As a teacher, it is always my priority to make my classroom an equitable, accessible, and enjoyable space. I favor low-pressure, discussion-based environments in which students know that answers can be "messy" and that they are in a safe space to get things wrong. I have found that this ensures more students have their "lightbulb moments," because they feel comfortable asking questions. Every classroom is different, and every student has their individual needs; it is my job as a teacher to facilitate learning while supporting these needs.
In my teaching, I believe in student investment, clear communication, accessible resources, and teaching skills that go beyond my classroom. It is my conviction that student assessment should scaffold tangible skills with course learning goals, such as archival research, database exploration, exhibit constitution, or article reviews. I also believe in abandoning the written essay whenever appropriate! My assignments encourage students to encounter pre-modern texts creatively, realistically, and reflectively. Many of my courses ask students to respond to medieval texts with creative or artistic products, rather than the traditional essay.
I also believe in experiential, role-play, and gamified learning. In my classes, we role-play as linguistic detectives, discover new worlds through tactile game play, and encounter medieval texts in hands-on environments. I prioritize primary-source-based experiential learning by giving students hands-on experience with pre-modern written culture. Primary source learning encourages students to grapple with the unconquerable absences of history; although there is much to glean from the extant record, there is much we can never know. In my classroom, I encourage students to live in balance between the known, the unknowable, and the imagined.
Currently, I am the Professor of Linguistics and Early Literature at Mississippi University for Women as Assistant Professor of Linguistics and Early Literature.
Composition 101
Composition 102
History and Structure of the English Language
Survey of Early English Literature
The Earliest English Literature
Here are some of the resources I have compiled or made for students, as well as sample assignments.
Resources:
Links to an external site. - A selection of soundscapes
Links to an external site. - YouTube has a lot of great "ambience" and background noise options. Try layering these on multiple pages with the soundscapes!
For this assignment, you will create a soundscape for one of our Old English poems.
How to do this assignment:
Choose your poem.
Create your soundscape.
Decide:
Are you recording a natural soundscape for the actual narrative of the poem?
E.g., wave sounds and gulls for The Seafarer?
E.g., whale sounds for The Whale? Scraping sounds for riddles about bookmaking?
Are you recording a soundscape for those creating or hearing the poem?
Sounds of a monastic scriptorium?
Sounds of a busy meadhall?
Don't be afraid to layer your soundscapes with many different sounds!
Record yourself reading one of our Old English poems (either in the original language or translation).