2014 Outstanding University Teacher Award Winner Category I
Julie Jung, Ph.D.
- Ph.D. in Rhetoric, Composition, and Teaching of English, University of Arizona (1999)
- Associate Professor, Department of English
Teaching philosophy
I strive to help students develop pliancy in their thinking and communicating so they can participate responsibly as engaged global citizens in an ever-changing world.
Best compliment from a student
“You helped me begin to experience myself as a woman of worth.” It doesn’t get any better than that.
Three most valuable approaches that I bring to my teaching practice
- Rigor : Every time I set the bar really high, my students rise to meet it.
- Curiosity: I am forever curious about my subject matter and how students think and learn.
- Kindness: We never really know what our students are going through, and we’re all just people, trying our best to muddle through.
Teaching technique to recommend
Comes from an honest feeling of helplessness when I was a classroom teacher. I was fighting against a system that wasn’t conducive to the needs of my culturally diverse students. I felt that I needed to put myself in a position in which I could work with many others in the field to change systemic problems in disciplinary practices. I am just beginning my journey, but I hope that I am impacting future “kiddos” by providing my preservice teachers the tools and knowledge to be effective teachers.
Ways I want to continue to improve my teaching
I want to work on developing innovative new media assignments and ethical ways of responding to and assessing students’ innovative projects.
Most challenging aspect of teaching
Working to maintain a beginner’s mind with respect to courses I have taught many times over. When I have the time, I work to revise courses (assign new readings, for example) so that I’m learning along with my students.
