Philosophy

  As a college instructor, I have the opportunity to foster the intellectual development of my students.  I have three goals for my students: first, students need to be able to be independent learners; second, they need to be able to evaluate the validity of information and the logic of arguments, finally, students need to be able to integrate their values into their conclusions about complex questions.

My first goal is to teach students to be independent learners so that they can teach  themselves. One strategy I use is to ask questions about assigned reading.  Many of my questions are about application of psychological principles.  An example is “Why do babies need to be held and comforted by their caregivers?”  The answer that I expect from students would have to do with the concept of attachment.  For example, if a student answered that babies need to be held because that is how they form attachments, I would then proceed with another line of questions such as “Why does holding and comforting babies help them develop attachment?” My aim in this process is to foster the habit of questioning while learning information.  This type of questioning leads students to make connections between concepts and their deeper meaning and application. Learning basic vocabulary and understanding concepts are necessary to my second goal, fostering the ability to evaluate competing claims.

Helping students to evaluate competing claims is my second goal. I scaffold students’ emerging ability through discussions of controversial topics. One such discussion is on genetic testing (see Appendix 1).  For this discussion, I hand out cards to groups of students.  On each of the cards is the statement “Your baby is…” After the statement is a list of characteristics, some of which are valued by society such as intellectual genius, and some of which are devalued by society such as being deaf.  I ask the students to imagine that they are parents and the statement on the card is a prediction of their child’s outcome.  The students are to discuss their options in small groups and report to the class.  Their options may include choices that they could make both before and after the birth of their baby.  Prenatal gene therapy or educational options after the birth of their baby are a few examples of options that the students might discuss. I ask students to use information that we have learned in a previous lesson on development to inform their discussion. I have explained to students that the information from the textbook and lecture is backed by research. This is an important point because students often don’t know how to weigh the difference between an opinion and an argument supported by evidence. Students who are unable to distinguish between opinion and arguments that are supported by evidence make the mistake of thinking that all opinions are equally valid and useful; however, they mistake relativism for tolerance.  Students who are able to distinguish between opinion and argument supported by evidence will be able to make decisions that are more likely to have the outcome they desire. Once students have developed the ability to evaluate claims, I am able to help them integrate their personal values into their arguments.

My third goal is to increase students’ awareness of their own and others values.  A college education fosters two important skills; the ability to evaluate competing claims using logic and evidence, and to identify the influence of personal values on choices. Both skills are important to the area of psychology.  Many decisions that we have to make as adults involve both cognitive thinking and judgment. That is why I ask my students to identify and integrate their values and feelings within their decision making process.  Students don’t develop reflective judgment without practice. They need support and opportunities to practice evaluating competing claims and identifying their own values.

I give students opportunities and the support they need to be successful in these types of thinking, by focusing on both logic and values during class discussions of controversial topics.  For example, during the discussion I just described, I help the students to identify their values and the impact their values have on their decision making process. For instance, some students suggest they would not change a deaf child’s disability because “nobody does that.” I point out that conforming to norms is a value that influences the student’s decision in this case.

I do include learning content, problem solving and communication skills as part of my course, and they contribute to a large part of my assessment of student progress, but they are a necessary means to cognitive development not an end in themself. All the learning activities and assessments that I assign are directed towards the students’ self-discovery and intellectual development.