DEANNA D. FORSMAN
7933 Kimberly Lane N.
Maple Grove, MN 55311–1787
deanna.forsman@nhcc.edu
(763) 416–6722
Teaching Philosophy
As an instructor, my primary goals are to teach students how to evaluate information and to communicate effectively
through the written word. As an instructor of history, my goal is to help students understand how the events of the
past have shaped the present. I have found that the best way to achieve these goals is by teaching the students to
think as historians. I know that the majority of my students will not choose to be history majors. However, I believe
that important functions of a liberal arts education are to develop critical thinking skills and the ability to appreciate
multiple perspectives. With the vast array of information available over the internet, it is imperative that the modern
citizen understand how to filter useful information from the unreliable.
My basic approach to history courses is to demonstrate, and then have students practice, the rudimentary skills of the
historian. One of the most basic skills is the ability to work with primary source documents. The first day of class, I
give the students a primary source document, break them into small groups, and ask the groups to make observations
based on the document. I stress in this first exercise that even if the students do not understand the context of the
document, they can still obtain very useful information. For example, one of the documents I typically use describes
a conflict between two neighboring city-states c. 2500 BC. Although the precise details of the conflict are difficult to
follow, the students can easily recognize that the two city-states had measurements and concepts of boundaries, that
they practiced irrigation, and that grain was important. Building upon this initial exercise, I emphasize that no
written work is without bias, but by learning to recognize authorial intent, we can then determine how best to
understand the information presented in the source. I assign primary sources from a wide variety of genres, ranging
from poetry, scientific treatises, advertisements, epigraphy, narrative, literature, sacred texts, speech transcripts, law
codes, and film. Some documents are useful for presenting an overview of historical events; others are better suited
for explaining social or cultural developments. Particularly for pre-modern periods, I emphasize that our
understanding is limited by the available evidence. To provide students with a more concrete example, I often will
ask a class to imagine what future historians would think of the culture of contemporary America if the only sources
to survive were Rap lyrics and Jehovah’s Witness pamphlets. I emphasize that each of these sources represents the
attitudes and beliefs of a segment of contemporary Americans, even if such attitudes would not be considered
mainstream by most.
In addition to a strong emphasis on working with primary source documents, I introduce students to the concept of
the historical argument. Although I expect students to learn content, it is not my primary focus. I want the students
to understand that historians spend much of their time trying to understand the “how” and the “why” of the past and
its relationship to the present. We develop interpretations based on evidence, and then argue about our
interpretations. Rather than viewing history as something static and “knowable,” we view our understanding of the
past as something mutable and ever-evolving. To introduce the students to this aspect of history, I encourage them to
develop their own arguments. My primary requirement is that they remain faithful to the material presented within
sources available in the course. I encourage them to disagree with my own interpretations, as long as they are fair to
their evidence. I want my students to think for themselves.
The emphasis on primary sources and historical argument is embedded within most of my assignments. Currently, I
have several different learning activities, including in-class collaborative learning, short in-class quizzes, timeline
assignments, short take-home essays, and midterm and final essay exams. The in-class collaborative learning and the
take-home essays follow a very similar format. A typical assignment will ask students to work closely with one or
two primary sources. I ask them to make observations based on the source and to use their observations to develop
arguments and make connections with information presented in the course. For example, I ask my Western
Civilization students to explain how Darwin’s theory of Sexual Selection reflects the values of 19 th century European
Middle Class, and I ask my World Civilization students to explain why the ancient Chinese found Mahayana
Buddhism more attractive than Theravada Buddhism. I have found that after answering these types of questions in a
small-group setting, the students are much more confident of their ability to write a more formal take-home essay.
These source-analysis activities also help prepare students for the essay exams. The data I have collected for Learner
Deanna D. Forsman
Outcome Assessment projects indicates that students perform better on the midterm when two of the three take-home
essays are assigned before the midterm.
I have developed a wide variety of methods to help students succeed. I encourage students to attend my office hours
regularly by offering them extra-credit. They can come see me for help on the take-home essays, for guidance when
studying for exams or quizzes, or just to talk further about something mentioned in class. Students are encouraged to
send me drafts of their work before it is due, and I make suggestions for improvement. To prepare students for
exams, I provide them with a study guide a week in advance. The students know that out of the eight questions on
the study guide, four will appear on the exam, and they will be required to answer two. All students are strongly
encouraged to pre-write answers before the exam. To provide additional incentive to the students, I offer them
something I call the “Optional Online Study-Group.” Students who choose to participate outline an answer to one of
the questions on the study guide, which they then email to me. Using D2L, I post these outlines anonymously with
my comments and suggestions. Those students who participate then have access to all the posted outlines. I have
also offered online review sessions using the chat tool, so that students can ask last minute questions.
In order to engage students and help them to better understand events or mindsets of the past, I incorporate
multimedia into my courses. For each class lecture, I develop a PowerPoint presentation incorporating two to five
slides. Each slide includes a brief overview of the topic as well as maps or contemporary images. For example, to
help students understand foreign influence in China between the 13th and 17th centuries, I show them images of
Chinese porcelain decorated with Islamic and Persian motifs. I also incorporate music and film clips into my
courses, whether it is Gregorian Chant performed by Benedictine monks to illustrate the other-worldly quality of the
medieval Romanesque basilica, or Wagner’s “Flight of the Valkyries” to introduce a discussion of 19th century
German nationalism. Students always enjoy the Monty Python clip that demonstrates why anyone who could afford
to do so built a castle in the Middle Ages (as well as why most kings spent a great deal of time and effort
demolishing their lords’ castles).
I encourage all students to ask questions, both in and outside of class. The most engaging class periods developed
when a student has asked a question related to a single point of the lecture, such as the status of women in Classical
Greece, which sparked discussion from the entire class, through which the students gained a better understanding of
Ancient Greek culture. The more interactive classes are always accompanied by a higher energy level, and I enjoy
responding thoughtfully and informatively to student questions. On those occasions when I do not know the answer
to a particular question, I will tell the students that I do not know the answer, but then offer my best guess. I
emphasize that my answer is based on what I do know, thus modeling for the students the process of developing a
historical argument from limited evidence.
It is perhaps a truism that instructors teach more than content. Although it is unrelated to the specific goals of
history, I emphasize that the choices students make in the classroom have larger implications. Some students are
living on their own for the first time, and have not ever been expected to be responsible for themselves or their
choices. I structure my classes to reward students who take responsibility for themselves and penalize those who do
not. For example, all assignment due dates and exam dates are very firm, and I will not grant extensions or make-up
exams for any reason, unless the student has contacted me in advance. Whenever possible, I emphasize the other
applications of skills taught in my classes, whether it is critical thinking, the ability to communicate ideas clearly, or
the ability to meet a deadline. It is my hope that my students will acquire the desire to become life-long learners in
addition to gaining valuable skills that they can employ in other college courses, as well as any endeavor they choose
to undertake.
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