What I do
Teaching
I am deeply aware that education is a way to provide opportunity and advancement, both of my parents were immigrants to the United States. Learning and the practice of teaching are deeply democratic undertakings which posit that an educated populace benefits society as a whole, not just those who individually benefit from schooling. Teaching is a relational practice that promotes the greater good, and in my work I seek to create trusting classroom spaces that both value difference and promote critical thinking.
Professional Development
Professional development has earned its negative reputation among teachers. More often than not, presenters who are removed from the practice of teaching present ideas and concepts that do not address the vastly different levels of experience among the educators that are in the room.
My approach to professional development acknowledges and prioritizes groups different experience levels, which is a strength of healthy organizations. In preparing to support the work that you and your colleagues do, I will utilize data and questionnaires in fashioning an experiential agenda that will appeal to educators of different levels and content areas, thereby increasing engagement and execution of newly gained skills and standpoints.
Mentorship & Coaching
Finding mentors among overworked educators can be a struggle. Often, finding industry colleagues to fill a mentorship role does not happen as naturally as we would like. Stringent and vigilant evaluation protocols and over-testing can be challenging to address during busy teaching schedules. Feelings of inadequacy can exacerbate stress and undermine strengths. Using a solutions-oriented approach, I can work with you – or your staff – to manage barriers that prevent you from accomplishing the vision you have for your role in a complex educational environment.
Curriculum Design
Designing curriculum is a practice of priorities and is fundamentally related to the purposes of education and the goals of the particular course being taught. In designing curricula, I employ a reverse-order model that directly addresses moral, social, and political questions. The process is additionally guided by disciplinary and state standards. Most importantly, successfully implemented curricula requires a dynamic teacher who has internalized the guiding documents and made the work of presenting the material uniquely their own.
Writing
Speaking
Let optimism and encouragement set the tone. My presentations bring expertise and insights about teaching and managing challenges to engage and inspire your educational community. Using captivating participatory techniques, participants will leave informed and energized to reshape their teaching strategies. I present easy-to-adopt approaches building on competencies that educators already possess which can be brought to their classrooms immediately. Your educators will leave our time together empowered and inspired to implement sustainable changes to their writing instruction – regardless of field – and experience improved relationships with students.
Literacy Services FAQs
Does Dr. Viskanta address the use of AI tools and their use by students for writing?
Teachers working with student writing are confronting a massive change in how writing is taught and improved. Numerous think pieces are addressing the consequences of using AI tools for composition: Hua Hsu, Stephen Marche, Sanibel Chai, James D. Walsh. The availability of AI tools is requiring educators to test different approaches in experimental fashion, as in this essay by Clay Shirky. My focus in this area seeks to build on work I did when I introduced Turnitin at my school site over 12 years ago. I begin with a set of first principles which I discuss with students – combining open communication about the tools available, appropriate use examples, and robust changes to how writing is assessed.
I’m a teacher struggling with adolescent writing instruction. Is it true that writing instruction will always be time consuming?
There is a reason that English teachers are always depicted correcting papers, it can be a time suck. With proper teacher planning and student preparation, there are strategies that can alleviate some of the workload. Strategies I present to teachers originate from the principle that students should be taught not only the structural and technical foundations of writing, but also the constant process of review and revision that all good writing must follow.
How does Dr. Viskanta differentiate his support methodology between different types of writing, for example expository, informative, narrative and creative writing?
Writing research indicates that for students to improve their writing, they must write often in a variety of styles and contexts. This can be hard to schedule in the current K-12 school landscape where mandated accountability measurement often directs instructional practice. Building on the sincere understanding through experience that each school site and district is different, I work in partnership with teachers and district leaders to craft informational conversations so that systemic goals are not mutually exclusive to the needs of classroom English teachers. While tension in K-12 education might continue to challenge practitioners at all levels, my goal in providing a shared language for English teachers seeks to create greater trust that teachers can be trusted to improve student literacy outcomes with evidence-based practices.
- Curriculum
- Book
- Technical Writing
- Editorial Writing