Teaching Spotlight - Georgia Butcher
Georgia is a 3rd year PhD student studying Cultural Anthropology. Her research focuses on military drone pilot experience with a focus on how remote war impacts understandings of surveillance and the automation of war and work. Georgia was recently awarded a Teaching Excellence Award based on her teaching philosophy and dedication to her students. We asked Georgia a few questions to learn more about her as a teacher and get to know her better. Read more below!
What is your favorite part about teaching?
My favorite part of teaching is when I realize that the students not only trust each other, but also me. Trust is such an essential part of teaching, especially in recitations, and I find that once trust is strong, student submissions also become stronger and more interesting.
Is there a particular story from the classroom you would like to share?
Classroom engagement can come in unexpected ways. One class, I handed out colored pencils for an activity, but let students use them after the activity for notes/doodling. The colored pencils not only allowed students to engage with my activities differently (such as by drawing their response instead of typing/writing a journal response) but also, somehow, drastically increased participation. Needless to say, the colored pencils remained a constant classroom companion for the rest of the semester.
What are your recommendations for continuing or increasing student advocacy and engagement?
Instead of trying to fight for the attention of students and get them off their laptops and phones, integrate technology into the classroom. I find that allowing students to email me questions instead of having to raise their hands increases engagement from students who might ordinarily not speak and seemingly hide behind their screens.
What is a good book you have read recently and why did you enjoy it?
Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid. The book is a novel about a 70s rock band (and their downfall) written in such a fun and engaging way that you can't put it down.