My office is at the South Campus: N324A. You are encouraged to visit during office hours.
My Personal Teaching
Philosophy by Dwight L Adams February
2008
Borrowing a phrase from an old advertisement (I do not remember which advertiser this was), I believe
that at Salt Lake Community College, "Students are our business --our only business."
I uphold all of the
Salt Lake Community College Mission Statement.
Within the discipline of Sociology, I adhere to the three paradigms:
Material Dialectic by Karl Marx and Frederick Engles, Functionalism by Emile Durkhiem, and Symbolic Interactionalism by Mead.
I find Max Weber of special interest as he used a mixture of conflict and functionalism in his work and he was instrumental
in bringing empiricism into our research as a way to solidify the discipline. I always work with the required text and I try
to bring in examples to further illustrate the subject matter.
Some of my favorite sociology subjects are
social policy, social problems, poverty, social psychology, race and ethnic relations, aging, gender, family and marriage,
criminology, demography (with epidemiology), and sociology of religion.
I believe that a student's
name is very important and should be respected by the teacher. I try to learn the students names and something unique about
them. I try to continue the learning process by individual attention to the events and struggles in their lives. I do this
by getting to class early so that I can greet them individually as they come into the room.
I believe that
the best chance for learning comes through healthy student teacher relationships with a supportive learning environment. Students
should be encouraged to engage in dialog during each class period. I believe that there are no dumb questions; only questions
that need more support and information. I also believe that students have a right to have their own opinion but they
do have to pass the exams. However, it is up to them if they believe the material to be truth.
I believe that to be chosen as a mentor by a student is the highest form of payment for teaching. I try to make learning
enjoyable and memorable. I hold in my mind and lesson plan a desired outcome as the intended product of my teaching each
lesson. I believe that it is my responsibility to bring new concepts to challenge the students' minds and beliefs in order
to help them expand their horizons.
I believe that current events should be used as examples of sociological principles
and I encourage students to read the newspaper daily. I believe that adult learners respond well to spaced repetition of the
information. I try to encourage the learning process by telling students why the information is important to them now or will
be in the future.
I realize that the pedagogy I use has been influenced by personal teaching experience
and by mentors. I try to learn from others the methods that have been proven successful. Each semester I work to improve
on these, as I believe that I am still a work in progress.
Two of my most important teaching goals are
to help students to think critically and to express themselves well verbally and in writing. I believe that any lesson plan
may need to be interrupted if it appears that the students are loosing enthusiasm for the subject. To help this, I infuse
real life examples into the lesson, challenge them with questions that involve their informed opinion on the issue (discussions
can help them see how their peers view the concept), ask them how the material can be allied to the real world, or move to
group projects to help them stay motivated.
I believe it is important for students to have off class hours
to reach the teacher.
I believe that students already bring a wealth of ideas to any class. I try to mine that
information by engaging in discussions. I am grateful when a light of understanding comes on in their eyes. I have a
genuine concern that the students learn something. I especially appreciate the change I see in students when they realize
the concept of social justice and begin to notice prejudice and discrimination.
It is important to me that
students begin to think critically, even questioning the text. It is necessary that students learn to evaluate sources and
recognize manipulation in this world of public spin. I watch for those changes in the meeting of the objectives for
the course as the students begin to more fully understand gender, race, age, etc. I teach that they should delight in
diversity.
I believe that the grading policy as stated on a syllabus must be followed and that defines
what I think is of value in the course. Beyond the semester, I challenge students to a proper form of activism throughout
their lives in areas of interest to them. I tell them that I hope to see their individual names in the newspaper someday for
something that they have done to improve our society.
It is important to me that students learn sociological
methodologies and theories that can be used in a practical manner to their pursuit of life and happiness.
I believe that I will always learn new and better ways to teach and influence students. I do not have all the answers
and am looking forward to my own personal growth. I am interested in all methods of delivery, including to the community.
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What I Expect
ALWAYS
TYPE YOUR WORK IN COLLEGE. THAT HAS BEEN THE RULE FOR DECADES. Handwritten work is NOT ACCEPTABLE and will not receive credit.
In college, read everything that is required and more. Do everything and do EXTRA if you
expect a superior score. The average grade, remember, is a "C," not an "A." Students who wish to earn
an "A" will do everything well that is mentioned in the class.
Students who think they should
work less and get great grades are going against their own interests. Each college has to go through an accreditation every
few years. The auditors look at everything. If it seems that the instruction and grading are not up to par, they can withdraw
their accreditation.
Then there are the employers who hire students from degreed programs and then
find that the students are not trained up to par. Employer say that they especially are upset about the poor work
habits and attitudes of the students that they hire. They have asked us to treat students more like they will treat you as
employees.
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Grading
As the instructor, it is my responsibility to decide the final grades for the class at the end of the semester. This is
not any easy task and is not based upon your scores alone. Subjectivity is always involved in a portion of the grade
calculation. I prioritize the entire class and those students on top receive the highest scores. You are in competition
with the other students! Eagerness to understand the material gets high subjective scores.
The
second thing I look at is whether the student did AT LEAST ALL THAT WAS REQUIRED. It is better to turn in a poor paper,
for an example, than no paper at all. Some subjective credit is given for your at least trying to do the work.
Some
students evidently think that the way to a good grade is to argue with the instructor over their grade after the end of the
semester. Final Grades are NOT NEGOTIABLE. You earned only what you received, not more. The only case that I will investigate
is if I did not record all of your on time work. I will not bargain with you for a higher score. The amount of time you say
that you put into does not change the quality of your work.
What you personally accomplished during
the semester, as judged by your instructor, is the correct measure for your final grade.
As a college
student, part of your final grade is your ability to seek out, read, and process information that is offered. The strong student
will do just that and will be more accurate, more prompt and more complete on all of their work.
Then
I look at your attendance record. I give you up to eight clock hours of missing class (for sickness) just like an employer
would limit the number of hours you can take off of work before he starts to dock you or fire you. It is not the instructor's
problem if you have scheduled yourself poorly between work and class or if your employer changes your schedule. I
have provided online study guides that you are to use if you miss class, for any reason.
The number
of hours of missed classes is the objective measurement, while other things add to the subjective measurement. For an example,
coming into class late very often will affect your final grade.
Disrupting the class by talking with
your friends definitely hurts your final grade. If I have to increase my volume because of you talking to other students
or on the phone, I make notes of that on the class records. You are supposed to be an adult and act like it in class.
I will not teach the material again, so you are cheating other students as well as yourself by talking in class. Turn off
your cellphones during class time.
You do not have to agree with the textbook or with my thoughts, but
you do need to have a "learned opinion." As an example, you might say that Durkheim saw society as cooperation (that's
showing the learned part), but that, in your experience, you have seldom seen cooperation (your opinion). It would then be
well if you would give an example of your opinion so that the class can discuss it openly.
College is not high school and universities are even tougher. At each school that I teach, I have been instructed to teach
as if I was at the flagship school --the University of Utah. Since I teach there every semester, I am comfortable with
that mandate.
Other classes you may take may operate differently and that is the instructor's prerogative.
I am not only teaching the material, but also teaching you to deal on a University level and on the
level that your employer will insist upon. I am also expecting high ethical standards from you. If successful, these goals
will help you time and time again throughout your life and will not end with the final grade --whatever it may be.
Dwight L Adams
