Statement of Teaching Philosophy
The values, attitudes, beliefs, and paradigmatic views, which I bring to the teaching of Psychology, can be delineated most clearly from two distinct perspectives. The first is the philosophy, which I bring to Psychology in general. The second is my philosophy of teaching General Psychology. I will treat both of these in this attempt at philosophical self-disclosure.
As a student of psychology I am enamored with the field and struck by its status as a “mature infant.” Although psychology is thousands of years old, the explanations which it has rendered are usually intuitively obvious ones or transitory, as is the case with scientific theories. In other words, although we know some things and have a long history, most of the good questions remain unanswered or, at best, only partially and superficially answered. A small example might be, “How does the brain cause emotions to occur?” In short, no one has any idea, if by “emotion” one means the phenomenology of the individual, i.e. the subjective feeling state. That is only a specific example of a broad conundrum facing psychology. At least we know the questions!
Even brain science, which is exemplary and worthy of continuation, can be described as merely “chasing the homunculus around the brain,” to see which part of that organ lights up in a PET scan. The goals of psychology are to describe, explain, predict and control behavior and the mind. Except for the goal of description, these goals are far from attained. That does not make them any less desirable as goals however!
So I teach General Psychology (the only course I have taught at ACC since and including the fall of 1998) as one who is enthralled by the subject matter but aware of the paucity of true knowledge vis. the goals of our science. This orientation towards my professional discipline greatly effects how I present the topic to my students. I usually begin the course with a quote from Hamlet:
Then as a
stranger give it welcome! There are more
things in Heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your
philosophy!” (Act 1 scene 5)
In presenting the course content to my students I am academically rigorous while emanating an attitude of wonder and questioning at the phenomena we study and of the theories we generate. I think my students are responsive to the genuine enthusiasm I possess for the subject matter. It appears to be quite infectious at times.
I use cutting edge technology in the classroom (and beyond) to present the lectures, Practice Tests, Discussion Boards, On-line Notes, WWW Learning links, etc. because my students deserve the most efficacious pedagogy I can produce. Anything less is unsatisfactory! PowerPoint, Blackboard, the World Wide Web, video vignettes, film, radio, and print media are all utilized. This methodology is frequently under-rated by non-adherents as merely histrionic fluff. Obviously, I disagree strenuously. At this point in my teaching career, I can’t imagine doing anything less! The entire body of feedback I have received is supportive and appreciative, I might add. I would invite the reader to reflect on the amount of preparation that is involved in incorporating these tools effectively and transparently. It is a “labor of love.”
I approach my students as the unique, bright,
motivated individuals they are. I would
hate to ever condescend to them or my colleagues. That would be a disservice. There is admittedly a distribution of abilities
and temperaments displayed by course participants, and I am quite comfortable
with that. I strive to treat the people
in my class with congeniality and utter respect at all times, even when we
intellectually disagree. I am sensitive
to different learning styles and cultural backgrounds as anyone teaching at
a community college should be. Of course,
there are differences in behavioral repertoires. Everyone is unique.
I also model the assertive self-expression that I am trying to behaviorally convey to my students. I show them that one can articulately and appropriately express divergent views, and that such behavior if OK, even desirable in a pluralistic society. Going even further than that, I express a healthy skepticism for propaganda and cultural “common knowledge.” I want my students to glimpse a terrain far beyond that which “everyone knows.”
Occasionally it becomes necessary to inform students as to the counter-productiveness of certain behaviors, which are not compatible with academic success. I view this as a critical responsibility and over the years have gradually honed my ability to make this kind of input in a supportive manner manifesting “unconditional positive regard.” As an eclectic thinker within psychology, I suppose I have been greatly influenced by the humanistic-existential psychologists, among others.
As I try to influence the thoughts and behaviors of individuals, in the service of academic success, I rely on the principles of Learning Theory, cognitive-behavioral therapy, social-cognitive theory, socio-cultural considerations, and a blatant humanistic-existential appeal.
It is my hope that when students complete my class they will have enjoyed the experience and will have learned a great deal about the most fascinating discipline in all of academia: Psychology! I would hope that they would be in possession of a significant body of knowledge, some of which is empirical and some theoretical. If I also prepare them to succeed in life and the academy, then I will have been, when it is all said and done, sung to my rest by “flights of angels.”