Teaching
Philosophy

As an educator, I aim to create a learning environment that provides and promotes a student-centered approach. I believe in providing a space where the student combines their life experience, the educator’s professional experience, and the lesson to create new knowledge to help them achieve their professional goals. I desire to provide a class that involves planning and preparing lesson plans, selecting appropriate material, delivering the lesson properly considering the student's learning needs, assessing and reassessing to meet the lesson and students' goals, and using reflection to improve understanding and generate new knowledge continuously.

​

My decision to pursue a teaching career was motivated by several educators who have played a significant role in my learning journey. Reflecting on my learning experiences, I feel honored to meet talented educators who have inspired me to become one myself. For instance, my sixth-grade social studies teacher, Mrs. Valle, set an example of being an empathetic teacher. Professor Carmen Lydia Garcia, who taught me social work in my bachelor’s degree, always believed in my potential, even when I could not see it myself. Dr. Pascual-Moran encouraged me to continue my studies in a doctoral program.

​

As an educator, I aim to inspire others, just as my teachers motivated me in the past. I strive to be a role model and a mentor to the students by sharing my knowledge, encouraging mastery, promoting the development of critical thinking skills, and motivating them to pursue their goals. I seek to create a learning environment where students feel comfortable and empowered enough to incorporate their beliefs, values, culture, and qualities into their learning experience. I aspire to provide a student-centered approach (Fox, 2011) where students feel motivated and trust themselves to learn and expand their knowledge (Svinicki & Mckeachie, 2014).

​

I believe that teaching and learning are two distinct but interdependent concepts that need each other to strengthen themselves. They are like planting a seed where the teacher serves as the horticulturist and the student as the seed. “The horticulturist can prepare the soil, plant the seed, provide it with water and a suitable climate... but they cannot grow in place of the seed, and they cannot rush its growth process either”. Hence, it is crucial to explore, use, and consistently evaluate the teaching methods that facilitate each student’s growth experience but with the understanding that every student will grow at their own unique pace.

​

I found several teaching methods helpful, including setting clear and appropriate expectations from the outset, creating fun, engaging, insightful, and inventive learning environments for the students, responding to their questions and providing feedback that addressed student’s educational needs, regularly improving, and reassessing my communication skills by actively listening and being accessible to the student via email and office hours.

As an educator, I believe that qualities like honesty, respect, fairness, and compassion are essential in measuring student improvement in class. I consider that the primary goal should be to promote progress during the learning experience, not the grade. The grade should be a tool to motivate students to aim for more knowledge and not an opportunity to penalize, label, categorize, or undervalue a student. Then, the grade should be a tool to motivate students to create “new knowledge.”

 

As a social work educator, discussing inclusion in class and excluding students because they learn differently will be a double standard. Therefore, I strive to provide various options that foster all types of learning. For instance, I believe that students who struggle with test anxiety should have other options besides a test, such as completing a paper, giving a presentation, or participating in a community-based activity. If the main goal is for each student to learn, there must be several options to measure a student’s knowledge and grade them.

​

I believe that a conscientious approach involves using the triarchic theory of intelligence that measures analytic skills, creativity, and comprehension (Svinicki & Mckeachie, 2014) as an alternative to traditional testing methods. For example, students can be given guided questions to answer after completing a live activity, such as watching a movie related to the class material, visiting a community agency, or observing specific groups. The questions can be focused on measuring comprehension and creativity. Additionally, the triarchic theory of intelligence could be used in groups of students, fostering both individual and group strengths in students.

​

As a social work educator, I understand the importance of promoting, modeling, and educating ethical and professional behaviors, human rights, and social, racial, economic, and environmental justice. Teaching and modeling how to engage, assess, intervene, and evaluate individuals, families, groups, and organizations is also essential. I believe in the importance of students understanding, utilizing, and promoting the ADEI practice to support their learning environment and the community where they will be working or currently work.

As a Puerto Rican Latina woman educator, I recognized the privilege of offering a broader perspective that enriches my students' learning experience. I aim to motivate students to continue learning about integrating and applying ADEI practices as social work students and professionals.  I also believe it is essential to model and teach students to recognize and address their privileges and biases, which can affect their learning experiences and ability to provide services to community members. By modeling and actively promoting ADEI practice, I hope to create a welcoming learning experience where all students feel empowered and welcome.

​

I believe that education is a career of lifelong learning. Both teaching and learning are constantly evolving processes. As an educator, I believe there is something to learn every day. I consider that all humans have the potential to be educators in their “own special way” and that we can learn from one another. Therefore, I see students’ evaluations as a means of teaching and an opportunity for the educator to improve or expand their skills. I believe that students’ evaluations help educators identify areas where they can grow, improve their skills, recognize their strengths, and learn from their students.  The moment the educator stops learning is the moment that the educator stops growing.