Teaching Philosophy
I believe the knowledge one gains from a quality education is invaluable. Regardless of subject or setting, my teaching and coaching philosophy is grounded in three core principles:
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Everyone can learn.
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Learning is as much about the journey (process) as it as about the destination (product).
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Learning is a lifelong pursuit that enriches the student, teacher, and communities in which both reside.
At the core of my teaching and coaching philosophy is the belief that learning is transformative, perpetual, and ubiquitous. We can learn anything from anyone anywhere at any time.
I define my role as a facilitator of learning. In that role I see myself as a link in a concatenation of lifelong learning experiences. My intention is to help my students and clients establish a foundation of knowledge on which they can continue to build throughout their lives. I employ an integrative approach to better facilitate acquisition, application, and retention of new concepts. I am a hands-on, learner-centered teacher/coach, and I never tire of seeing the proverbial light bulb turn on when my students and clients assimilate new concepts or activate talents that they did not think they possessed.
As a writing teacher and coach, I work to dispel myths and break the barriers that students and clients have been allowed to erect about writing. I want my students to gain confidence in composing written communication that effectively presents their ideas. To facilitate this, I teach/coach writing as an iterative process that affords limitless opportunities to think, learn, document, and express. I equip students and clients with strategies and tools for writing, revising, reading, researching, and reflecting.
Additionally, I employ feedback and feedforward strategies to demystify writing and enable students and clients to develop the competence to not only meet the rigor and expectations of their current writing task, but also to write effectively in any writing situation.
With students at the Little Prince School in Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya.
“When the pupil is ready to learn, a teacher will appear.”
– Zen Proverb
Editorial Philosophy
My editorial philosophy is centered in the belief that the purpose of editing is improvement. My role as a content editor is not to rewrite but to guide revision by providing an informed perspective. Revision is a process that engages critical thinking and reflection. Rather than correct, I suggest.
My process involves engaging the writer on a deeper level to think more critically about the presentation of their ideas and to reflect on the purpose of the work. I bring the same approach to my work as a writing coach, where I support writers of all levels at every stage of the writing process from invention to final revision.
As a copy editor and proofreader, my mission is to correct and polish so that the writer’s best efforts shine through without the distraction of errors.
My editorial projects have included textbooks, novels, memoirs, brochures, websites, ad copy, dissertations, feature articles, and scholarly papers.
"Revision and editing is the thinking person's game."
– Monique W. Morris