Dr. Mark Calkins' Teaching Portfolio

• Curriculum Vitae (PDF/Adobe Acrobat format)
• Courses Taught & Syllabi (PDF/Adobe Acrobat format)
• Evidence of Teaching Effectiveness

Teaching philosophy:

In general, in both literature and composition courses I practice a pedagogy that consists of:

• Mini-lectures (and when appropriate, the use of Guided Notes)
• Frequent informal writing assignments
• Highly structured small-group discussion work (adapted from the concept of Literature Circles)
• Writing Portfolio-based formal writing assignments that emphasize process through multiple drafts and revisions

I give my students a clear idea of my expectations and the criteria by which they will be evaluated. I encourage students to do what they cannot yet do easily or with grace, and consequently create a dependable yet flexible class structure supportive of the risks that are necessary for their intellectual development and independence. I aim to:

• Direct students' attention to the learning process to make them more responsible and more in control of their own learning
• Encourage students to move from being passive recipients to being authors of knowledge and ideas
• Help students develop a personal and well-considered stance towards texts and ideas
• Validate students' pre-existing knowledge, experiences, and abilities, yet challenge them move beyond what they already (think they) know
• Help students to develop life-long critical reading habits