“Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world.”

Nelson Mandela

Approach to Teaching

My approach to teaching is guided by three goals:

1. Psychology is a discipline uniquely related to understanding the diversity in the human experience. Therefore, as an instructor, I feel a responsibility to ensure my students gain knowledge and skills they can apply to improve their lives beyond my classroom.
2. I maximize my students’ engagement and intrinsic motivation to learn by inviting them to serve as partners in co-creating the curriculum.
3. I build an inclusive environment that fosters student belonging.

Activities that Align with these Goals

One of my favorite parts of teaching is designing activities that meet my teaching goals.

1. I developed a “Community Action Project” where students applied psychological principles to address a real-world social issue.
2. I co-created a Jury Selection Simulation where students designed case studies and realistic personas. They then had the opportunity to be a member of the prosecution or defense during the Voir Dire process, where they questioned potential jurors and justified why they would dismiss jurors from the case.
3. I developed a “Psychologist Highlight Project” in my introductory to psychology class where students researched a psychologist from an underrepresented background or theoretical/methodological practices. As a group, we collaborated on diversifying the individuals and perspectives learned in an introductory course.