School name: Santa Clara University
Type of school: Private, Jesuit
School locale: Santa Clara, CA, USA
Is your role mostly in-person, hybrid, online? in-person
For how many years have you taught psychology? I’ve been teaching as long as American Idol has been on television.
Classes you teach: Introductory Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Advanced Topics in Developmental Psychology, Personality Psychology.
Specialization: Developmental
What size classes do you teach? 35-45
What’s the best advice about teaching you’ve ever received? Structure your lecture like a story with three main points. It is much easier for students to remember if there is a beginning, a middle, and an end.
What is a book, article, research, or author/researcher that you would recommend that new teachers check out? The Noba Project.
What do you know now about teaching that you wish you knew when you were starting? How I feel after a class tracks with how my students feel. If I didn’t think my jokes landed, they probably didn’t!
Briefly describe a favorite assignment or in-class activity. One activity I’ve been using in all of my introductory psychology courses is a replication of Bransford & Johnson (1972). This quick demonstration during the first week of classes helps students understand why I (and other professors) ask them to read before coming to class.
What’s your dream course if you had the time and resources to teach it? I’m currently teaching it! As part of a service learning requirement, my developmental psychology students are leading hands-on STEM activities in local elementary schools - reflecting and applying what they are learning in my course. This also involves creating STEM kits that my undergraduates bring to the elementary classrooms.
What are three words that best describe your teaching style? Interactive, Collaborative, and Engaging.
What’s your workspace like? My workspaces are varied. My kitchen is one of my favorite spots. Easy reach to coffee and snacks.
Tell us about a teaching disaster (or embarrassment) you’ve had and how you dealt with the situation. Well—back in the day… PowerPoint was relatively new in classrooms. We had to reserve a projector on a cart and then connect our laptop to it. One day, I could not get it to work. I tried all my tricks (shutting down and counting to 10). Finally, I called Media Support. The media specialist walked in, assessed the situation, and plugged in the projector. I still share this story with my students—and other “fails”—to remind them that making mistakes is a part of life.
What is something your students would be surprised to learn about you? I did not become a psychology major until my junior year in college. And, it was the best decision ever.
