Friday, August 28, 2020

Introduction




Welcome to my digital teaching portfolio. This portfolio will provide an overview of my philosophies of teaching and equity & inclusion, an idea of how I assess my students and how I have been assessed as an instructor, innovations I employ in the classroom, my own professional development, and a look at my goals for the future. 


As an instructor of Spanish at the post-secondary level, I strive to assist my students in meeting their educational goals, attaining their degrees, and achieving their objectives in life. Many of my students choose Spanish because they have a language requirement and it seems a logical choice given the culturally diverse society in which we live. Others choose it specifically with an interest to interact with Spanish-speaking people, either here or abroad. No matter what their reasons for choosing to study the language, I help my students create a bridge between their world and culture and the Latinx/Hispanic one. 


As I move forward in my teaching career, I continue to research and implement best-teaching practices, remaining open to learning the methodologies that are most helpful to my students, and seeking out innovations that improve my performance in the classroom. I am aware of the importance of maintaining equity in my classroom and in my own way of thinking. Remaining open-minded to the evolving topics of social justice in the world around me is something I do as matter of course. I try to employ a variety of proven teaching techniques and always am looking to learn more. I  make sure my students are clear in their learning goals, I assess students equitably, and I take extra steps to make sure my students feel included and safe, while encouraging a diverse classroom atmosphere. 


This portfolio meets with the outcomes and competencies of the Certificate of Innovation in College Teaching in that it includes: 

  • An overview of my two years of classroom teaching at PSU as part of my Master's program in Spanish Language and Literature, and artifacts related to this experience.
  • An overview of the minimum of 20 hours of Professional Development Workshops and 20 hours of Discipline-specific training I participated in, and artifacts related to those workshops and training.
  • Two VTCs and subsequent TIPS (under Assessment and Evaluation of My Teaching)
  • Course observations and the equivalent of a mid-quarter review (taking into consideration the interruption of Covid-19 in this process).

Organization of Portfolio:

A.  Introduction
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