MISS MADDIE, FUTURE PROFESSOR SHELLGREN, DOC, TEACHER, PROFESSOR MADDOG, MADDIE
I currently have the privilege of teaching at both Michigan State University (MSU) and Davenport University (DU). At MSU, I teach a linguistics course on Language and Gender (and occasionally act as a Teaching Assistant for an introductory course on Language and Society. At DU I teach a variety of writing courses and a course on presentation techniques for the English department.
In any classroom, I make the effort to foster group discussion by constructing a relaxed academic atmosphere. I start the very first day by requesting that students call me "Maddie." I tend to find titles too formal for my current age and experience, and as a third-year PhD student, I have not earned the title of "Professor" yet. Interestingly, I am still called a variety of things: Maddie, Miss Maddie, Teacher, Instructor, Doc, and even Future Professor Shellgren. My name depends on the university (my MSU students seem more comfortable with calling me "Maddie" than my Davenport students. Further still, students' age, gender, and race seem to matter as well. For some, the 'miss' of "Miss Maddie" is a term of respect. For others, it would seem demeaning. Occasionally, I joke around and tell them that if they want to use "Professor," they can only do so if they call me "Professor Maddog." Surprisingly, it's stuck on occasion at MSU.
In any classroom, I make the effort to foster group discussion by constructing a relaxed academic atmosphere. I start the very first day by requesting that students call me "Maddie." I tend to find titles too formal for my current age and experience, and as a third-year PhD student, I have not earned the title of "Professor" yet. Interestingly, I am still called a variety of things: Maddie, Miss Maddie, Teacher, Instructor, Doc, and even Future Professor Shellgren. My name depends on the university (my MSU students seem more comfortable with calling me "Maddie" than my Davenport students. Further still, students' age, gender, and race seem to matter as well. For some, the 'miss' of "Miss Maddie" is a term of respect. For others, it would seem demeaning. Occasionally, I joke around and tell them that if they want to use "Professor," they can only do so if they call me "Professor Maddog." Surprisingly, it's stuck on occasion at MSU.
I also love to incorporate bits of relevant popular culture into the classroom (as appropriate), such as memes and youtube videos. The meme on the left, for instance, is a meme I use during my discussion of classroom policies. I use the video on the right before I take attendance on the first day, telling my students, "No really, please tell me if I don't pronounce your name correctly, so I don't sound and act like this..." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd7FixvoKBw
Regardless of the class, I strive to maintain a standard of high impact teaching. My goal is to be inclusive, teach globally relevant content, use an engaged style, foster interdisciplinary thinking, and remain digitally modern. I am not the person to post an entire teaching philosophy on the internet, so please ask me if you'd like to know more about how I approach my teaching.