Teaching Philosophy
“A comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there.” – John Assaraf
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My teaching philosophy embraces students’ thoughts and emotions, both comfortable and uncomfortable to experience. I believe every student has a right to grow not only in knowledge, but in personal thought, reflection, and empathy toward others in and outside the classroom. To foster this personal and professional growth, my teaching philosophy is for students to become more comfortable with the uncomfortable. This is essential to fully embrace difficult course topics and apply them to various aspects of students’ lives. I believe the best practice of this philosophy is through inclusion and diversity, student empowerment, and experiential learning.
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To make students more comfortable learning about and discussing difficult course content, the class environment must welcome diverse beliefs and attitudes. This aspect of inclusion and diversity is crucial to inspire students to open their minds and deeply consider potentially uncomfortable yet important course topics. This environment also promotes student empowerment. A large part of empowerment in the classroom is for students to communicate when they struggle with course content and assignments. From the first day of class, I emphasize the importance of communication with the instructor as a vital practice to receive support that is right for them. This also requires a non-judgmental and compassionate attitude as an instructor and effort to build relationships with each student.
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Experiential learning is a key element to allow students opportunities to become more comfortable with the uncomfortable. One way I practice this in my Death and Dying class is by providing students with current literature about the coronavirus-19 pandemic that relates to course content. I also use my involvement in USF’s End-of-Life Center to schedule guest speakers to discuss important course topics that may be uncomfortable to think about, such as end-of-life care and physician assisted suicide. Another example of experiential learning in practice within my class is the funeral home and cemetery visit. When I transitioned the in-person course to online at the beginning of the pandemic, I collaborated with USF’s Innovative Education and Video Production teams to create a virtual funeral home and cemetery tour to keep this essential element included in the online course. Students who take this class continue to benefit from the virtual tour. These experiential learning practices allow students the optimal opportunities to connect and grow with course topics.
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I meet my goal of helping students become more comfortable with uncomfortable topics through inclusive discussions and lessons about diverse beliefs and practices, empowerment of students to communicate their needs, and experiential learning opportunities to promote student growth. Future challenges can be met through these practices as well as serious consideration of student feedback about the course and my teaching. After taking my class, I hope students come away with the ability to be more comfortable considering and discussing uncomfortable, yet important, topics. This ability to step out of their comfort zones will foster students’ personal and professional growth far beyond my class.