Teaching

 Teaching Philosophy

I believe that what students want to accomplish from a course is to understand how the material in the course is applicable to them. Even when learning about subjects that are more theory-based, students need to appreciate how the specific theories will guide them when they are in practicum experiences, internships, and on the job. Many students do not fully grasp how the material they are learning will be useful in the future. As such, when they begin their first job they are surprised at how important the information is that they learned during their coursework. Thus, I integrate real world situations and illustrations into my teaching, often using personal and professional examples. In addition, students need to develop the ability to think critically about situations and problems. Critical thinking skills are necessary whether the student is headed toward a future in research or applied areas of school psychology. To advance students’ critical thinking skills, I have students review cases and discuss current situations, and I provide questions both in class and on exams that may have more than one correct answer but only one best answer. Class discussions can help students build on the information in a textbook and relate that material into real life situations. By using case studies and examples, I encourage the students to think through the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of each problem, not just the generic answer.