Catherine Rawn

Welcome to my e-Portfolio! I am a faculty member in the Learning Enhancement area of the Psychology Department at UBC. I am developing this website to organize, highlight, and reflect on my teaching experiences. It is a work-in-progress, but ultimately, I hope this site will give you a sense of my perspective on teaching and the ways I attempt to create critical learning environments for my learners. As you navigate these pages, you will find that my training is in experimental social psychology, with an emphasis on quantitative methods. This background has influenced both what and how I teach. I welcome comments, ideas, and suggestions, via email or blog post.

Quick Contact

Email: cdrawn[at]psych[dot]ubc[dot]ca

Twitter: @cdrawn

My Philosophy of Teaching and Learning

Why do people do what they do, think what they think, feel what they feel? I was first attracted to psychology because it game me insight into these big questions. Later I was empowered by the critical thinking skills I developed as I learned more about psychology as a research-based science. A persistent interest in people, critically informed by the methods and content of psychology, lies at the heart of my teaching.

My view of teaching emphasizes the learner and process of learning. I believe that learning happens best when people are engaged in a supportive environment that enables them to connect with, think critically about, and apply their knowledge. My primary role is to create a supportive learning environment that facilitates comprehension, critical analysis, and application of material. I seek to challenge learners while supporting them and having fun along the way. I elaborate below.

To learn, people must connect with the material.

When such connection happens, learners become motivated to learn; consequently their understanding of the material deepens. Thus, in my teaching practice, I strive to use examples and activities that resonate with the life experiences of my learners. I assign tasks that involve making direct linkages of the material to their academic or personal lives. For example, I created the Collaborative Group Project to give learners in my research methods course a reason to understand the abstract methodological techniques and concepts we cover. Throughout this project, learners reported a deep appreciation for the trade-offs researchers make when designing studies.

To learn, people must think critically and be able to apply knowledge beyond the course.

Learning how to think critically is of more long-term value than is temporary rote memorization of information. Thus, in my teaching practice, I seek to scaffold the development of critical thinking by strategically guiding learners through applied examples and problems so that they reach final answers — or further, deeper questions, as the case may be. For example, I design written assignments and exam questions that require learners to evaluate the material in the context of bigger ethical or social issues, or by applying it to novel problems. By challenging learners to think through concepts instead of merely revealing answers to them, I believe they can gain problem-solving skills that will extend beyond the course. Ideally, this process can empower them to tackle new challenges confidently in the future, as is evident in one of my former students noting that s/he “learned a great deal of hands-on techniques that will help [him/her] in analyzing and interpreting the data in [his/her] studies.”

To learn, people need a supportive environment.

Learning means changing, and such change can be difficult and sometimes even frightening. By studying psychology, people learn to shift from relying on anecdotes to considering empirical data as information about human behavior, and how to empirically test their hypotheses about human behavior. Thus, in my teaching practice, I strive to create a supportive learning environment for all learners. I get to know many of my learners early in the course, and I provide extra support for those who are struggling. I strive to build a community by incorporating interactive activities such as class demonstrations, group assignments, and online discussions. I encourage learners to grow as researchers by supporting them at their extra-curricular research presentations (e.g., at Undergraduate Research Day). Learners’ comments reflect an appreciation of my concern for their well-being. For example, a former student has mentioned that I “created a safe environment for students to talk” in class. I believe that feeling respected and relaxed can help learners take risks to try out new ways of thinking about the world; such risks are crucial to learning.