Meet Lisa DiMaio, recipient of the inaugural Provost Award for Undergraduate Teaching Impact

On the first day of her class teaching multilingual students in the first-year writing program, Lisa DiMaio, EdD, hands out note cards to each student to share background information about themselves, including their language and country of origin. origin, his hobbies and if he has any. food allergy.

“I love cooking,” DiMaio said.

Students love her classes and her baked goods, from cupcakes sprinkled with the colors of their country’s flag to ugly sweater cookies brought in in December.

“I want them to feel at home,” DiMaio said. “Their families are thousands of miles away and I want my classroom to be a home away from home for the students. By creating a warm, stress-free environment, we create an atmosphere in which students feel comfortable, and if they feel comfortable and are not anxious, they are more willing to take risks, to collaborate and learn.

This approach is an extension of his teaching philosophy aimed at creating an interactive, student-centered classroom filled with collaboration, conversation, and social interaction. Students lead classroom conversations with DiMaio as facilitator.

DiMaio is among four Drexel professors recognized for implementing exceptional innovations in teaching and learning with the first Dean’s Award for Impact on Undergraduate Teaching in 2023. This award recognizes full-time faculty who have made a distinctive impact through teaching excellence, primarily at the first or second year undergraduate level.

DiMaio uses sociocultural theory (SCT) methodologies during classes. This educational approach supports a process in which development and learning occurs through social interactions. Research has shown that this is a particularly effective learning environment for individuals from different cultures.

Students indicate in course evaluations and testimonials that its courses have had a positive impact on their learning and, for some, their lives.

Lisa DiMadio, EdD, with her class.

One student wrote in a course evaluation that Dr. DiMaio “created an environment in which non-English speakers like me feel comfortable speaking and debating with each other.” I really appreciate this! Flexibility and meaningful peer interactions are both extremely beneficial.

Although the classroom is an important environment for cultivating conversations and social interactions, DiMaio also meets with students one-on-one to discuss the written feedback she provides on the essay drafts they turn in and their provides an opportunity to address any concerns they may have.

In this interview, DiMaio discusses how her teaching philosophy has evolved, the different roles she has held at Drexel, and the advice she would give to someone new to teaching multilingual students.

What inspired you to teach?

When I started college, I knew I wanted to become an English teacher and I thought I would become a bilingual teacher. I eventually realized that I wanted to teach multilingual students with a focus on student writing. They always have a story to tell and sometimes those stories aren’t heard.

Do you speak another language?

English is my first language. I studied Spanish for six years and spoke it fluently during my undergraduate studies and continue to study the language.

What positions have you held during your career at Drexel?

I began my teaching career at the English Language Center in 1997. Three years later, I was hired by the Department of English and Philosophy to coordinate the writing program for multilingual learners (ML) and teach composition courses in the First Year Writing Program (FWP). In 2015, in addition to my teaching responsibilities, I was appointed Professor of Writing by Dr. Scott Warnock, former Director of the University Writing Program (UWP). After a recent restructuring of UWP, my title was changed to Coordinator of Multilingual Writing Resources for Learners. Although I carry out a variety of tasks for UWP, most of my work is spent teaching multilingual undergraduate students.

Where do your students come from and what languages ​​do they speak?

Everywhere. I have Spanish-speaking students from Spain, Ecuador and Peru. I have students from Kazakhstan who speak Russian and Kazak. I have many Indian students and many students who speak Chinese and Vietnamese. Some of my students know and speak four languages. Each student has their own voice and brings a myriad of experiences as a world traveler. It’s as if in class, each student is a piece of our quilt: they are pieces of the whole.

How has your educational philosophy evolved?

While creating a nurturing environment for my students has always been part of my philosophy, that philosophy has evolved to where my goal is to help students succeed no matter where they are. Universal design for learning is also part of my philosophy and I believe that all students can learn if you give them multiple opportunities to succeed.

What topics do you cover in class and why?

We tackle many difficult issues, including racism, equality, and oppression, and I ask them to share any personal experiences related to the topics we discuss in class. They also come to class with fantastic experiences and background knowledge, but it may not be about baseball or the World Series or the Super Bowl, so we cover some of those Philadelphia-related topics as well. It is important that they learn about a range of topics so that they can understand them and their nuances when reading literature or writing.

What advice would you give to someone new to teaching multilingual students?

When they enter a class of multilingual writers, whatever differences they see or hear, I hope they will appreciate the students’ differences and see them simply as differences and not as deficiencies in their writing , their written accent or their speech. When we remove their accent, we remove their voice and their identity. This doesn’t mean their writing is bad or not good enough. What is good writing? Is it about communicating the meaning of a powerful idea or precise grammar?