Teachhing Philosophy and Goal

Teaching Philosophy & Goals The relationship between communicative phenomena and well-being
influences both his research and teaching. In teaching, Professor Caplan strives to help students apply
the findings from research to their own lives in order to enhance their psychosocial well-being. His
guiding pedagogical philosophy is that true learning occurs when students become active participants
in their own educations.

My teaching philosophy is very pragmatic. I believe that the worth of any idea or concept is
ascertained in the consequences of embodying it. What makes an idea worthy of
remembrance is its use. When a student can look at his or her experiences through the
“interpretive lens” of an idea or theory and see ways to live a more empowered and
sustaining life, then they have really learned something. I believe education empowers
students when they are exposed to theory and skills that extend their control over their
social environment, and over themselves. Exposure by itself however is often insufficient.
Students must actively work with ideas by interrogating, writing and discussing them. I strive
to show students how to apply communication theories to their own lived experiences in
order to forge concepts into tools of empowerment. I believe empowerment begins with
learning how to ask questions that develop critical thinking. University students are largely
schooled in answers but less commonly taught how to skillfully frame questions. Learning
how to ask sophisticated questions is a corner stone of thinking critically, and guarding
oneself against quick and oversimplified answers.

I believe in a lively class discussions. Along with asking questions, students experience a
great sense of empowerment when their ability to verbally express their thoughts, explain
concepts and processes, and engage in debate and persuasive communication is honed
and enhanced through skilled instruction. For some students, class discussions and oral
presentations are the arenas were they “find their voice” about issues in their lives.

Teaching Goals

I have three main objectives in each class that I teach. (1) Teach students how to skillfully
frame questions that aid critical thinking. (2) Present students with thought provoking course
content that allows for useful interpretations of their behavior, environment, and
experiences. (3) Cultivate a lively sense of discussion, inquiry, and debate within the
classroom.

In every theory class I teach, I structure class time and course assignments in ways that
promote sophisticated questions, critical discussion, and the application of course material
to students’ experiences. For example, a prominent feature in my upper division courses, is
a series of short papers called “Questions and Contentions”. I developed this assignment
specifically to teach students how to develop useful questions, write critically about course
content, and apply course content to their lives. Students first present a quote from their text
or lecture notes. Then, through the use of open-ended questions and personal examples,
they develop a critical inquiry that may challenge, affirm, or apply to experience, their
chosen quote. Students are encouraged to use a “both/and” rather than an “either/or” logic
to frame their questions in ways that invite further exploration and analysis. At first, students
are often frustrated with the amount of “thinking outside the box” that these assignments
take. Soon however, they actually come to enjoy writing these papers and commonly
remark about them in their instructor evaluations.

On the days that these assignments are due in class, we engage in an open discussion
where students present their quotes, questions, and examples to each other. These
discussion days are often a lively exchange of ideas and perspectives, as well as debates
about class material. Students are often surprised at what they learn from each other during
these interactions. During both group discussions, and during lectures, I always encourage
students to challenge both me and the course materials. In my larger service class,
students have been very willing to ask questions and engage me in debate and discussion
on a variety of topics.

I select and develop course content based on the potential of an idea to empower a student.
If a theory or exercise can help a student stay married, avoid getting manipulated, have
conflicts in a healthy manner, speak with confidence, or get in touch with an authentic sense
of living, then it makes the list of what I teach. I have developed a substantial amount of
original course material in the form of essay-style lecture notes the students purchase as a
packet. In these essays, I draw on communication based concepts from psychology, media
studies, cultural studies, anthropology, linguistics, and philosophy all with the focus of
actively empowering students’ lives. Giving the students all this information before hand
allows for a freer discussion as they are not constantly hunched over scribbling notes.

Teaching Philosophy and Goals

Teaching is truly a joy and a pleasure for me. I chose academia for the invigorating
connections it offers between the ‘life of the mind’ and the world we live in. In the classroom
I invite students to participate in that rich process of exchange. Along with making the
course materials relevant, interesting and challenging, this also means working with
students so they have the tools to benefit from classwork. Teaching is not only about the
presentation of appropriate materials and relevant facts – it also about teaching the skills,
vision, and disciplined thought processes to use them well. I encourage students to ask
questions, to work through problems, and to seek assistance in finding resources and
answers – so we all learn more. Joy emerges at the intersection of information and
intellectual skills successfully shared.

For each class, I choose a variety of materials and exercises to challenge and engage
students. In the basic oral communication courses, I choose a theme each semester to
structure outside reading selections and stimulate student interest. I use an interdisciplinary,
multimedia approach, stressing the connections among fields that are often seen as
unrelated. I make a point of using a variety of media clips, websites, online class forums
and diverse course material to stimulate discussion and keep students intellectually active.
Along with specific strategies for doing excellent academic work and achieving their
personal goals, I discuss the responsibilities that education confers, the expectations and
obligations of civic engagement and professional conduct. I point students to the ways they
can apply our work to areas outside the classroom and beyond the university.
Understanding that students often see college as a means to an end, as a teacher of
communication I remind them that their knowledge and skills can be applied to flourish in
their chosen career paths, and should be put to use as educated citizens and members of
civil society.

In the end, I see teaching as providing opportunities to students, challenging their

intellectual abilities, engaging their minds along new paths, and assisting with the
acquisition of tools for continued learning. I hope my students leave my class with new
information, new methods for pursuing knowledge, and new ideas about their ability to
engage with the world around them. I hope they leave with the realization that education is
more than meeting arduous academic requirements by rote. I hope they have found a new
way of looking or a new way to think, and had a few “ah-ha” moments of intellectual
discovery. Most of all, I want my students to have had a moment of joy as part of their
educational experience.

I find great satisfaction and pleasure in teaching both on the undergraduate and graduate
levels. When I observe a student have an “aha” moment in the classroom, when my
students learn to critically evaluate their own biases, or when I encounter students who
teach me new interpretations of course material, I am encouraged to continue to strive to
enrich my students’ lives through an education that cultivates a love for knowledge and
thinking, a curiosity about the world, and attention to social and environmental justice. I
strongly believe that teaching communication theory and practice can create active global
citizens and critical thinkers equipped to make the world a better place.

In a world increasingly populated with diverse media and messages, media literacy is
essential for making informed judgments and decisions. Media literacy interventions are
educational programs designed to deter harmful media effects and to harness the potential
of the media for positive social change. My work in this area spans the development of field-
and web-delivered interventions, evaluation of their long-term effectiveness in behavior
change, and conducting a comprehensive meta-analytic review of media literacy
interventions. Most recently, I initiated a conceptual framework for social media literacy.
Moving beyond mass media-based approaches, the new framework centralizes the
dynamic interactions among the self, the media, and the reality on social media. This work
was funded by grants from the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health.