Many of my teachers and professors have been role models and mentors, creating abiding impacts that developed my passion for research and teaching. I feel it is both imperative and a privilege to make the same impact on my students. My goal as a teacher is to develop students who are skilled, knowledgeable, and empowered to change the world. My teaching philosophy centers on 3 core values: (1) empowering a learning community of intellectual reciprocity, (2) building generalizable skills in critical thinking and communication, (3) understanding that teaching goes beyond classes. In all aspects of my practice, I wish to center the success of students as my foremost priority, and honor and embrace the power of individual identity and experiences in the classroom setting.
I have teaching experience as a teaching assistant and instructor of record at the graduate and undergraduate level in courses on quantitative research methodology and the politics of education policy. My commitment to investing time and energy into building personal and trusting relations with students and across the classroom manifests in a respectful and engaging learning environment. I am prepared and excited to teach courses at the graduate and undergraduate level on a range of topics, including the politics of education policy, the economics of education and finance, policy analysis and research design, comparative education policy, quantitative methods, and foundations courses on how history and theories of justice inform approaches and structures in education.
The impact I have on my students’ learning experiences is reflected in the student evaluations and feedback I received for my EDUC 506: Politics, Policymaking, and America’s Schools course taught in the spring of 2023:
- “In this class in particular it would be easy for bias and personal opinions to show, but Chris did an excellent job of not allowing his personal opinions to affect discussions, He would play devil’s advocate as needed for the class when it seemed like there was a consensus of opinion.”
- “Very encouraging and compassionate to student feedback and participation. Even when correcting or challenging students, maintains good decorum and doesn’t discourage new or different ideas. I enjoyed the class and would recommend the professor.”
- “Christopher Brooks established a classroom environment rich in discussion and academic inquiry. I learned as much from the instructor’s expertise as I did hearing from my fellow classmates… this sort of classroom environment is why I consider Brooks’ EDUC—506 to be among one of my most awarding courses”
- “I enjoyed the… discussion-based lectures, which were more engaging than a traditional PowerPoint lecture and made each student engage with the course material.”
- “He was a fabulous professor and very willing to chat with me about assignments, class material, and academia in general. Chris was a great resource and a great professor.”
- “Chris is an outstanding instructor who is passionate about the subject material, and I would highly recommend to any student considering his class”
- “Christopher Brooks has made for one of the most engaging and thoughtful educators during my academic experience at UNC… I think Christopher Brooks’s instruction made for the optimal ‘launchpad’… so I might confidently approach policy topics in the future.”
I have uploaded my own original syllabus here as an example of class structure and content: