Teaching Philosophy:
Similar to my clinical approach as a counselor, I approach teaching from an ecosystemic developmental constructivist lens with hands-on, experiential learning embedded throughout my coursework. Essentially, my work as a teacher is guided by a quote by Chickering and Gamson (1987): “Learning is not a spectator sport."
Relational Context
Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological systems theory (2001, 2005) has influenced nearly every facet of my professional life, from my time as a teacher to my time as a school counselor to my time now as a professor. My personhood and experiences are inextricably linked to the classroom, and each individual student brings their personhood and experiences into the class. As such, it is imperative to acknowledge the uniqueness of teaching and learning within the City of New Orleans, and in today’s sociocultural and sociopolitical climates.
Growth Opportunities
My professional experiences range from elementary schools to graduate education, and as expected, learning occurs differently at each level. The contextual differences that students bring into the learning environment necessitate approaching learning from a developmental lens, and this is especially true with conceptualizing students’ counselor identity development. Using Vygotsky’s (1978) zone of proximal development and principles of scaffolding (Winstone & Millward, 2012), my role as an instructor then becomes to meet students where they are and create opportunities for them to grow toward their professional goals.
Meaning Making
Constructivist teaching in counselor education emphasizes construction and co-construction of meaning in the learning environment (McAuliffe, 2011). As an educator, it is critical for me to remain non-judgmental about which topics students do and do not find to be meaningful and further to normalize that they will have different takeaways than their peers. I strive to build activities and assignments that place students in the driver’s seat with selecting topics and methods that relate to their own interests, experiences, and goals.
Active Reflection
Reflection is a key component of Kolb and Kolb’s (2008) cyclical model of experiential learning. Incorporating opportunities for reflection allows students to not only deepen their understanding of content but also to better understand the meaning derived from content and activities. Providing opportunities to reflect on learning experiences encourages exploration of how students are deriving meaning from course content rather than solely asking them to regurgitate facts about content. In addition to evaluating the product of learning, I always incorporate an opportunity for students to provide a self-evaluation of both their learning deliverable (i.e., the skill or presentation) and their learning process.
Relational Context
Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological systems theory (2001, 2005) has influenced nearly every facet of my professional life, from my time as a teacher to my time as a school counselor to my time now as a professor. My personhood and experiences are inextricably linked to the classroom, and each individual student brings their personhood and experiences into the class. As such, it is imperative to acknowledge the uniqueness of teaching and learning within the City of New Orleans, and in today’s sociocultural and sociopolitical climates.
Growth Opportunities
My professional experiences range from elementary schools to graduate education, and as expected, learning occurs differently at each level. The contextual differences that students bring into the learning environment necessitate approaching learning from a developmental lens, and this is especially true with conceptualizing students’ counselor identity development. Using Vygotsky’s (1978) zone of proximal development and principles of scaffolding (Winstone & Millward, 2012), my role as an instructor then becomes to meet students where they are and create opportunities for them to grow toward their professional goals.
Meaning Making
Constructivist teaching in counselor education emphasizes construction and co-construction of meaning in the learning environment (McAuliffe, 2011). As an educator, it is critical for me to remain non-judgmental about which topics students do and do not find to be meaningful and further to normalize that they will have different takeaways than their peers. I strive to build activities and assignments that place students in the driver’s seat with selecting topics and methods that relate to their own interests, experiences, and goals.
Active Reflection
Reflection is a key component of Kolb and Kolb’s (2008) cyclical model of experiential learning. Incorporating opportunities for reflection allows students to not only deepen their understanding of content but also to better understand the meaning derived from content and activities. Providing opportunities to reflect on learning experiences encourages exploration of how students are deriving meaning from course content rather than solely asking them to regurgitate facts about content. In addition to evaluating the product of learning, I always incorporate an opportunity for students to provide a self-evaluation of both their learning deliverable (i.e., the skill or presentation) and their learning process.
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