Statement of Teaching Philosophy in Lifespan Development
Cynthia Lofaso
While I teach a variety of psychology courses in the community college, the majority of my courses are in Lifespan Development. Many of the students enrolled in my classes are nursing students or are studying early childhood education. Most of these students have had some exposure to psychology through the introductory course where a few of the topics covered in this course were sparsely covered.
Overall, I have three main learning objectives for this course: 1) help students to develop an awareness of life-span development, 2) allow students to have the opportunity to gain insights into their own or someone else’s history of development and 3) encourage students to think ahead and reflect on the possibilities in their own lives as they develop through the life cycle. My role then in helping to meet these main objectives is falls under at least three areas; teacher, collaborator and facilitator outside of the classroom.
Teaching
First and foremost my emphasis is always on the students. In working with a
community college population, I have come to learn that many of my students have
issues that go beyond the classroom and learning experience. Many of my
students are working full time, have families to care for and may be dealing
with a variety of personal or financial difficulties. For students to be
actively engaged in the class, I believe that I need to somehow acknowledge the
difficulties and challenges they face. This is not to say that students are
excused from their responsibilities in my courses, but that they are recognized
as having full lives, lives that sometimes require flexibility on my part. With
that in mind, a great challenge is to have students take personal responsibility
for their work. I strive to maintain policies in the class that are
flexible and hold students accountable at the same time. Through this I
believe that I am fulfilling an important role that goes beyond the teaching of
psychology, but also helps students acquire the skills they will need for a
successful career.
Furthermore I see my role as one of assisting students to engage in critical thinking as they begin to see the personal relevance of the various topics presented in Lifespan Development. My goal is to enhance their learning experience through active engagement with the material. This can prove to be a challenge as students bring their own experiences and biases into these dialogues. My role, then, is to facilitate a shift in thinking and reasoning, from a common sense personal bias to one that challenges a student to apply critical thinking skills to the variety of topics. I have found this to be tricky at times as we discuss topics such as parenting, adolescence, aging and other subjects that students often have strong opinions on. To discern opinion from fact can be quite challenging, particularly when your personal history doesn't agree with it.
It is important to me that students feel comfortable making use of their life experiences when learning the course material. To facilitate this, I often make references to personal experiences when relevant. For instance, as the mother of a seven year old boy, I have a great deal of material that can be used to help relate theoretical material to life. In the classroom I also ask for examples from the lives of students , and allow time for reflection and reactions to the material. I also try to use common experiences to help illustrate theory and subject matter. For example, to illustrate concepts related to parenting styles, I have students complete an inventory entitled “What’s Your Parenting Style?” Students have the opportunity to examine in separate categories both their beliefs about parenting and their actions. I find this to be useful for the class as a whole. For those who are not parents, I ask them to answer the “action” section from the point of view of their own parents. I find this exercise to be a wonderful introduction to the information on parenting styles and how they affect children throughout their lives. Furthermore, I return to this information regularly throughout the class as we move through the different ages to help illustrate the profound effect of the parenting style. By connecting their personal experiences and beliefs to specific information from the class, students are more likely to take ownership of the material. Further, in terms of lifelong learning, I hope that through these connections students are more likely to remember concepts in the future. Finally, I find that the use of personal experiences may assist with lifelong learning as students can easily remember the “story” of an individual as it relates to their lives.
Collaboration
My experiences in the classroom, both as a teacher and as a student have shown me that learning is most effective when the relationship between the teacher and student is one of collaboration. Students need to take hold of the learning process and actively engage with me and with the topics in lifespan development, to relate themselves to the multiple roles and stages we encounter throughout our lives. In order for this to work in this course environment, it is important that students see me for who I am; not only a teacher of psychology but also a woman, a mother, a wife, a child and a lifelong learner who is active and curious about the world in which I live. I believe that in order for students to be actively engaged in the topics, they must develop a sense of trust in me as their guide throughout the course. When I begin each semester, I talk with the students about how the course relates to all of us, regardless of what our interests are or what our motivations are for being in the class. Each of us in the course has something in common, we each are alive and experiencing human development. From this template of understanding, it is my expectation that students not only learn from me and from each other, but that I learn from them as well. The connection and energy established between my students and me is a powerful teaching technique that I utilize in creating an optimal learning experience. I frequently use personal examples as a way to illustrate concepts and to connect with students on particularly difficult subjects. When appropriate, I use my examples from my own life to help students grasp the information, make the connection between the text and real life, and to challenge students to reflect on their own experiences and contemplations. I find that this process can engage students in learning difficult topics far beyond textbook explanations.
Additionally, my role as the instructor is not only a source of knowledge, but also a source of support and an avenue for other resources. Students can expect that I am approachable, available to answer questions, and genuinely invested in their academic success. I strive to be student-focused, flexible, and aware of uniqueness amongst my students. I get to know my students as people. I learn their names and strive to connect with them. Additionally I find that I may serve as a resource for many students as sensitive subjects arise throughout the course. While I must be careful to avoid a conflict of interest, I certainly try to make myself available to students should they need to talk and I strive to provide support to students in crisis through appropriate referrals and follow through. In this, I see myself as much more than an instructor, but again as a guide or facilitator who has to be aware of the various needs of students and be able to respond appropriately.
Beyond The Classroom
I challenge my students to broaden their minds by enhancing their awareness of
the world around them. I challenge them to think critically and provide them
with opportunities to take their learning out of the classroom and apply it in a
real world context. Throughout the semester, students are engaged in projects
that take them out of the classroom and into other environments that they could
only read about in the text. I find that students more readily embrace
information and become more active learners when they are provided with these
opportunities. For example, I have a project where students go into a day care
environment and duplicate a study previously done on young children’s behavior
in the classroom. The students have the opportunity to truly understand the
nature of the research that has been done and explore it in a way that could
never be done in the classroom setting alone. Similarly, I have a project that
takes students out into play areas to truly examine the playground from the
child’s point of view. Another project asks students to interview someone they
know who has experienced a non normative event in their lives and explore with
the subject how that event has affected their lives overall. Students find this
last project to be truly fascinating having never had the opportunity to delve
so deeply into the life of another.
Overall, I believe that I have found great opportunity in higher education. Teaching and learning are my passion. I find great joy and sense of accomplishment when I finish a class and know that students have been engaged and are learning. I believe my enthusiasm for my career and subject matter clearly translates to the students. I love having the opportunity to have a positive impact on students by simply being involved and doing what I love to do.