Teaching Philosophy
Preparing a course is similar to providing directions. When I started teaching, I emphasized the destination: the goal of the course. With experience, I realized that reaching the goal required knowing the students’ starting point. The directions were incomplete without this information. This realization helped me see the need to tailor and scaffold my courses so they build on the students’ existing knowledge and they help the students to see the value of their academic journey. I strive to accomplish these objectives by helping students feel academically included, introducing them to peer learning through collaboration, and illustrating the applicability of the material and skills introduced in the course.
Academic Inclusion
Academic inclusion is an important part of engaging students. It sets a tone that emboldens them to be actively involved. It can be overwhelming for low performing students to have detailed notes about every minor error, and high performing students may not receive helpful feedback if a rubric focused solely on the larger content areas is used because they included the necessary elements. Consequently, I provide feedback based on each individual’s level of performance. This acknowledges that people have different educational backgrounds and allows each person to refine his or her understanding of the concepts. I use grading rubrics to evaluate basic content, and I provide rubrics in advance so less experienced pupils know the expectations and requirements. Individualized feedback is provided through detailed comments, and I remark positively on well-developed sections so they have examples to assist with revisions. Some novices still struggle with these tasks though so I further promote inclusivity using a range of assessments (e.g., exams, response papers, in-class exercises, chapter summaries) and types of questions (e.g., factual, integration, application) to gauge comprehension. This allows struggling students to focus on factual questions while exceptional students are challenged to see how the material is related across chapters and to the real world.
Collaboration
Students often graduate and move into careers where collaborating with and learning from peers is part of continued professional development. Courses can foster attitudes and skills that prepare them for this development by encouraging them to take initiative, make their own contributions, and work effectively with others. In one course I teach, students complete a series of individually-graded tasks in preparation for a group presentation. These tasks are due before they meet to plan the presentation so students arrive at the group meeting prepared. There is also a group discussion about the most difficult assignment that requires summarizing a research article. After writing drafts separately, students discuss the article and their papers. Then, they make revisions and submit papers individually so their understanding of the article is improved without their grades depending directly on each other. These assignments provide an alternative to traditional group assignments and show students that preparation makes the group process more productive and beneficial.
Applicability
Students occasionally fail to see the usefulness of the concepts and skills that are introduced. To address this, I explicitly discuss the utility of the skills used in the course and encourage them to consider how the material may apply to other situations. For example, writing assignments require pupils to provide peer feedback and practice critiquing and revising papers; this cultivates proficiencies that will help them in their future educational and professional endeavors as they learn to work as a group and revise work before submitting it. Discussing the practicality of these abilities lets students see how they are gaining professional skills, practicing oral communication, receiving repeated exposure to the material, and learning concepts more thoroughly. Through this process, they are prepared for more advanced classes and begin to see how courses connect to each other and to their future careers.
Conclusion
Providing students with sufficient direction so they take charge of their educational journey is a rewarding endeavor. I enjoy watching them become confident as they contribute to the class and as they realize that their input can be valued and developed at the same time. Students appear to enjoy and appreciate this approach as I have received positive feedback and evaluations that are often above the university average. I am confident this teaching and mentorship experience in Statistics in Psychology, Social Psychology, Social and Cultural Foundations of Psychology, and other courses combined with my pedagogical training through the Cognate in College Teaching Program and Teaching Practicum will allow me to help students excel.