Effective teaching facilitates critical thinking and fosters learning through self-discovery. Direct instruction, such as lectures or straightforward didactic pedagogy, is frequently ineffective for these reasons.  My teaching philosophy is based on the constructivist notion that students learn through experiential activities that cause the student to rely on intuition, reflect on prior knowledge, and consider how to integrate new information into existing schema.

I have delineated five 'E's to represent the specific elements of my teaching philosophy:

(1) Expectation.  Students are believed capable of growth and development, and are held to the high standards of the counseling profession.

(2) Engagement.  Students learn through active participation and investment in the learning process; they are not merely vessels to be filled. 

(3) Ethical Foundation.  Students learn from their instructor's example; thus, the instructor must adhere to ethical principles in teaching, scholarship, and service. 

(4) Exposure.  Students must encounter new situations and information that causes them to reflect upon and challenge their prior conceptual structures.

(5) Experiential Learning.  Student self-discovery occurs through activities/exercises that assist them in transforming pre-defined notions to real-world learning via the here-and-now

(6) Encouragement.  Students perform best when supported and nurtured through recognition of their risk-taking and efforts.