Core Teaching Values

My teaching philosophy facilitates the acquirement and integration of social work practice skills and knowledge of social conditions and problems in practice. It builds critical and analytical thinking around social justice, diversity and intersectionality, ethical practice, and individual responsibility. My teaching foundation is grounded in three primary tenets: 1) critical awareness, 2) transformative learning, and 3) collaborative exploration. As an educator, I aim to model awareness and authenticity by how I present in the classroom and how my positionality influences my teaching methods. Also, in modeling, I seek to genuinely recognize and build upon each student's strengths in the learning environment.

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I strive to create secure, positive, and inclusive learning environments to enhance student learning as a transformative experience and foster meaningful collaboration in small and large group discussions. I use various evidence-based teaching strategies such as role-playing, critical reflection, and feedback to support and enrich student learning. Lastly, I hold high but realistic expectations for all students to strive for excellence in their coursework and practice. I believe that my teaching approach encourages students to reflect on their values and increase their individual and ethical responsibility to become persistent advocates for social justice and change for those oppressed and vulnerable in our society.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The first tenet of my teaching philosophy, critical awareness, is informed by my belief that teaching is a social and political act. As Paulo Freire indicated, this role comes with the duty to challenge oppressive attitudes and behaviors, support students' empowerment processes, and encourage students' awareness of their status and position. Students have contextual and social understandings that influence how they interact with classroom material, each other, and their educators. By encouraging a critical perspective in students, the belief is that they will further develop essential thinking skills around social structures, systems, and interactions, as well as an understanding of the sociopolitical overtones that inform their critical thought processes.

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The second tenet of my teaching philosophy is transformative learning. I am grounded in constructivist epistemology and the belief that students create their meanings from lived experiences. I engage students in discussion and critical reflection around social justice issues, specifically about their role as social workers in promoting social justice and fair social treatment. These conversations often result in students confronting their own biases and incorporating

information as they establish new views on social inequities. The aim is for students to understand experiences from different viewpoints better and, as a result, develop new interpretations of information and the social world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The third tenant of my teaching philosophy is collaborative exploration, which continues to highlight

engaging students in cooperative activities to co-construct knowledge and learning. Further inspired by

Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed, I believe that all students bring a wealth of knowledge to the

learning environment based on their lived experiences. This knowledge can inform how they receive and

construct learning and engage in an exchange of knowledge in the learning environment.