Carlton's Educational Philosophy

I appreciate the unique intellectual challenges and complex dreams young people with ambition and insight strive to realize. For this reason, I have worked for a number of years with the explicit intention of demystifying access to higher education. The process of self-discovery and capacity building for young adults is supported and inspired through mentoring relationships and experiential learning coupled with a deep exploration of theory and an emphasis on critical thinking. Shaping this process by being a flexible and resourceful educator is central to my personal and professional repertoire. Additionally, as an international educator, I bring a global awareness based on real life lessons, as well as sensitivity to issues of cultural identity and skills that enhance communication between diverse cultures.  Ideally, the respect for individual needs balanced with the needs of his or her society inspires a stronger sense of self worth, achievement and civic responsibility.

As an educator, I often focus on issues that link self-definition, personal agency, and passion for learning complemented by the exploration of societal institutions and cultural movements. Having significant experience with traditional age and adult students, as well as those who require alternative approaches to enhance and realize their talents, I develop strategies for clearer writing and improved communication while exploring issues of values and ethics. These strategies allow for students at different levels of preparation and ability to find success in my classroom. My counseling skills are a foundation for facilitating goal setting appropriate to individualized needs while simultaneously promoting a synergistic group dynamic. 

While preparing eager and talented under-served students for the college application process, I drew upon my own awkward college selection experience, remembering how confusing and counter-intuitive some higher education practices seemed. I remember feeling as if I was trying to fit my passion, curiosity, talents, thrill of inquiry, questioning nature, social entrepreneurial spirit, and love of self expression into a rigid mold with status quo outcomes. I had yet to learn to trust my own mind or develop a sense of self efficacy.

My intellectual adolescent quagmire generated conflicting feelings, yet it cemented a belief that learning should have few boundaries and be fueled by professional and dedicated lifelong learners unencumbered by the silos of rigid disciplines and propelled instead by a more organic and scaffolded method of inquiry, interest and passion. Learning and teaching should be a reciprocal process connecting the student and the instructor through the co-intentional construction of knowledge supported by a platform of academic expertise and intellectual flexibility. I finally experienced this pedagogical rarity when I was assigned my first mentor in college. During each class and every conversation she emphasized the connections that linked people, places, ideas, actions, research, science, and art. As a student centered and liberating educator, she listened to me, asked me questions, and supported my natural sense of critical inquiry, while persistently demanding I continue to reflect not merely upon what information I had gleaned, but why and how I learned.  My instructor’s customized and insightful approach increased my level of motivation allowing me to develop the confidence necessary for greater intellectual and academic risk taking. As I continued through my undergraduate liberal arts journey I deliberately choose schools at the forefront of implementing integrative and student centered educational methodologies, yet as wonderful as they were, I realized I was living in an intellectual bubble.

Later in my career, I began to build my own legacy of innovative programming while preparing underserved students for success in their college experiences. Working with them over a period of years, officially and unofficially, and respecting their personal stories, I had earned their trust. They were open to my curricular experiments and non-traditional methods, and I was open to what they could possibly teach me. Together, we had established our own classroom culture of trust, challenge and risk-taking. In order to explore the power of educational choice and clarify the collegiate expectations of my students, I designed an experiential workshop where we co- constructed a fictitious university inclusive of its varied components. We divided into groups, each with a unique task, yet ultimately coming together as architects for our shared learning community. We tirelessly designed and debated until our university was ready to launch. When we produced our final project, our dream university seemed real to us. It had defined yet flexible admission standards, and was holistic in its approach so that those who represented a privileged meritocracy were not categorically favored. Additionally, the students desired the freedom to take courses across multiple departments requesting that internships and international travel be mandatory, complemented by domestic service projects. They selected small classes, diversified social opportunities, and preferred close relationships with their instructors. Many expressed a desire to mentor new students personally. Others explored ways extended families could be integrated into their university experience, minimizing the tension between their established family structures and their more education rich futures. They also valued the ability to send their children to the university they created. It seemed that our imaginary university functioned symbolically as much as it promised to advance more pragmatic career goals. For students who were not expected to be versed in the ways of higher education, they, in fact, knew exactly what they needed. As the facilitator of this process, I was impressed by the insightful questions, blunt observations, and ingenuity of my students. Together, we were able to articulate a powerful shared vision. I would love to be part of this kind of process again, but this time building a community that takes physical shape.

In a time of increased religious, social, political, and economic transition, I am concerned with what young people, and educators, are being asked to believe about the world, its motives, and its challenges. I have noted how talented educators can fall prey to polarizing dynamics and thought silos due to a lack of explicit institutional support and leadership. Supporting and being supported by peers committed to the evolution of interdisciplinary synergies is another compelling reason I am interested in an evolving program. Participating in a team of visionary educators is exciting. I have done some of my best work when asked to contribute to and be challenged by a program that shares and articulates an inclusive vision of social, academic, and personal relevance, yet is rigorously anchored by practical skill building, the expansion of civil society through pedagogical experimentation and best practices, group process, and international education. I am fortunate to have a proven and diverse set of skills allowing me to contribute to this process in various stages of development.

I have significant experience as an admissions strategist, recruitment officer, scholarship interviewer and evaluator, classroom instructor, experiential trainer, public speaker, activist, counselor, international program designer and leader, international student program manager, faculty liaison, diversity officer, student development expert, event coordinator, intentional living community facilitator, public health advocate, safety officer, mediator, and as a champion in the use of collaborative technology platforms in both the classroom and international administration. I have managed staff, created linkages with NGO’s for civic partnerships and been recognized nationally for my work. I have presented to a diversity of stakeholders and chaired national and international panels for professional organizations, such as NAFSA, The Brookings Institution’s Bridge Building Coalition (BBC), The Forum for Education Abroad, SUNY COIL, and shared my voice and message as a motivational speaker at the request of many unique communities. I value and encourage the expansion of traditional university boundaries extending into the local and international community bridging theory with the risks and benefits of practice. In addition, I underscore this practice with a philosophy infused with structured self-reflection mandating a powerful feedback loop which informs the educational community.

As an artist, I have a deep passion for the arts and their ability to inspire higher levels of abstract thinking and expression. As a drama instructor, as well as a producer and director and I have seen how infusion of expressive arts deepens the passion and strengthens the resolve of individuals while modeling important collaboration and leadership skills. Challenges and projects that encourage meta-cognitive thinking, and celebrate abstract and creative expression are key to developing the social imagination of future generations. Intellectual acumen is certainly necessary, but so is the need for emotional and civic intelligence. Being able to encourage students to consider the value of their lives based on a diverse set of qualitative and quantitative factors is important for this allows for a resilient and flexible framework informed by the dynamics of change.

The changes and adjustments of educational programs should not be based solely upon what is perceived to have failed previously. Rather, an innovative project should be focused on positive shared goals gleaned and distilled from past innovators. Lessons from the past should not be devalued, but rather carefully dissected so strengths and systems that have evolved over time are not mistakenly overshadowed by the promise of unproven systems. There must be a balance. Like scientific experimentation, perceived failures can be more informative than overt successes, and the ability to innovate with an eye for the future while managing the challenges of the present rests on leadership, transparency, and clear goals and community agreement. Rarely have I seen imposed solutions without broad input work though they may seem, at times, expedient.

More recently, I have seen glimmers of an emerging movement supporting a broader commitment to interdisciplinary studies in public higher education in the United States. The Evolutionary Studies Consortium (EvoS) is one such admirable and encouraging national project influenced by some faculty I have been fortunate enough to call colleagues. This small consortium has been unusually successful in catching the attention of students, and in addition has created an academic safe space for new collaborative opportunities. Their mission statement follows:

• “The Evolutionary Studies (EvoS) Consortium is designed to facilitate the development and implementation of Evolutionary Studies Programs at colleges and universities across the United States. An Evolutionary Studies Program introduces students from all majors to evolutionary theory early in their academic careers, emphasizes human-related subjects in addition to biological, promotes the continuation of evolutionary training throughout the undergraduate education, and promotes faculty training and collaborative research related to evolution.” 

I am inspired by the innovative work at The University of Victoria in Wellington, New Zealand. Their International Leadership Program (VILP) tracks, leverages, evaluates and academically integrates the established intercultural, academic, and international opportunities of the university and its partners into a self directed, scalable and track-able program with relatively low cost and high impact. The contagious enthusiasm of their Vice Chancellor when describing this initiative made me consider adopting a similar program for my current university community. Though this kind of project could not be supported at my current campus, the idea has stayed with me.

My colleagues from the Building Bridges Coalition (BBC) are forging new initiatives as they work to infuse study abroad with service learning outcomes and as they suggest that the role of the university could be strengthened by an increased level of social integration. Participating with the BBC as a member of one of its steering committees and one of its effective practice work groups connects me to many resources and creates a positive environment to consider the effects of globalization on higher education.

Leading my university group comprised of faculty and staff with the SUNY COIL Center has broadened my mind and enhanced my skills in use of collaborative educational technology. I will be leading an interdisciplinary panel this April at the COIL conference in New York City. The mission of COIL is as follows:

• “The COIL Center’s mission is to develop and implement online collaborative international courses at SUNY as a format for experiential cross-cultural learning, thereby sensitizing participating students to the larger world by deepening their understanding of themselves, their culture, how they are perceived and how they perceive others. These globally networked courses also intensify disciplinary learning in fields where engaging other cultural perspectives is key. COIL builds bridges between study abroad, instructional design and teaching faculty through team-taught courses, thereby promoting, integrating and enhancing international education experiences across the curriculum. The COIL Center also works with international programs offices, helping them to integrate technology into their workflow and programmatic impact.”

Sharing who I am, what I believe, and being open to the lessons learned by others has developed my sense of authenticity and resilience. Loving the process and infusing the work with humility, humor and transparency is reflective of my general approach to life. Moving with others along a continuum of growth and self actualization fuels my politics, drives my curiosity, and informs my art.