Horticulture

Teaching Approach: “For me, teaching involves a collaboration between the teacher and students. I believe that teachers are responsible for planning interesting and engaging content that keeps students informed and challenged. I like to give students a lot of independence and try to encourage them to actively participate in class. I think of myself more as a coach. I believe that my job as an instructor is to provide the following: an environment that is conducive to learning; knowledge that will help students be successful in achieving their academic goals; materials, opportunities, and feedback that will motivate students to learn, and help them to be successful in their studies and professional life.”

Teaching Approach: “I truly love teaching and helping all of my students succeed! I believe that we learn best when we are actually ‘doing something’ with the material, so in my classes, you will have frequent opportunities to engage in active and experiential learning and learn from one another. Since there often isn’t a ‘right’ answer in psychology, I also encourage students to think critically and scientifically as you learn new information. How does the information fit with your beliefs and experiences? Finally, I believe we can use what we learn in psychology to improve the lives of ourselves and others, so we often apply the information to real life so you can use what you learn immediately! I truly care about each of you, and strive to create an environment in my face-to-face and online courses where students feel they are understood, respected, and are comfortable seeking help. I am here to support you, encourage you, and help you succeed! Therefore, I frequently provide students with resources like a notes packet, study guide, and study tips to help you grow and develop as students. I love being a part of your academic journey and hope to see you in one of my classes!”

Teaching Approach: “I see each student as an individual, and I’m excited about what strengths he/she/ze already brings to their writing. I have the expertise and experience to diagnose weak spots and work kindly with students to improve those areas. I really like working with people on their writing and thinking! I follow a simple personal mission in my work: Today is my opportunity to… be kind; focus on what really matters; ask thoughtful questions and listen carefully; help someone learn; uphold high standards, compassionately; and do a good job.”

Teaching Approach: My personal philosophy of education is fairly eclectic and crosses several teaching philosophies. I believe that it is helpful, if not essential, that the teacher is a master/expert. I believe the teacher’s role is to cultivate knowledge and wisdom. The teacher is also a guide to lead the student through the educational process. Sometimes leading requires the teacher to be flexible in becoming a facilitator by establishing guidelines and boundaries. Sometimes the role is of a mediator. A teacher is also a learner and learning is reciprocal between the student and teacher. Learners are there to listen, observe, and receive knowledge but are also active participants.

Teaching Approach: “I work with students to help them develop the skills they need to succeed here at Century as well as in their future goals. Grades are my least favorite part about school; I try to emphasize student reflection and learning above all else.”

Teaching Approach: Dr. Diji’s passion for teaching comes from a deep desire to contribute to students’ success. She continuously seeks to inspire students through interactive learning and equips them with tools and strategies that promote personal growth and the fulfillment of their educational goals. Dr. Diji loves teaching and learning from various students’ perspectives. The experiences she gained while working at a psychiatric hospital has deepened her love for humanity. Hence, she strives to be a better person to those around her each day. She has some publications on students’ examination cheating attitude and behavior, workplace absenteeism, and leadership escalation behavior, but student success is truly her calling. She’s just what you can call a Generalist Psychologist.

Teaching Approach: See bio above

Teaching Approach: “I am a firm believer that when you invest in your education the return in profit lasts a lifetime.”

Teaching Approach: “My favorite quote about teaching sums up my approach: “None but the humble become good teachers of adults…Indeed, in some of the best adult classes it is difficult to discover who is learning most, the teacher or the students.” Eduard Lindeman (as quoted in “The Adult Learner” by Malcolm S. Knowles, p. 109).”

Teaching Approach: “I believe every student benefits from exposure to a broad range of ideas–in terms of subject matter as well as viewpoints. It is my hope that students leave my classes feeling like they have been challenged to think in new ways, to question taken-for-granted knowledge about the world around them, and to not just state–but to support–their arguments in discussions and essays.”

Teaching Approach: “I prefer a student-centered approach to teaching. I believe that students can learn independently with enough systematic intervention to provide them with the necessary guidance.”

Teaching Approach: “I prefer to teach in an environment that is highly collaborative and interactive. While lecturing is an important part of teaching in the human services field, storytelling and student led engagement can invoke thoughtful learning experiences as well. Students can expect to learn from each other as well as me as their instructor throughout the course. This angle can really bring diversity and inclusion to the forefront of conversation, where it ought to be.”

Teaching Approach: Amy is enthusiastic about seeking new material and discovering new voices in emerging literature and her students. There’s no formula for what a student looks like, where they come from, or how they best learn, so she’s always up for the awesome challenge of helping students tell their stories. And then, she listens.

Teaching Approach: Teaching is an absolute blast! I’d do this job even if I didn’t get paid.

Teaching Approach: “I like to help shape students’ lives, teaching them safe nursing practice that is based on evidence and delivered in a holistic manner. I like to role-model and teach them what holistic nursing is all about, how practice based on best evidence can change clients’ outcomes; how our being with another offers hope and gives new meaning to all that is lost and seems unbearable. I believe that by teaching nursing I can reach more patients and have a more tangible presence in the community. I am a strong patient advocate, student advocate, and a leader in the nursing profession.” Currently, I teach clinical simulation and nursing lab. I believe that clear expectations and well organized course, with clearly stated objectives, are essential to students’ success. I combine structure and intentionality with flexibility in both planning and leading the class. I am clear about the course objectives but remain flexible and open to various ways of achieving them. My aim is to have students achieve the level of confidence and competence to engage in safe nursing practice. I teach students what critical thinking is all about and how to apply it to arrive at sound clinical judgment when making clinical decisions. As a holistic nurse educator I believe that safe learning environment, respect, and unconditional acceptance of all students are as fundamental to good teaching as knowing your subject, and knowing yourself. I feel privileged to teach at Century College.

Teaching Approach: “My servant-teaching style focuses on equipping students with the knowledge and skills they need to, not only succeed in their selected fields, but also to recognize their unique ability to move their professions forward. I attempt to impart any wisdom, learned from both successes and failures I’ve experienced, to students in an attempt to encourage them to recognize their own potential and opportunities for growth. Specifically unique to policing, my wish is to leave the profession better than how I found it and in the better prepared hands of our future leaders.”

Teaching Approach: “I believe it is important for students to find their own voice on their instrument. I offer students my knowledge of trumpet and music while encouraging them to continue exploring music they love. This allows me to open students’ eyes to how deep music can go without them losing sight of why they love it in the first place.”

Teaching Approach: “I employ an asset-based pedagogical model in my classroom instruction and curriculum. This method involves spending the first week of class getting to know every students’ personal interest in the course, and adapting the curriculum to both reflect those interests, and to incorporate any relevant expertise individual students can bring to the course. A related goal of mine as an instructor is to help students make connections between course content and real life. To do so, I use a variety of in-class activities to both assist students in learning the material, and prompt the understanding that what they’re learning in the classroom has important real-world applications. I love teaching and I hope my students also love coming to class.”

Teaching Approach: “Student-oriented lectures and small group discussions with passion, encouragement, clear explanations, great examples, dynamic audio-visual material, and engaging presentations of scientific psychology.”

Teaching Approach: “It is much more important that a valid method was used to solve a problem than it is that the answer is right. Humans are not computers and silly mistakes are easy to make. I care more about the idea than minutia.”

Teaching Approach: “I use my own professional and academic experience and interests to provide real-world context to the engineering curriculum. Although engineering courses are challenging, my goal is to make engineering approachable and help students find their own personal motivation to study and gain mastery of the concepts.”

Teaching Approach: “I believe that Communication Studies is a field of praxis - with roots in the Humanities and the Social Sciences - and that all students benefit from an understanding of theory as well as how these theories actually function in our personal and professional lives. That means that I’m always learning as I teach, and that my students are often teaching me (and others) as they learn. I believe in support, guidance, mentoring and potentially-transformative active learning experiences.”

Teaching Approach: “I enjoy mentoring students through school and helping them navigate their work/school and life balance. I believe learning can be fun and I want the students to enjoy the time they spend with me in the classroom and at the hospital.”

Teaching Approach: “As an Instructor, my goal is to create a learning environment that is beneficial to active and engaged learning. I strive to create a safe space for learning and to make the educational experience fun. My style of teaching is practical and occasionally humorous, which i believe leads to a collaborative learning process that benefits everyone involved.”

Teaching Approach: “The most important thing about the writing process is getting to deeper thoughts. In my teaching, I hope we can get to those deeper thoughts through playing with ideas and trying out new paths to get to them. Writing should be fun and meaningful to the writer, and I think it can be when we stay open to each other.”

Teaching Approach: “I use a very interactive teaching approach. My writing classes are taught in a computer lab, so students can do writing in class and share their work with each other. My literature courses include a lot of discussion and presentation. And my gender studies courses include a social activism project in which students do work in their communities related to gender studies issues.”

Teaching Approach: “I love our students here at Century, who are genuine and pragmatic. They keep me optimistic about the future! I enjoy sharing with them my passion for geography, people and the planet, places and environments. I want to make geography pertinent to their lives so that they are more aware of their surroundings. What is really exciting for me is to be in a classroom that is full of activity, inquiry, and empowered students. I design classes so that students have multiple ways to succeed.”

Teaching Approach: His instruction style is old- i.e. “face-to-face” class instruction with extensive home work, and many exams and quizzes. Class projects are usually “Hands-on” projects that are of value to the community.

Teaching Approach: “I provide a balance between supporting and challenging students in a face-to-face classroom as well as online. Encouraging discussion between students to challenge each other as well in small and large group work. I believe in the opportunity to communicate and share with each other, learn from each other with direction and coordination from myself as the instructor. Many times, I use the small, whole group approach i.e. very similar to coaching in many sports. It is very similar in the world of education in the classroom and online. Being engaged with your fellow students and faculty is key to success in my estimation in the classroom today.”

Teaching Approach: Dr. Odmark has three goals for every course he teaches. First, to love students and genuinely seek their good for their own sake. Second, to help students be rational; he always reminds them to ask “what is it rational for me to believe?” Third, to teach the subject matter in a way that is applicable and memorable.

Teaching Approach: “I know that students learn best when they are able to engage with course concepts in ways that match their learning style, and are presented with reasonable challenges and the tools, skills, and support to succeed. I teach with compassion, flexibility, and a positive attitude to help all students build strong communication skills and move forward with their educational goals.”

Teaching Approach: “I believe students should actively learn during class time. About half the classes consist of my short lectures, followed by problems the students work out individually or in groups. The other half of the classes students work in small groups, where they are presented with data or information to interpret, then are asked questions designed to guide them toward formulation of their own valid conclusions. Through this method, students construct their own understanding of the material while developing skills such as information processing, communication, critical reading and thinking, and problem solving.”

Teaching Approach: “I provide a challenging and supportive learning environment so all students can achieve or exceed their academic goals.”

Teaching Approach: “Student success is my top priority. Whether it is a face-to-face class or fully online, I use a hands-on approach to teaching technology. I believe in being available to support my students throughout their educational journey and beyond. I found my passion in teaching and get excited to help every one of my students reach their goals. With using personal experiences of obstacles and achievements, I hope to continue to inspire my students for years to come.”

Teaching Approach: “I attempt to meet students where they are, so I can help them get where they want to be. My function, as I see it, is to help them gain the knowledge necessary to let their own lights shine. My goal is to guide and encourage so they realize that what they hope for isn’t a crazy dream, but a potential reality.”

Teaching Approach: Two of Lynn’s favorite quote are, “The purpose of life is to discover your gift. The work of life is to develop it. The meaning of life is to give your gift away” and Mary Oliver’s, “Tell me, what it is you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? Lynn’s teaching philosophy reflects these quotes. She approaches teaching holistically, with a focused approach to encouraging students to develop as a whole person, to discover and uncover their unique strengths, abilities and to develop a plan to pursue their own individual goals, aspirations and dreams. As well as a teacher, Lynn considers herself a coach, a cheerleader, and a life-long learner. She wholeheartedly believes an education is one of the best investments a person can make for themselves and their future. Lynn learned this from the great teachers she has had the pleasure to know and has been inspired to model this at Century. In the words of the late, great John Lennon, “Well we all shine on, like the moon and the stars and the sun!” So, rock on and shine on.

Teaching Approach: “My goal, when teaching, is to foster critical thinking and problem solving, as well as to help students develop their own style and ideas. My assignments consist of both technical and conceptual challenges so the students do more than just follow directions. Critical thinking is imperative, and these assignments help them to develop such skills. I recognize that each student inherently learns in different ways and address each learning style through a variety of teaching techniques. I also take into account the class dynamic as I alter my lectures according to the interests and needs of each class. Another high priority is to encourage new ways to solve problems and take risks in their work. Taking risks often brings out the most unique ideas. My students leave the class having confidence in their technical skills and experience trying new approaches, not being afraid to take risks in their endeavors.”

Teaching Approach: “My goal is teach and mentor students going into the Public Safety Profession as if they would be my partner someday in the field. I hope to incorporate both theory and practical skill sets in my instruction while allowing for open communication and unique ways for student development.”

Teaching Approach: “In all of the classes I teach, I focus most on student well-being which seems to come naturally from my theoretical base in counseling psychology and the many years I have spent counseling community college students. Creating a positive learning environment for all students to feel safe, grow, and enjoy their learning process is the foundation of my teaching. I consciously work to create this environment by building relationships, connecting course content to students’ daily lives, and actively engaging every student, every class.”

Teaching Approach: “Psychology is the scientific study of human behavior, so what better way to understand these key theories than to learn how they apply to real life! I love to use interesting stories to illustrate key course concepts, and invite my students to participate in a lot of hands-on demonstrations in order to help make sense of the more challenging course concepts. We can learn so much about psychology, just from looking around us and identifying its everyday applications. In my undergraduate years, I have to admit that I used to be a bit intimidated by scientific research. Through practice (and a few really bad studies early on), I began to love it, and I enjoy helping my students to help them the think about the world scientifically. I think that’s a skill that helps us every day!”

Teaching Approach: Ruth’s philosophy for teaching and learning comes from her strong commitment to social justice and equity as well as her background in interdisciplinary teaching and learning in the broader humanities, such as in film and critical media studies, gender studies, and English literature and composition. In other words, she believes in the transformative power of storytelling across disciplines, identities, and cultures. She also considers teaching and learning a matter of continual trial and error. Ruth loves the energy of the classroom and is always concerned when you are not there. Additionally, she really, really, really wants you to succeed and find strength in your journey and your unique identity.