Home

Resume /Curriculum Vitae

Teaching Portfolio

Other Projects

Fun Stuff

Contact Me

Opens a new window

Teaching Portfolio.

My Philosophy of Teaching
Teaching Biography
Planned Teaching Future
Assessment and Evaluation of My Teaching
Academic Professional Development
Appendices (sample lesson plans, syllabi, grading rubrics, FCQs, etc.)

MY TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
Learning is a journey.  Teachers are our guides.  I’ve had good teachers and I’ve had not-so-good teachers.  The good teachers were experienced guides.  They enjoyed the journey with their students.  They were excited to be part of the journey.  I could see it in their “steps.”  The good teachers were able to find new ways around unexpected roadblocks, to point out shortcuts, pitfalls, and necessary challenges.  They would encourage students by sharing stories of the time they’d spent on the same path the students were now navigating and exploring.  They made sure no one fell behind.  And we trusted that they knew the way.

The not-so-good teachers would sometimes run ahead on the path and yell to us to catch up.  Sometimes we’d even completely lose sight of the teacher and sit and hope they would come back for us.  The not-so-good teachers were prideful of their accomplishments and for some reason more eager to make sure we understood how difficult the journey was for those who’d gone down the path before.  No matter that they’d learned better ways to the destination -- they wanted us to experience the same struggles.  They drug us along.  And we weren’t so sure we wanted to go.

I see teaching as a relationship.  In my classroom, we’re on the journey together..  I’m there to teach and I’m there to learn.  What excites me about teaching is seeing the lights come on in the minds of students, knowing that they are seeing things for the first time, knowing that they are becoming masters of orienteering information and knowledge, knowing that I’m boldly and confidently getting them to the current destination, but most importantly, knowing that once we reach the destination, they'll continue on their own journey. 

I’m happy to have them run beyond our shared destination to new destinations with the lessons they’ve learned in hand, with the ability to think critically on their own, with the enthusiasm to keep on going, and the wisdom to know when, where, how, and who to ask for directions.

I try to inspire.  I stay excited.  I try to pay forward to my students the passion of my “good teachers” – the passion not just for the material at hand but for the process of learning… wherever that might take them.

As a student and then teacher of sociology, I came to appreciate the importance of context and perspective.  Everything is dependent on its time, place, and connection to everything else.  My job as a teacher is to help students make those connections.  Learning is so much more than memorizing.  To truly learn means to take what we’re being taught and make it a part of one’s life, of one’s understanding, to make it come alive, to connect it to our thoughts and lives in a way that makes it real.  This is what I do in the classroom.  I make the material applicable to their interests, their goals, and their lives.  I put the material and their learning in context so that they feel invested in the process.

I recognize that each student is unique and each student learns in their own way.  Students come from a variety of backgrounds.  They are on many different points of the map both intellectually and emotionally.  So, I believe it is vitally important to offer different approaches to exploring the mountains of material.  I serve as a guide to help each unique student onto their own path leading to the same destination.  I remember that they may all get there from different routes.  My task is to help find the best approach… together. 

I enjoy building my classroom into a community of mutual respect.  I emphasize relationships, group ownership of the learning process, and personal responsibility in the class.  I enjoy building on the strength of our differences.  Diversity is power – the diversity of the people in the classroom, the diversity of the way we learn, and the diversity of the things we learn.

One of the best ways I know how to teach is to remember how I learned the material and then share that way of learning with my students.  Honestly remembering our own difficulties and successes along the path and empathizing with our students doesn’t breed the disenchantment feared by the not-so-good teachers, just the opposite; understanding our students and sharing in their experience results in respect.  That’s the way of a good teacher.

Lastly, I like to make learning fun.  Learning is such a big part of our lives.  I think it should be something much more powerful than “work.”  Some of the greatest lessons I’ve learned came in times of joy and amazement.  I’m out to make learning enjoyable so that my students will be excited to keep learning, to keep searching for truth, to mindfully meet others along the path, and to share what they have learned with others.

[back to top]

ACADEMIC TEACHING BIOGRAPHY

• Introduction to Sociology (SOCY 1001)
  Teaching Assistant in Department of Sociology, University of Colorado
  
  
• Social Psychology (SOCY 4031, upper level)
  Teaching Assistant in Department of Sociology, University of Colorado
  
  
• The Self in Modern Society (SOCY 3151, upper level)
  Teaching Assistant in Department of Sociology, University of Colorado
  
  
• Deviance (SOCY 1004)
  Teaching Assistant in Department of Sociology, University of Colorado
  See recitation syllabus (PDF)
  
  Also see my CV for community and NGO teaching experience.
  

[back to top]

PLANNED TEACHING FUTURE
I plan to teach sociology at a college level. My particular focus will be in social psychology, social movements, deviance, and getting students excited about expanding their sociological imaginations by teaching introductory courses. I am comfortable with very small groups and lecturing in front of hundreds (or thousands). I also am intersted in playing a role in the growing online education opportunities for college-aged and professional adults. This may involve online teaching and/or instructional design.

I will also be continuing development of online education for the understanding and advancement of Nonviolence theory.

[back to top]

ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION OF MY TEACHING
Per student reviews, I tended to receive much higher than average ratings on my teaching, professionalism, interest, intellectual challenge, and encouragement of interest as compared to others in the sociology department and also campus wide.

Here are sample results of one of my Faculty Course Questionnaires (for Deviance). Ratings are on a 0-6 scale (6 being the highest).

Full FCQ results (PDF):
Deviance (section 1)
Deviance (section 2)
Deviance (section 3)
Intro (section 1) - coming May 2010
Intro (section 2) - coming May 2010
Intro (section 3) - coming May 2010

Faculty Observation/Review (coming May 2010)

Student Testimonials:
Unabridged student comments from Deviance course

Examples of anonymous student testimonials (included in unabridged list/link above):

“Matt Bear is a great guy.  He really made going to class easy because he was there to help you with anything you could possibly need.  He really has a passion for Deviance and it shows because he is a great teacher and made Deviance my favorite class to take this semester.”

“This class was not at all what I expected, but it was very interesting and I enjoyed it a ton!!!  I believe Matt is the reason I have done so well in this course so far.”

“I thought this recitation was great.  Your love for the knowledge of sociology definitely translated over in your teaching.  The reading lists were clearly explained, and you always answered questions.  Thanks!”

“You were great!  Fun to be around and listen to, enjoyable classes and content. Thanks.”

“He did a good job in delivering the material and teaching us.  Easy to talk to if I had any questions and helped me out any way possible.”

“Great class.  Really interested me and is so relevant to the current times.”

[back to top]

ACADEMIC PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
College Teacher Certification (05/2010)
"The College Teacher Certification Program encourages graduate students to examine their interest and fitness for teaching, to improve communication and teamwork skills, to understand various teaching and learning methods, and to develop as professionals in their fields. Participation in teaching enhancement activities offered through the College Teacher Program and through academic departments is required. To qualify for College Teacher Certification, graduate teachers must complete... at least 2 full semesters of classroom teaching, 20 hours of GTP professional development workshops, 20 hours of discipline-specific workshops, video recorded observations and consultations, faculty member observation and evaluation, a teaching portfolio, and a final assessment" (CU GTC Program).

Workshops attended and approved by the certification program:
Teaching Assistant Intro Training
Teaching Assistant Intro Training Panel
What Do Undergrads Want From Teachers?
Engaging Students in Discussions
How To Create a Rubric
The Kolb LSI
Maintaining Authority in the Classroom
Incorporating Student Writing Skills in Course Design
Navigating the Classroom (Diversity, Interpersonal Communication, etc.)
Using Movies to Teach
Using Film to Explore Diversity
Creating a Teaching Portfolio
Teaching at Your Best
Course Design
Teaching With Technology: Clickers in the Sociology Classroom
MicroTeaching Session
Dealing With Classroom Problems
Creativity in Teaching
The Nitty Gritty About Succeeding as a Teacher
Publish or Perish (Continuing Professional Development)
Turning Research Ideas Into Course Ideas
Research Ideas in the Classroom
Deconstructing Classroom Bias
Service Learning
Sociology: Teaching About Death, Sex, and Money
Sociology: Professional Development Seminar (full semester)

[back to top]

APPENDICES (PDF unless otherwise noted)

Deviance: Recitation Syllabus
Deviance: Sample Lesson Plan
Deviance: Sample Writing Assignment and Key
Deviance: Sample In-Class Assignment
Intro to Sociology: Sample Lesson Plan
Self in Modern Society: Sample Lesson Plan
Self in Modern Society: Sample Grading Guide
Self in Modern Society: Sample Student Paper Comments ("needs improvement")

Full FCQ results:
Deviance (section 1)
Deviance (section 2)
Deviance (section 3)
Introduction to Sociology (section 1)
Introduction to Sociology (section 2)
Introduction to Sociology (section 3)

[back to top]