Statement of Teaching Competencies
Here I will focus on three of the competencies that the University of New Hampshire’s Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence present as core teaching competencies.
Articulate appropriate course goals and objectives.
I have found that explaining the course goals early in the semester helps students to understand my ideal endpoint for their academic progress as students. I place my course goals at the beginning of my syllabus (please see course syllabus in appendix), and I explain them in the first class (McKeachie & Svinicki, 2006). Additionally, I explain the goals of each activity before it is presented. After students have completed the activity, I orient them to the central goals of the activity by reviewing what they were supposed to have learned.
My goals are informed by several sources depending upon the course. First and foremost is my teaching philosophy. However, my course goals change depending on the course I am teaching. For example, when I teach Introduction to Psychology, I emphasize connecting information to other areas of study and cultural knowledge, because this course is part of the Discovery/General education program at UNH. I focus on the goals shared by both the Discovery (see Discovery Course Rationale) and the American Psychological Association, which publishes goals for undergraduate education (See APA goals). For example, one question the discovery program seeks to help students answer is “how do we determine what we value?” This question has significant overlap with the APA’s personal-development goal. However, when I teach a specialty course such as Personality, which is not part of the university’s Discovery program, I focus on the APA’s goals. Having clear objectives and goals that relate to both the goals of the field of psychology and the goals of the university make it easier for me to design my courses and orient students to desired outcomes.
Organize and design courses with these goals and objectives in mind.
I use these goals to organize and design my courses. To reach my goals I use multiple teaching activities, and I organize these activities so that the students are able to build upon their skills, from simpler skills such as memorizing facts and understanding concepts to integrating values into rational arguments. One of my goals is for students to be able to build a case based on evidence. This goal requires students to be able to distinguish between personal experience and research-based evidence. For instance, in our section on dreams in the introductory course, I first use a mini-PowerPoint lecture to describe five theories of the purpose of dreams (Please see Activities in Appendix 1). After the mini-lecture, I give students a sample dream, such as “Sally is dreaming about sailing on Great Bay,” and ask the students to interpret the dream according to the five different theories of dreaming. In discussion with the entire class, students volunteer to try to analyze the dream based on the five theories. This activity encourages the students to apply theories to a specific example. Finally, I ask students to write a short impromptu essay (McKeachie & Svinicki, 2006; Gottschalk & Hjortshoj, 2004) on which theories they think are most plausible. This essay requires students to analyze theories and to build a case based on evidence. One of the theories (psychoanalytic) has no research to support it. Many students feel that the psychoanalytic theory best explains one of their own dreams, even though there is no research to support this theory. This exercise gives students the opportunity to examine and evaluate multiple sources of information. Student can distinguish that the psychoanalytic theory is the most intuitive, but has the least research to support it.
Present material effectively and communicate with students in a variety of settings,
including large classes and small groups
I strive to include many different types of learning activities to communicate effectively with students. In the example of the dream activity, students work on their own (to develop a case for the theory they think is most plausible), and in discussion with the entire class. I also have students work in small groups. The genetic screening activity that I describe in my teaching philosophy requires students to first discuss their views in small groups and then report to the entire class. In that activity, students often talk with one another in a spontaneous and less directed manner.
Though I favor discussion, some students prefer to learn through lectures and technology. I try to accommodate the many preferences of students to achieve our learning objectives. In the above example of the dream activity, I refer to the use of a mini-lecture. That mini-lecture is supplemented by a Power Point presentation. Combining lectures with slide presentations provides students with two modes of learning. To make this mini-lecture more effective, I use the multimedia principles that Meyer (2011) developed. According to these principles, lectures that provide information through both auditory and visual means make it easier for students to learn. Students learn most efficiently when instructors know how students learn and use that knowledge to design courses.
While some students prefer to learn through discussions and technology, others prefer to use their bodies. I use physical activities such as the “Neural Pulse and Hand Models that allow students to use their bodies to help them understand psychological concepts” (please see Appendix 1). These different types of discussion, lectures and activities allow students with different learning style preferences to grasp information in their chosen mode, but all students gain from a variety of activities.
Using different teaching methods provides multiple opportunities for student assessment. I use both traditional methods of feedback and assessment such as exams (see appendix) and rubrics to grade essays and class participation (see syllabus). Using multiple modes of instruction takes advantage of the various ways students can learn new material to effectively communicate with students.
References
Bean, J. C., & Peterson, D. (1998). Grading classroom participation. New Directions for Teaching & Learning, 1998(74), 33. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=880930&site=ehost-live
Christensen, C. R., Hansen, Abby J., Christensen,C.R.,(1987). Teaching and the case method : Text, cases, and readings. Boston, Mass.: Harvard Business School. Retrieved from /z-wcorg/
Gottschalk, K., Hjortshoj, K., (2004). The elements of teaching writing : A resource for instructors in all disciplines. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s. Retrieved from /z-wcorg/
Grasha, A. F., (1996). Teaching with style : A practical guide to enhancing learning by understanding teaching and learning styles. Pittsburgh: Alliance Publishers. Retrieved from /z-wcorg/
Mayer,R., (2011). Applying the science of learning. Boston, MA: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon. Retrieved from /z-wcorg/
McKeachie, Wilbert J., Svinicki, Marilla D., Hofer,Barbara K., (2006). McKeachie’s teaching tips : Strategies, research, and theory for college and university teachers. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Retrieved from /z-wcorg/