Philosophy of Teaching
May the strength of three be in your journey
Sean Gaffney & Seamus Cashman, Ed.s (1974, p. 19). Proverbs & Sayings of Ireland. New York: MJF Books.
My Philosophy of Teaching
Alvin E. House, Ph.D.
February 17, 1999
(reviewed 9-8-03, 1-5-06, 9-25-06, 1-14-07, 10-5-09)
The nature of formal education changes as one moves from the first years of elementary school through a college or graduate education. Some changes are obvious--the material is more difficult, the student brings more prior knowledge and experience to each task--and some are less obvious. One of the more subtle (at least less heralded) changes is the increasing role the learner plays in her or his own education as the grades advance. By the time you are a college student, if not before, much of your formal education has become self-education. You select subjects, times, instructors; the amount of time and effort you devote to a particular course; and the goals you have the classes you take. In some classes you are excited and interested and want to take away as much knowledge and understanding and mastery of the subject as is humanly possible; because the learning itself is exciting and the material fascinating to you. In some classes you want to fulfill a major or general education requirement, and the class is just another trial to be endured on the way to your own objectives. Students bring different goals into the classroom, just as different instructors will approach a course in their own unique ways. Part of the interest and excitement of being a teacher is, for me, the opportunity to interact with others and share with them some of the curiosity, excitement, and understanding I have of an area of psychology; and to do this in a way that accommodates as much as possible the various goals we all bring to the classroom. I believe classes should be challenging and don't mind asking students to do some work. Learning usually takes effort, even if we enjoy the effort. But my class is only a part of your day and only a part of your college education. Doing well in my class shouldn't be at the expense of your other courses and should only cost you a fair share of your week's time. I believe in education, as in life, a balance is needed.
I also believe it is important that you understand what the rules are, what is expected of you, and how well you are doing. I hope my syllabuses make the expectations and contingencies clear, but it is always alright to ask me about these. You need to take an active role in your education, and this is very difficult if you do not understand what you should be doing. Ask me, ask the TA, ask me again, keep asking until it is clear. Most of my classes are structured so that you can always determine how you are doing with respect to your grade. In many of my undergraduate classes you are encouraged to repeatedly determine exactly what your grade is at various points during the semester. I rely upon you to make sure you are getting from my courses what you need; if you are not, I rely upon you to let me know this.
My courses take some work. I expect students to come to class, because it's difficult to profit from class if you are not there. I often talk about material that is not covered in the book, or discuss the same topics in a different way. The vast majority of you are good readers and I rely on you to be able to use your textbook. If I only went over the text you wouldn't be getting much from class. I expect students to ask questions if something in the textbook isn't clear to them or if they have questions that the text didn't get around to answering. One of my jobs is to be a resource. Our books can't answer questions or elaborate or give another example (someday they may); but I can do those things for you. I expect students to read their text, to have usually read it once before we are talking about it, and to probably have read it two or three times before we leave the topic area. The last time I looked into the subject it appeared that the learning curve for most undergraduate level college texts begins to flatten out after about the third reading of a chapter: The first time you read it you gain some information and understanding. The next time you learn some more and make connections that you might have missed the first time. The third time it is become pretty familiar to you, although a few extra ideas or greater mastery of the subject is gained. You would actually learn more if you read it a fourth and fifth and sixth time, but it is a diminishing curve. There would probably be other things you could be doing, within the same subject area, that would help you more. For the first three readings, however, the gains are pretty impressive each time. One strategy for doing better is to read the material more than once. This is not the best strategy for everyone but is something you can do to help yourself.
I expect my students to take their education pretty seriously, even if you are only in my class to fulfill a requirement. You are investing one of your most precious resources, time, and should use it well. You are also paying for my class, even if you thought that someone else (a scholarship, parents) were footing the bill; there are all kinds of way to "pay" for something. Trust me on this one, if you are in my class it is costing you. Even if is a required class that you would never have chosen on your own account--here you are, make the best of the time, learn something, we are sometimes surprised by what we discover through necessity. My classes, my teaching, and your time are important to me; and I expect us all to show some respect for these.
This may seem like a funny philosophy of education. I've talked more about what you should be doing than what I do. Goes back to those first few sentences. I like children very much but have never wanted to teach children in a classroom; I do like to teach college students. You are adult learners, putting your intelligence and study skills and work habits in service to the goals which you have selected. It is an exciting endeavor and I enjoy sharing in that with you. I have knowledge and experiences and some understanding that you don't yet have, and I like sharing.
I also have ideals and beliefs and values. These are part of who I am, as a person and as a psychologist; and shape my own behavior. I don't mind sharing these with you, but they should come clearly labeled and marked "optional." You don't need to see the world the same as I do to learn and do well in my classes.
From my classes I want you to gain some knowledge of an area of psychology--the language, concepts, issues, and ideas that have evolved to understand human actions and difficulties. I want you to learn what knowledge has been developed that we have confidence in (usually this means empirical knowledge), what suspicions and hypotheses are currently being tested (theories, guesses, current clinical practice), and what the limits of our knowledge are. I usually want you to understand what the factors are that drive our knowledge and our ignorance. I want you to understand how this knowledge affects human lives. Because you took my class I hope you are a better informed citizen of your world, and better prepared to continue your own education after my class. Which gets us back to where this essay started. Look forward to seeing you in class.