Teaching Philosophy

Learning is a life-long concept that can occur in formalized and daily settings. How we learn shapes the foundation of how we understand the world and how we communicate with others. One can learn through experiences or under the guided approach of a mentor or teacher. Teaching typically involves relaying information in a manner that is clear, concise, and understandable to an audience. While teaching involves presenting information, it is equally important that a teacher be able to cater to an audience depending on their needs. My personal teaching philosophy aligns with the Social Constructivist approach, whereas I simply serve as a facilitator for student learning and frequently encourage students to develop their scholarly voice through group interactions, hands-on learning, essays, and creativity. As a former secondary Science teacher in an alternative setting, I placed great focus on experiential learning, where students learn by doing, because many of my students struggled in general academic settings due to behavioral challenges, learning disabilities, and/or personal lifestyle factors. I continue to utilize the Social Constructivist approach in my collegiate teaching practices. My goal with collegiate teaching is to train future professionals, particularly future Public Health practitioners, in the areas of intervention development, program planning, and development of their unique scholarly voices. Building student proficiency in these areas will prove to be valuable as students graduate and utilize these skills for work related projects.