Teaching

My goal as a teacher educator is to support the development of elementary pre-service teachers that are knowledgeable in content and pedagogy across disciplines, committed to ongoing learning and improvement, and critically reflective of their beliefs about students, families, and instruction. Accordingly, my teaching philosophy is centered on instructional design that emphasizes each of these elements. I believe that teacher educators must provide access to robust knowledge of disciplinary content as well as model exemplary pedagogy, make visible their own efforts to learn and improve through feedback and reflection, and foster inclusive learning environments where preservice teachers (PSTs) can hone their critical lens. 

In my courses, I strive to develop learning experiences that are both engaging and inclusive by using a blend of instructor-modeled and inquiry-oriented approaches. I intentionally foreground content that challenges dominant narratives and supports teachers in developing a critical, justice-oriented stance. And I believe in the power of feedback: I prioritize ongoing formative assessment for my students and regularly gather and act on student suggestions to improve my own practice.

As a teacher educator working to develop elementary teachers with strong content and pedagogical knowledge as well as a commitment to equity, inclusion, and social justice, I am constantly reflecting on my practice, considering evidence of student learning, and working to be responsive to both PST needs and current events. My teaching practice is continually improving, and by structuring my courses with inquiry, instructor modeling, opportunities for practice, and ongoing feedback, I endeavor to ensure the same is true for my students.

I am proud of my teaching accomplishments in my first three years in the College of Education at JMU. I primarily taught two courses in the senior year of the Elementary Education program: ELED 450: Planning Instruction and Assessment and ELED 455: Home, School, Communities. I also taught an Honor’s Thesis Independent Study and served as a Qualifying Experience Mentor in the COE’s new Ed.D program. 

Over the past three years, my teaching has evolved through intentional reflection, collaboration, and responsiveness to student needs and program goals. I have prioritized modeling inclusive pedagogy while maintaining high expectations for student learning. My teaching is grounded in a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and I have consistently sought feedback from students and colleagues to refine my approach.

In my first year, I focused on acclimating to the program and building rapport with students while piloting new assignments that connected coursework to practicum experiences. I learned valuable lessons about pacing, clarity, and the diversity of student teaching placements, which informed ongoing revisions to ELED 450 and ELED 455 in collaboration with colleagues. I pioneered a weekly task structure that provides ongoing formative assessment data and opportunities for touch points with students during the 7-week "ramp up" model of ELED senior year.  

In year two, I deepened my attention to feedback—both giving and receiving—by further scaffolding assignments, incorporating peer review structures, and prioritizing whole-group feedback sessions. I also participated in the AAAD/CFI Institute and LAUD Fellowship, which helped me integrate critical perspectives and Universal Design for Learning into my course design.

In year three, I expanded my efforts to support inclusive curriculum design and student agency. I further embedded Dr. Gholdy Muhammad's Five Pursuits (Identity, Skills, Intellect, Criticality, and Joy) in ELED 450 to guide additional attention to culturally and historically relevant pedagogy, and curated additional examples of unit plans to support student enactment of core instructional design principles. In ELED 455, I promoted student involvement in their school communities and encouraged student-led inquiry into current events, especially in response to federal mandates. I also coordinated a model field trip to the JMU Planetarium, using it as a springboard for students to design their own community-based learning experiences, complete with logistical planning and curricular integration. These efforts reflect my ongoing commitment to preparing future teachers to design instruction that is responsive, inclusive, and rooted in real-world contexts.

Throughout these years, I have remained committed to continuous improvement. Colleague observations and student feedback have helped me identify areas for growth, including refining my tone during group discussions and ensuring that feedback is framed constructively. I have also worked to build coherence across courses and instructors, sharing resources and facilitating collaboration to strengthen the program as a whole. For example, I led coordination across multiple sections of ELED 450 in Fall '24, facilitating planning meetings, sharing instructional materials, and mentoring adjunct instructors through observation and debrief.

As I look ahead, I aim to continue refining my feedback practices, explore differentiated instruction for diverse learner groups, and deepen my scholarship on teacher learning and inclusive pedagogy. My teaching is a dynamic, reflective practice, and I am grateful for the opportunity to grow alongside my students and colleagues.

Feedback Quality

• “Alexa Quinn provided an incredible amount of feedback to allow us to learn from our mistakes.” (ELED 450, 2023–24)

• "I am grateful that we are making a portfolio full of documents that we can use as first year teachers. I appreciate the feedback that you provide on each document as you highlight how I can make my documents stronger." (ELED 455, 2023-24)

• “I don’t learn from ‘good job,’ I learn from ‘great job with this aspect, how could you connect this with this?’ Making me think ahead, challenging me, and connecting ideas help me do better — so thank you for providing that!” (ELED 450, 2024–25)

• "I have enjoyed every second of being in Alexas class and she will be one of the professors I remember and talk highly about when people ask me about my experience at JMU in the ELED program. She takes all feedback we give her to heart and truly creates a classroom space that is comfortable to any and all students that walk in. Her feedback and advice has helped me in practicum and I will have it in my back pocket always. I would recommend Alexa to any student that takes any course that she is teaching." (ELED 455, 2024–25)

• “I LOVE that you invite feedback for glows and grows… It models for them the fact that we are always growing as practitioners and that part of this is a willingness to invite and listen to honest feedback.” (Colleague observation, 2024–25)

Inclusive and Responsive Pedagogy

• “I especially loved the morning meeting project… I got a lot of ideas for books to put in my future classroom.” (ELED 455, 2023–24)

• "Not only did Alexa Quinn serve as our professor, but we feel that she was also an advocate for us. When we came to her about practicum concerns/other worries not related to this particular course, she was always supportive and there for us which I like. She really took the time to get to know us personally." (ELED 450, 2023-2024)

• “Your ability to adapt to your learners at the drop of a hat has been a great model for us as future teachers.” (ELED 455, 2024–25)

• “I really appreciate the clear concern you have for us, and the planning you put into this course! You work very hard on this class, and it is so appreciated!” (ELED 455, 2024–25)

• “Your support did not go unnoticed, and I am incredibly thankful for all of the encouragement that was provided during this course.” (ELED 450, 2024–25)

Real-World Relevance and Community Engagement

• “I just wanted to say I really loved going on this field trip, and I had a lot of fun! I feel like it was a really useful lesson that I haven’t discussed in classes before, so I really appreciate you taking the time to organize this, and for making it so much fun! :)” (ELED 455, 2024–25)

• “[The  Teacher Recruitment Fair] was one of the best experiences I feel they could have for upcoming teachers. I really appreciated the opportunities to learn about all the similarities and differences of the districts.… It really helps pre-service teachers possibly narrow down their job search or even get offered a job.” (ELED 455, 2023–24)

• "In terms of the class, I found it to be one of the most beneficial out of all of the courses we have taken. Being able to create these resources for ourselves that we can actually use in our first year has been such a great tool and being able to get feedback on this and really perfect them has been so helpful." (ELED 455, 2023–24)

Student Growth and Confidence

• “I feel like each class’s topic was chosen so unbelievably well… I really feel so much more prepared after each meeting.” (ELED 455, 2022–23)

• “Digging deep into unit planning seemed scary at first, but after doing it twice, I feel really confident in doing so!” (ELED 450, 2023–24)

• "I am very excited to have accepted a 4th grade teaching position at [redacted]. The principal told me many of my strong interview answers had to do with the way I plan on connecting my classroom to their families and community, and I am extremely thankful to you for that knowledge…" (ELED 455, 2023-24)

• “I am so happy with the growth I feel I made during this class and look forward to creating many great units and assessments in the future!” (ELED 450, 2024–25)

• Support novice teachers in learning about their students, their families, and their school communities in order to plan instruction and assessment that is place-based, culturally and historically responsive, and joyful.

• Work to build collaborative relationships with Cooperating Teachers and Supervisors to support authentic practice opportunities through practicum-embedded course assignments

• Explore ways to embrace opportunities and tackle challenges for higher education pedagogy and adult learning that have emerged with the proliferation of Generative AI.

• Continue honing my craft through experiences with courses and/or cohorts of students I haven't worked with previously.