Philosophy of Teaching Statement

Jeffrey Stowell
Psychology
The Ohio State University

"The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled."

--Plutarch

Conceptualization of Learning

Potentially, the desire to better understand the world and one's self can be kindled in all students. Once ignited, this desire can intensify.  Often, the first spark is lit when students realize the value of what they are learning.  This realization is a two part process.

First, students are more likely to accept what they are learning when it is logically presented in an orderly, precise, and clear manner.  I feel that students are equipped with critical thinking abilities, and by means of experiencing a logical presentation, can individually choose to accept or reject ideas.

The second part is closely related to the first because logical presentation and critical thinking will lead to insightful interpretations of the material.  Insightful interpretations are facilitated by discussion among teacher and students.  One of the most important insights that can be attained is how the knowledge they are acquiring applies to their life.  Once the value of this knowledge is realized, learning will be greatly facilitated.

Conceptualization of Teaching

I feel that my primary role as a teacher it to kindle the mind's fire of each student.  As with any fire, the environmental conditions must be appropriate to allow it to burn.  To allow "fires" to burn, I create a learning atmosphere by using a variety of teaching methods such as group projects, videos, computer and internet resources, and in-class demonstrations.  I also contribute to the learning atmosphere by encouraging appropriate interactions among students by having students get to know each other.  Finally, to help students feel valued, I learn their names and am respectful of their opinions.

To help students think logically and insightfully, I present the material in an outline form and provide appropriate historical and current research to support what I teach.  Besides presenting research which is often done in a laboratory, I also use real life examples of the topic being discussed, and create test questions based on them.

Finally, I believe that teaching should be fun, for the student as well as the teacher.  A boring lecture can douse the flames of anyone's fire.  When preparing a lecture, I consider how to make it fun for myself and it often translates into fun for the students.

Goals for Students

I have three primary goals for students, which I include on my syllabus.  First, I want them to learn how to think critically-not only about the topics I present in class, but also about information that they are exposed to in their everyday lives.  Second, I want my students to understand the widespread application of psychology.  Third, I want my students to truly enjoy learning.

Personal Growth

In order to improve my teaching ability, I welcome feedback from others.  I encourage students to express their comments about their progress, my teaching ability, and the way the course is structured by providing them the opportunity to formally evaluate these things after their first exam.  It is always a positive experience to address their concerns and make changes as needed.  I've seen my teaching improve as evidenced by better attendance, student evaluations, and self-evaluations.

I am also interested in using technology to advance my teaching skills as well as facilitate learning in and out of the classroom.  In such a rapidly advancing society, I believe it is critical for me to keep pace with developments in technology.  Development of computer programming skills has allowed me to provide students with a web site that contains class resources such as quizzes, review sheets, and links to reliable web sites for exploring interests in various topics.  I look forward to continued advancement of my expertise in this area.