Haley Petcher Bynum

When I signed on to be a Graduate Teaching Assistant, I was excited to take classes about teaching and to teach –ultimately, to discuss theory and put it into practice. Of course, as an English major, all classes worked in some way to prepare me to teach. At Auburn, I took a wide range of literature courses but minored in and, therefore, focused on Medieval and Renaissance/Early Modern Studies, and at Louisville, I also took a variety of courses but focused on Rhetoric and Composition. These classes taught me how to analyze literature and rhetoric through different lenses, such as close reading and disability studies, and gave me examples of assignments, like interpreting texts creatively by turning an older text into a modern song, short story, or sculpture. 

 

Still, it is important to pair literature and rhet/comp courses with pedagogy courses. I have taken Writing Center Theory and Practice, Teaching College Composition, and Teaching Literature. These courses have taught me about conferencing with students individually about projects, writing comments on drafts online, creating writing assignments and lesson plans, and developing a literature course. In addition, I participated in UofL's Graduating Teaching Assistant (GTA) Academy, which focused on teaching and assessment strategies to implement in class. The combination of my literature and rhet/comp background with the pedagogy courses I have taken help me be an innovative teacher. You can learn more about my experiences by viewing the list of courses I have taken and by clicking the buttons below