Kristen Schellhase
College of Health & Public Affairs
Health Professions

Year Awarded: 2009

Teaching Philosophy

Be Prepared

Plan lectures, labs and exams well in advance. The more organized the educator is, the more organized the student can be. The class syllabus should have a deliberate direction. All assignments should lead to further understanding of the material. Preparation includes making sure that the direction and evaluation of the class is consistent with the direction of the Athletic Training Educational Program.

Be a Leader

An educator must be an effective leader of the class. Decisions made by the leadership should be based on the best interests of the students, while remembering that these decisions are not always popular with the students. Establishing and enforcing standards, even when difficult, will ensure that confusion will be minimized for future students.

Teach Building Blocks

Students are capable of retaining a certain amount of information in any given class, and during any given semester. As educators, we need to evaluate the material that we teach. We must decide what information is considered the most important, appropriate for the student’s level, and feasible to teach in the amount of time allotted. Once this information has been taught, discussed and understood by the student, they will begin to ask questions that lead them to more complex information.

Be Creative

The instructor’s creativity is key to keeping students engaged in the class. It is hard for anyone to pay attention for 75 minutes. The more engaged my students are, the more they will remember. I try to use things that are different from the traditional lecture format, specifically things that involve the student’s active participation.

Be Clear About Expectations - “No Surprises”

Resist the temptation of trying to “catch” a student not knowing material. The point of an educational program is to educate, not to entrap. If we surprise them with pop quizzes, or change test plans unexpectedly, they approach the class “unarmed”. Students respond to positive educators who encourage them to be prepared and responsible for class material.