Teaching
Philosophy
While my teaching varies considerably
depending on the context, I do focus on a set of general themes.
These are listed below.
General
Themes
- Teaching for transformative
experiences. Both my research and teaching focus on transformative experiences.
Basically, transformative experiences take place when students actively use
the ideas they learn to perceive and experience aspects of their everyday,
out-of-school lives in a meaningful new way. I try to foster this type of
experience in all my courses, because I believe education needs to make a
difference in the everyday lives our students – otherwise they will never
apply their learning. To read about an emerging model of how to teach for
transformative experiences, click here. To view an example
of teaching for transformative experiences, click here.
- Teaching for deep understanding and transfer. In addition to teaching for transformative experience, I carefully design my courses and instruction so that they are in line with current cognitive theories of learning. Specifically, I use Cognitive Flexibility Theory as a general model for my courses. I won't explain the whole model here, but it involves using parallel set of ideas or themes to teach the content in and integrated manner. It is very effective for helping students develop a deep understanding because it forces them to compare and integrate ideas. It also helps develop a flexible knowledge structure so that students are able to transfer their learning (i.e., apply it in a new way or in a new context such as a real world situation). In some of the courses I teaching, I also engage the students in a complex and involved problem-based learning project. To view this project, click here.
- Meaningful use of technology. I like to use technology in creative ways to foster meaningful learning. For example, in the undergraduate courses I regularly teach (EDP 3200/80), I have students do an intricate community of learners project (see above) that involves having students create a website. Overall, it is a problem-based project centered on the problem of what to do about Calvin's (from Calvin and Hobbes) maladaptive motivational patterns. To view all the details of this project and see examples of student work, go here.