Teaching Philosophy

My experience preparing and teaching skill-based methodological courses like Statistical Principles of Psychological Research (PSYC210), Research Methods in Psychology/Laboratory Research in Psychology (PSYC270), and Statistical Methods in Psychology I (PSYC830) as well as content-based theoretical courses like Theoretical, Empirical Perspectives on Personality (PSYC501), Stereotyping, Prejudice, and Discrimination (PSYC565), and Sex and Gender (PSYC490/572) has afforded me a unique opportunity to contribute to the educational growth of our students.

The core of my teaching philosophy centers on fostering an inclusive learning environment where all students feel comfortable wrestling with complex material. I strive to encourage a skill-based teaching and learning approach that can transfer to a variety of settings while encouraging enthusiasm for learning, more broadly. In every course I teach, I employ three evidence-based teaching strategies that reflect my philosophy of inclusivity, utility, and enthusiasm: Active learning, effective communication skills, and critical thinking.

Active Learning

There is no better way to promote inclusivity, develop marketable skills, and stimulate enthusiasm than to actively engage with the scientific process. Students in my courses complete in-class activities that encourage them to apply what they have learned in readings, lectures, and supplementary videos. Increasing awareness of multiple viewpoints using anonymous polling is also an effective way to foster an inclusive learning environment. In Research Methods in Psychology, for example, I challenge students to take the perspective of qualitative researchers by coding behavior in a series of ambiguous pictures. Students use Poll Everywhere to independently rate the behaviors in each picture before we break into small groups to discuss our ratings. The enthusiasm is palpable when students begin to view these ambiguous pictures in new ways. Some students passionately advocate for their ratings, while others laugh and marvel that they completely missed key attributes. We conclude by developing a truly measurable operational definition that we then use to recode the images a final time. Inevitably, students not only learn the importance of constructing strong operational definitions but also the need for diverse viewpoints in science.

Effective Communication Skills

To be successful, students must learn to communicate their knowledge to all audiences. Effective communication skills empower students to get actively involved and give voice to their ideas. Students in all my courses complete iterative writing assignments to hone their communication skills. In Statistical Principles of Psychological Research, students work on weekly, low-stakes problem sets to conduct analyses and report results in APA style. My courses use Packback, an online Socratic discussion board with AI feedback tools, to provide students with real-time peer and pre-submission feedback. Doing so not only improves each assignment, but has a cumulative effect on students’ assignment grades: Despite the increasing complexity of course material, students tend to do better as the semester progresses. In Research Methods, students work in small teams to develop a semester-long, current events research project (e.g., How does COVID-19 health messaging impact mitigation behaviors?) that requires them to conduct a literature review, design a study, collect data, analyze results, and communicate their findings as they would in a professional paper. In addition to having a product they can be proud of, students often report feeling more positively about the research process, itself. Learning to have fun with research is no small feat, regardless of one’s professional goals.

Critical Thinking

Critical thinking empowers students to gain a greater understanding, appreciation, and enthusiasm for course material. I encourage students to contribute regularly on Packback, our course discussion board, for both in-class and homework discussions and debates. In Theoretical, Empirical Perspectives on Personality, for example, students write daily reflection posts to critically evaluate the construct validity of the most popular personality assessments (e.g., Myers-Briggs, Big Five). After completing online personality tests associated with the day’s unit, students use their reflections to guide small group discussions. These small group discussions quickly turn into vigorous debates on the merits of one test over another. In courses where class discussion can be difficult to stimulate (e.g., Statistical Principles), students engage with think-pair-shares and frequent in-class polling to encourage interaction and critical thinking. Students reflect on their poll responses with a neighbor and discuss why the “correct” answer was correct. I also ask students to think about ways that different wording might have elicited a different correct response. These one-on-one interactions build camaraderie in classes where students may not feel comfortable sharing out in a larger group.

Alignment

Fostering inclusivity, utility, and enthusiasm in any course is crucial to students’ ability and willingness to reflect those traits in their own scholarship. In my 12 years of teaching college undergraduates, I have consistently observed that promoting active learning, critical thinking, and effective communication are effective ways to put this philosophy into practice. Sometimes, casual statements from my students are the most powerful indicators of how far they have come in my courses. Hearing “I didn’t think methodology (or statistics) could be fun, but I felt like I was part of a team and had a great time in this class” or “I was so worried about this class, but now I see how useful statistics can be” encourages me to make the most of my teaching opportunities. These student statements also allude to the critical importance, above all, of enthusiasm, inclusivity, and utility in creating a learning environment where students of all disciplines, diverse backgrounds, and abilities feel comfortable engaging with the course material.

It is important to note that my core teaching philosophy of fostering inclusivity, utility, and enthusiasm reflects a process and not an outcome. While the data suggest students feel comfortable wrestling with complex material in my courses, I continually strive to refine my craft and identify new ways to improve my courses. I view each day in the classroom as a chance to support students as they realize their full potential.