives.

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bell hooks, Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom (New York: Routledge, 1994), 11.

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A complete teaching portfolio inclusive of teaching effectiveness is available by request.