Statement of Teaching Philosophy and Interests
I have experience teaching psychology undergraduate courses. Thus far, I have taught several undergraduate courses independently - Psychology of Adjustment and Personality (twice). My teaching experience has taught me the fine art of maintaining standards while also accommodating the needs of my students.
In the classroom, I aim to spark inquiry in my students. I want them asking more questions and not simply relying on the information presented in textbooks. I also aim to provide them with the tools to answer these questions, such as how to conduct literature searches and how to critique research. I understand that students come to class with varying levels of interests and abilities, so I try to provide a variety of assignments and assessments to accommodate various learning styles. I combined lectures with classroom discussion and view technology as tool to facilitate learning.
I tend to emphasize research methods, foundations of theoretical perspectives, and ethics. I think that it is important for students to be exposed to varying perspectives from Piaget to evolution. The field of psychology changes and refines itself as the body of research grows. I want my students to take away that while psychology is a science, it is a dynamic science. I try to foster the importance of building a body of evidence to support an argument. I want students to not only excel in my class, but also for them to acquire critical thinking skills that will be transferable to other domains.
I would be interested in teaching Lifespan Development, Child Development, Adolescent Development, Adult Development and Aging, Personality, Research Methods, Developmental Psychopathology, Psychology of Adjustment, and Psychology of Racism, Introductory Psychology, and related courses as needed. I am also looking forward to the opportunity to develop new courses over the upcoming years, such as a research course focusing on the use of the Internet, and another covering the dynamics of the Black Family.