Researching Your Teaching: A Mini-Manifesto

Abstract

eaching your is a topic that is close to my pedagogical heart. Most instructors interpret this phrase to mean incorporat- ing aspects of their research agendas into their teaching practice. I want to turn the subject on its head. I generally choose research topics that grow out of my teaching praxis, rather than the other way around. This approach stems from an overrid- ing personal and professional commitment to teaching and learning—and to acknowledging the difference between the two! To my way of thinking, the academic rubrics of teaching, research, and service are all part of the same holy trinity, and in my opinion (admittedly a minority view), instruc- tion should be the ultimate goal of all three of those categories, for unless pedagogy is at the heart of scholarship and academic service, those tasks are merely steps toward career advancement and ego boosting, not to- ward authentic other-directed educational pursuits. It therefore probably goes without saying that I believe that the main purpose of the academy should be to provide student-centered education. The general subjects I teach—theory, history, formal analysis, ideology,