I believe that we all learn best when we are supported in our learning.  I also believe that it's important to challenge students to reach above their intellectual and ability levels, while at the same time supporting them in their efforts.

My role as a teacher is very much about creating a learning environment in which every student is comfortable and in which there is much interaction among students.  I work to de-center authority in the classroom, too, by encouraging students to present their own ideas and work to their classmates.  Students know a great deal that they can offer to one another.  The teacher is never the one and only source of valuable information in the classroom.

In addition to delivering presentations, students in my classes work very closely with one another in peer workshop groups.  They discuss ideas for papers, share research strategies and findings, and review each other's work.  They serve as a sounding board for each other  sometimes, and critical readers and editors at other times.

Finally, my teaching emphasizes that writing and research are elaborate processes.  Good writing and thinking do not happen magically.  Most great writers and thinkers begin with a slight idea which they then develop into a full document.  Most great writers and thinkers also remain willing to change their minds and to make extensive changes to the content and style of their work.  I encourage students to keep working for the best possible way to say what they need to say.