Behind every great professor is...what, exactly? We asked some of the university’s legendary faculty members to share the secrets of their success. As told to Erin Peterson | Photos by Jessica Attie
At St. Edward’s, great teaching is everywhere. Forget dry lectures and textbook reading — professors are teaching classes that change students’ minds, their career plans and even the trajectory of their lives. Though we couldn’t possibly feature all of the teachers who have inspired and changed their students, we asked seven amazing St. Edward’s professors to get us started. These faculty members have earned acclaim from their students and awards from the university’s Center for Teaching Excellence. And they agreed to take us behind the scenes to share their teaching philosophies, their best assignments and their work with students. In short, they helped us understand what makes great teachers great. Here’s what they told us, in their own words.
JEANNETTA WILLIAMS Associate Professor of Psychology ö At St. Edward’s since 2005 Teaching philosophy: I try to model the idea that I’m not there just to give students information; we’re there to build information together. Why? As scientists, we need to be open to experimentation, new theories and new procedures. There’s never a “final answer.” We just come to understand phenomena a little bit better through our successes and failures. The knowledge in psychology changes so much that we would be fools to say, “This is the final word.” In my classes, there are opportunities for students to develop their own questions and find their own answers. Cool class project: In Theories of Personality, I teach classic and contemporary theories on personality, from Freud to cutting-edge genetics and brain research. At the end of the course, groups of students analyze a person 14
they find fascinating, from Frida Kahlo to Sarah Palin to Charles Manson. How I think about my students: Getting an education from St. Edward’s is not just about getting a diploma; it’s an experience. I want to get to know students not just in my classes, but on my research teams, as advisees and through student organizations. Who they are goes beyond who they are in my classroom — students are shaped by their upbringing, their family, their career and their extracurricular interests. I consider it my job to connect with them both inside and outside of the classroom. When I was a student, I don’t think my professors would have known who I was, but I want my students to leave knowing that they can always contact me. We’re in this journey together, and we’re in it together for life.
ST. EDWARD’S UNIVERSITY
2721_SEU.indd 14
6/10/13 5:57 PM