Attaining the designation of an excellent teacher requires engagement
and passion, respect for the diversity of adult learners and, for those who
call themselves followers of Jesus, modeling biblical values in our
teaching. One of the professors in my master’s program, whom I will call
Dr. M, embodied excellent teacher behavior in several ways. First, Dr. M
encouraged frequent contact with her students. She was responsive and
caring, which enhanced my motivation and commitment to learning
(Bernstein et al., 2020). My program was online, but I was able to visit the
campus while on a business trip to the area. Dr. M. invited me to meet at
her office, introduced me to other professors, and walked the campus with
me, talking and getting to know me on a more personal level. Second, Dr.
M encouraged cooperation among her students and team effort (Bernstein
et al., 2020). During a group project, I experienced tension between
myself and another student. Dr. M took the time to help me navigate the
situation through sensitivity and understanding; however, she was not
afraid to challenge my thinking and help me see a more balanced
perspective. Lastly, Dr. M was passionate and enthusiastic about the
topics she taught, which Keeley et al. (2016) identified as most important
in their study of excellent post-secondary teachers.
Conversely, my poorest teacher experience occurred during my
prior PhD program, from which I transferred to Liberty. While this
professor did encourage active learning and communicate high
expectations (Bernstein et al., 2020), these expectations were not
realistic. The program requirements included two discussion posts per
week with scholarly sources, and 2 responses to each discussion. The
professor added additional discussion questions for interaction, which in
retrospect may demonstrate an attempt to remain socially connected in
an online setting and stimulate learning through reflection. However, the
result was a confusion and unrealistic demands, diminishing my internal
motivation. Adult learners consider self-actualization the goal of learning,
whereby learning leads to fulfillment and personal growth (Merriam &
Bierema, 2014). Rather than growing and experiencing a sense of self-
actualization from interacting through the discussion boards, they become
a checklist item to obtain a grade.
In adult learning, meaning making through experiential learning
includes the physical, emotional, social, cognitive, and spiritual
components of learning (Merriam & Bierema, 2014). My master’s program
was designed around experiential learning and touched each of these
aspects, of which I am grateful. As a result, my desire to teach adults
through graduate education was sparked, influencing my decision to
pursue a PhD. Becoming an excellent teacher reminds me of the
exhortation of the Apostle Paul in Philippians 4. I long to become a teacher
that is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good reputation,
demonstrating excellence and worthy of praise from both students and
my Heavenly Father (New American Standard Bible, 2020, Philippians
4:18). As we study the teaching of psychology, what connections do you
see between these biblical characteristics and the qualities of effective
teachers?
References
Bernstein, D.S., Frantz, S, & Chew, S. (2020).Teaching psychology: A step
by step guide(3rded.). Routledge.
Keeley, J. W., Ismail, E., & Buskist, W. (2016). Excellent teachers’
perspectives on excellent teaching.Teaching of Psychology, 43(3), 175-
179.https://doi.org/10.1177/0098628316649307
Merriam, S. B. &Bierema, L.L. (2014).Adult learning – Linking theory and
practice. Jossey-Bass.
New American Standard Bible(2020).
BibleGateway.https://www.biblegateway.com/. (Original work published
1971).
