As a teacher, I strive to empower, engage, and inspire growth in my students. My role is in facilitating involvement in psychological theory, research, and practice. Therefore, in my classroom, the student voice is emphasized. My aim at the end of the course is to create a learning environment in which students develop positive attitude, motivation, and interest towards psychology. These reactions can facilitate students’ engagement in psychology in the future, whether that’s through scholarly work, in applied settings, or as consumers of psychological data.
I empower students by giving them the resources they need to access knowledge, information, and evidence in psychology. I believe my role is in developing lifelong learners who engage in their local and broader communities. For example, students are encouraged to connect with community members outside of the university to consider how what they learn in the classroom matters. I incorporate community volunteer opportunities in my courses to instill a connection between psychology and the real-world. Students in my classroom learn about the skills and tools needed to engage in learning throughout their life. Furthermore, I use knowledge found in other fields to facilitate student learning, for example political science and sociology. This way, students can appreciate that knowledge is inter-related and cannot be consumed or created in silo.
Second, I engage students by using real-life examples that are relevant to their lives. I make psychology salient to students by asking them what is important in their lives. The strategies I use are inviting guest speakers, observing the world around them, using current news, and engaging with the community. I also make myself available to students for one-on-one meetings to further discuss their areas of interest. I believe this student-teacher relationship is a crucial step in any learning process and exchange of information.
Lastly, I inspire growth in students by encouraging them to increase their self-efficacy in being life-long learners. I emphasize hard work, focus, and persistence in the classroom. Assignments are created such that students are challenged to more deeply consider the topic at hand. I teach such that attention is paid to students’ individual strengths and challenges. Students each have their own learning strengths and my role is to build upon their talents. I empower students by creating a class atmosphere where they can explore psychological knowledge, information, and evidence. This atmosphere is vital in forming an inclusive learning environment.
As a teacher, my students should expect me to bring current knowledge of the subject and an understanding of the current issues at play. As a teacher, I facilitate the development of analytic skills, problem-solving, and creative thinking. I believe that the current world requires students to continuously engage in an environment that is always changing. What gives me reward is in seeing students develop into life-long learners.
Sessions Taught:
- Introduction to R, Spring 2016
- Professional Development Issues, Fall 2016
Teaching Assistant for:
- Introduction to Psychology, Dr. Anton Villado
- Personality Theory and Research, Dr. Margaret Beier
- Psychological Testing, Dr. Margaret Beier