Emily F. Coyle, Ph.D.

Teaching Philosophy

 

“The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.”
-- Plutarch

 

Studying psychology requires more than simply understanding the concepts or the historical literature. To truly study psychology, you have to be able to ask testable questions. My objectives for all of my students are similar, whether they are traditional-age undergraduates, nontraditional adult learners, senior thesis students, or research interns. Students finish my class able to critically evaluate classic and contemporary research. By grounding research in theory, students are able to able to compare theories that underpin empirical findings. They master critical discussion of sensitive topics around social justice, prejudice, and discrimination. Importantly, my students learn to generate testable questions, regardless of whether they will ever step into a laboratory.  

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In the classroom, I apply techniques I first learned teaching horseback riding. In fact, learning to be a psychologist is not wholly different. You identify your strengths and apply those to succeed in the challenge at hand, whether that is steering a horse or conducting data analysis. I recognize that students come to my classroom with varying strengths. We begin most terms with goal-setting. I balance assessment between traditional tests and creative assignments where students apply learning to a practical question. Students engage in post-exam reflections to think critically about developing study stills. I use low stakes assignments to encourage intellectual risk-taking. By blending techniques, I aim to foster curiosity and enthusiasm. When designing courses, I believe in planning the full circle, beginning with where I want my students to end up, and then meeting them where they are at the start of a course. I continuously hone my teaching skills, for example through participation in regional and national teaching conferences, and by keeping up with the research pedagogy in psychology. I hold certificates for residential and online college teaching. I use midsemester and formal teaching evaluations in tandem with daily personal reflections on my lessons to try to continuously improve my teaching and my courses.

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I apply a number of active learning techniques. I weave lecture, discussion, and hands-on activity. A typical day in Lifespan Development starts with a short introduction, moves to lecture and video demonstrations, and shifts to a small-group activity or discussion. Through practice and varied assessment, my students push themselves outside of their initial comfort zones. Because my students have a range of career goals in and outside of psychology, I use assignments that permit students to apply personal interests. After studying theories of child development and learning, Lifespan Development students work in teams to develop an educational toy, which they pitch to the class. Students integrate and apply theory and empirical research to a creative project imbued with their personal interests. Encouraging personal investment in a topic leads students to take ownership over an idea. Ownership leads to increased personal value for the subject. In an expectancy-value model of learning, students who expect to succeed and who value the subject will work the hardest and succeed at the highest level.

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Because science is overwhelmingly collaborative, I embed collaborative work in all my courses. Research-based courses like Research Methods and the empirical senior capstone sequence use carefully matched laboratory partners for the duration of the course. My upper-division courses follow a teams-based format. I use students’ self-assessment of strengths to form teams that work together in and out of class over the term. Students learn the course material, but perhaps more importantly, they learn about leadership, listening, collaboration, and mediating conflict. My lower-division courses regularly work in groups in class, on projects, and in peer review. I regularly support my research interns and senior thesis students in collaborative presentations at national and regional conferences and at SMU’s Scholars Day.

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Developmental Intergroup Theory (Liben & Bigler, 1997) and the Contact Hypothesis (Allport, 1954) speak to the importance of intentionally mixing different students to reduce prejudice, improve community, and ultimately, contribute to equity in the classroom. My students come from a range of backgrounds, including traditional-age undergraduates, nontraditional adult learners, gifted high school students, first-generation students, students with accessibility needs, and military and veteran students. Although they bring a variety of perspectives and may have different motivations for pursuing their education, my goal as a teacher remains the same:  To create engaged, active scholars of psychology who are armed with the conceptual knowledge, skillset, and curiosity to ask questions that work in psychological science demands.

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(Last updated 4/10/19)