Teaching Philosophy
My teaching philosophy and instruction
are specifically designed to challenge
the learners through praxis and active
engagement to apply the principles of
family science to their personal lives as
they contribute to the improvement of
themselves, their relationships, and their
surrounding communities. I value class participation and seek to balance teaching presentations with the opportunity for the learners to demonstrate their grasp and practical application of the subject matter.
Each course, unit, and presentation are designed with the following three teaching principles in mind:
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Make learning fun and interesting;
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Communicate new information and elicit new perspectives about old information;
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Create opportunities for the learners to identify, apply, and practice new potential life skills.
Interwoven throughout each of these three principles is my personal philosophy of teaching “less” better, meaning focusing on a few concepts or principles in order to facilitate deep, transformative learning.
Close Relationships
Couple and relationship quality and education
2006 - Doctorate of Philosophy
Family, Consumer and Human Development
Utah State University
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Teaching Pedagogy/Andragogy
Scholarship of teaching and learning
Diversity and Inclusion
Biculturalism, ethocentrism and ethnorelativism
1999 - Master of Science
Family and Human Development
Utah State University
1988 - Bachelor of Science
Organizational Psychology
Brigham Young University
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Model of Change
My teaching focus is to empower students to
change their lives and relationships.
Each goal, objective, lecture, assignment, assessment,
program, workshop, and activity is intentionally designed
to help students move successfully through the change process.
This is a unique process for every individual and each relationship.
In order to assist and engage students in the change process,
I employ David Mace’s general model of change in my teaching.
According to Mace, the process of change normally begins
as students seek, or are exposed to, information
they can apply to some aspect of their lives.
This incoming information has the potential
to speak to the students’ unmet needs and desires.
When this occurs, the new information will at times be recorded
in the students’ minds as a perceived psychosocial crisis.
This psychosocial crisis may occur because they realize, for example,
that they are lacking the skills to negotiate intimacy
or to resolve conflict successfully.
Mace calls this process of realization insight.
As the realization of what needs and desires are not being met becomes an acute awareness, the commitment to change unfolds. This commitment to change may then lead students
to want to try some kind of experimental action
to see if they can improve their situation, with an increased motivation to search for new knowledge and new potential skills. This might include an increased desire, for example, to read as much as possible about the addiction process,
explore communication issues in a relationship,
create a financial plan, learn how to parent a difficult child,
or to seek a therapist when relationships fall stagnant.
