Aviation Sparks Poniatowski's Commitment to International Education

Cassandra Thomas

Joseph Poniatowski in the classroom.

At 21 years old, Joseph Poniatowski spent his days aboard a military C-130 cargo aircraft, airlifting and stabilizing patients en route to medical facilities. His work as an in-flight emergency medical technician in the New York Air National Guard kindled a captivation for travel, as he and his colleagues flew all over the United States, experiencing a new culture with every stop. Two years after joining the military, Poniatowski volunteered to spend a few months abroad in the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Shield before he was mandated to go back again, this time to the United Arab Emirates. 

"All of that inspired me to continue my internationalism and propelled me into my love of academics and education," Poniatowski said. 

The experience led him to dedicate the next two decades of his life to the pursuit of knowledge and cultural exchange. Poniatowski now serves as an instructor within the English Language and Cultural Studies Program in the Graduate School and International Education at the U of A. In his role, he teaches an array of English learning courses to both undergraduate and graduate international students, including Grammar Through Editing, Academic Writing Across Disciplines, Research Writing for Social Science Education, Research Writing in the STEM Fields and International Teaching Assistant Training. 

His academic journey began, however, with a bachelor's degree from the State University of New York, followed by a five-year teaching appointment in Mie, Japan, to educate K-12 students on international communication. He came back to SUNY in 2015 and acquired two master's degrees — one in educational administration and policy studies, and another in teaching English to speakers of other languages. Then he promptly returned to Asia, this time to teach at the higher education level in China. 

"I just love teaching. I love being in the classroom; I love international culture, and I love communicating with international students," Poniatowski said. "The vigor and the quality of international students combined with their personalities is very uplifting." 

Poniatowski's approach to instruction is one that is distinctly student-centered, as he encourages a lively and engaged learning environment for his students. 

"Even for writing, I don't just lecture, lecture, lecture — it's boring," he said. "I have lecture plus an activity like pair work, group work or writing work. I want students to interact in the class with each other and with myself. I am an interactive instructor that is a facilitator, not a lecturer. I want to facilitate learning while creating an inviting learning environment."

Amid helping international students achieve their own higher education goals, Poniatowski recently set forth to begin working toward a Doctor of Philosophy degree in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the U of A. He aims to focus his research on teaching presence with ESL learners and comparing the efficiency of different learning modes, such as online teaching, face-to-face, synchronous and asynchronous methods.

Poniatowski credits his passion for teaching to the student interactions he experiences in the classroom.

"When you are in an academic environment, interacting directly with students, you tend to feel more invigorated," he said. "Stepping on campus is awesome; going into a classroom is amped up even higher, and then you have a lecture and interaction. It's like someone is giving you a performance enhancer for your life because that's what it does — it enhances your life."