Teaching Philosophy
My teaching philosophy is best characterized by engagement. The classroom is an environment with the potential to shape lives – positively or negatively. I strive to connect with my students and encourage them to take ownership for their own learning experience. In turn, my students help me to engage with the material and to continually grow as a teacher and scholar.
In my classroom, I bring relevant material, including theories, methods, and findings, to life. Psychological principles occur in our everyday lives, and as an instructor, I aim to instill a passion for psychological study that extends beyond the classroom and will be applicable to the students’ life experiences and future careers. I incorporate my own stories into lectures, take advantage of in-class discussions, and assign hands-on projects. For example, in my health and behavior change course, I challenged students to change a specific health behavior that was important to them. Many were successful in losing weight, exercising more, quitting smoking, or modifying other unhealthy behaviors over the ten-week period of the course. At first, students thought it would be easy to change their behavior, but through guided experiences, they realized how challenging change could be. Not only did students learn the course material, but they also learned how to make healthy changes that will benefit them through life. I still hear from some of my former students, many of whom have continued to engage in these healthy behaviors; some are even helping others toward positive change.
I challenge my students to become critical consumers of information that they read and hear, both in the classroom and in their daily lives, emphasizing the importance of research methods as an empirical base. For example, in my health psychology course, I instructed students to find a popular press article with a health-related claim, and then uncover the underlying empirical support. Students are often surprised to learn that the strong claims they read in a magazine or in a blog may be based on an obscure article, funded by the advertising agency, using a small, non-representative sample.
I particularly enjoy teaching statistical and methodological course. Over the years, I have noticed that many students dread these classes. Such classes are perceived as hurdle requirements, which many students simply try to survive. But I see these classes as providing mindsets and tools that will help them through all of their other classes and well into life. I love the challenge of meeting students where they are at, breaking through their preconceived notions, and lighting at least a small grain of interest in research. At the end of last semester, I was pleasantly surprised when most of my students found that they had actually enjoyed the research methods course, and wanted to continue on with research, despite their anxieties at the beginning of the semester. Some of my most hesitant students have been my greatest successes. For example, one of my students had previously failed introductory statistics several times. We spent hours together as I found ways to explain the material in a manner that would spark understanding. My efforts paid off; she passed the course with flying colors, became a very successful student throughout the rest of her psychology courses, and went on to a Masters program to further her education.
In methodological classes, I aim for clarity and understanding, regardless of the student’s background. At the introductory level, my primary objective is to build a conceptual understanding of statistics and methods. Although I introduce computer-based programs and some of the many tools available, I focus particularly on underlying concepts. It is important to me that students learn not only how to push buttons within a program, but what they are doing and why. Students should walk away from the course with a working understanding of common statistical techniques, a strong foundation for subsequent courses, and be well equipped to critically read and evaluate empirical claims. Although I have less formal experience teaching advanced quantitative courses and graduate seminars, I have gained informal experience by helping colleagues and guiding graduate students at the University of Pennsylvania and more recently at The University of Melbourne.
I carry my engagement-focused philosophy into the laboratory. With my undergraduate research assistants, I include a weekly lab meeting in which we touch base on projects. We often discuss methods and explore various empirical topics that broaden their knowledge and ignite their curiosity. When possible, I allow students to take charge of different aspects of the project, in turn directing and mentoring younger students in the lab. Students walk away from the lab excited about doing research, having developed a greater understanding of what research entails. Several of the undergraduates that I have worked with are now becoming successful graduate students themselves. And I continue to work with several of my former graduate students, supporting their ongoing development.
Perhaps my favorite part of teaching is the learning that occurs outside of the classroom through informal conversation, mentorship, and individual research projects. As an advisor, I am extremely supportive, but I am also a constructive critic. I expect a high standard of work and integrity from each of my students. Many of my students begin the semester with no research experience, and walk away with quite successful projects.
I strongly value high quality teaching. I offer my skills, knowledge, encouragement, and guidance. I cater to different styles of learning and strive to help the students engage with the material, but the learning is ultimately up to them. I believe that the classroom should be more than a theater; students should work hard and then receive the grade they earn. I strive to connect with students and instill a love of learning that will help them to be successful both in their education and beyond. I look forward to continued opportunities to teach and guide the next generation of scholars.
In my classroom, I bring relevant material, including theories, methods, and findings, to life. Psychological principles occur in our everyday lives, and as an instructor, I aim to instill a passion for psychological study that extends beyond the classroom and will be applicable to the students’ life experiences and future careers. I incorporate my own stories into lectures, take advantage of in-class discussions, and assign hands-on projects. For example, in my health and behavior change course, I challenged students to change a specific health behavior that was important to them. Many were successful in losing weight, exercising more, quitting smoking, or modifying other unhealthy behaviors over the ten-week period of the course. At first, students thought it would be easy to change their behavior, but through guided experiences, they realized how challenging change could be. Not only did students learn the course material, but they also learned how to make healthy changes that will benefit them through life. I still hear from some of my former students, many of whom have continued to engage in these healthy behaviors; some are even helping others toward positive change.
I challenge my students to become critical consumers of information that they read and hear, both in the classroom and in their daily lives, emphasizing the importance of research methods as an empirical base. For example, in my health psychology course, I instructed students to find a popular press article with a health-related claim, and then uncover the underlying empirical support. Students are often surprised to learn that the strong claims they read in a magazine or in a blog may be based on an obscure article, funded by the advertising agency, using a small, non-representative sample.
I particularly enjoy teaching statistical and methodological course. Over the years, I have noticed that many students dread these classes. Such classes are perceived as hurdle requirements, which many students simply try to survive. But I see these classes as providing mindsets and tools that will help them through all of their other classes and well into life. I love the challenge of meeting students where they are at, breaking through their preconceived notions, and lighting at least a small grain of interest in research. At the end of last semester, I was pleasantly surprised when most of my students found that they had actually enjoyed the research methods course, and wanted to continue on with research, despite their anxieties at the beginning of the semester. Some of my most hesitant students have been my greatest successes. For example, one of my students had previously failed introductory statistics several times. We spent hours together as I found ways to explain the material in a manner that would spark understanding. My efforts paid off; she passed the course with flying colors, became a very successful student throughout the rest of her psychology courses, and went on to a Masters program to further her education.
In methodological classes, I aim for clarity and understanding, regardless of the student’s background. At the introductory level, my primary objective is to build a conceptual understanding of statistics and methods. Although I introduce computer-based programs and some of the many tools available, I focus particularly on underlying concepts. It is important to me that students learn not only how to push buttons within a program, but what they are doing and why. Students should walk away from the course with a working understanding of common statistical techniques, a strong foundation for subsequent courses, and be well equipped to critically read and evaluate empirical claims. Although I have less formal experience teaching advanced quantitative courses and graduate seminars, I have gained informal experience by helping colleagues and guiding graduate students at the University of Pennsylvania and more recently at The University of Melbourne.
I carry my engagement-focused philosophy into the laboratory. With my undergraduate research assistants, I include a weekly lab meeting in which we touch base on projects. We often discuss methods and explore various empirical topics that broaden their knowledge and ignite their curiosity. When possible, I allow students to take charge of different aspects of the project, in turn directing and mentoring younger students in the lab. Students walk away from the lab excited about doing research, having developed a greater understanding of what research entails. Several of the undergraduates that I have worked with are now becoming successful graduate students themselves. And I continue to work with several of my former graduate students, supporting their ongoing development.
Perhaps my favorite part of teaching is the learning that occurs outside of the classroom through informal conversation, mentorship, and individual research projects. As an advisor, I am extremely supportive, but I am also a constructive critic. I expect a high standard of work and integrity from each of my students. Many of my students begin the semester with no research experience, and walk away with quite successful projects.
I strongly value high quality teaching. I offer my skills, knowledge, encouragement, and guidance. I cater to different styles of learning and strive to help the students engage with the material, but the learning is ultimately up to them. I believe that the classroom should be more than a theater; students should work hard and then receive the grade they earn. I strive to connect with students and instill a love of learning that will help them to be successful both in their education and beyond. I look forward to continued opportunities to teach and guide the next generation of scholars.