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Faculty Spotlight Nomination
Twice each semester the Faculty Center for Ignatian Pedagogy features a Faculty Spotlight. The Faculty Spotight showcases a Loyola faculty member who has a project or methodology that exemplifies outstanding teaching practice. Nominate a faculty colleague or yourself to be recognized.
PARTICIPATETitle:
Senior Lecturer, Biology and Director of the Undergraduate Program, LUC Department of Biology
Dr. Patrick Duffie has been a member of Loyola University Chicago’s Department of Biology for twenty-six years. Over the course of this period, he has always recognized the immense value of student diversity to the teaching process and experience.
“My elementary school, junior high, high school, and college were all very homogenous, I think, in terms of the student population. So it wasn’t until I came to Chicago, and Loyola in particular, that I really got exposed to a lot of different people. That, I’ve found, is the most interesting aspect of Loyola. Just hearing where kids are from, what they do, what their backgrounds are, what they’re bringing to Loyola...it makes every semester interesting.”
Because many of his students are freshmen, Dr. Duffie strives to create an academic environment that is “relaxed and comfortable” but also pervaded by enthusiasm for the discipline. Hence, Duffie models his pedagogical practices upon those of the teachers whose courses he most enjoyed and found beneficial:
“In terms of teaching practices, I try to teach the way it has worked for me. I try to show the students that this can be fun, lecture class can be fun. I want participation, which is sometimes hard in biology when our classes get a little bit larger, but I want students to feel like they can approach me. Because I predominantly teach freshmen, I try to instill in them an enjoyment for the course so they can build a good foundation and like what they’re doing. I’ve always tried to make it relaxed, interesting, and not the end of the world because Biology One and Biology Two are just the beginning.”
Hence, Dr. Duffie has effectively combined a vehement enthusiasm for his discipline and students with a fervent commitment to Loyola University Chicago's Ignatian principles and mission of global progress. Such a combination is to be celebrated particularly as Dr. Duffie reaches his twenty-sixth anniversary of service to Loyola in 2016.
Patrick Duffie
Title: Senior Lecturer, Biology and Director of the Undergraduate Program, LUC Department of Biology
Dr. Patrick Duffie has been a member of Loyola University Chicago’s Department of Biology for twenty-six years. Over the course of this period, he has always recognized the immense value of student diversity to the teaching process and experience.
“My elementary school, junior high, high school, and college were all very homogenous, I think, in terms of the student population. So it wasn’t until I came to Chicago, and Loyola in particular, that I really got exposed to a lot of different people. That, I’ve found, is the most interesting aspect of Loyola. Just hearing where kids are from, what they do, what their backgrounds are, what they’re bringing to Loyola...it makes every semester interesting.”
Because many of his students are freshmen, Dr. Duffie strives to create an academic environment that is “relaxed and comfortable” but also pervaded by enthusiasm for the discipline. Hence, Duffie models his pedagogical practices upon those of the teachers whose courses he most enjoyed and found beneficial:
“In terms of teaching practices, I try to teach the way it has worked for me. I try to show the students that this can be fun, lecture class can be fun. I want participation, which is sometimes hard in biology when our classes get a little bit larger, but I want students to feel like they can approach me. Because I predominantly teach freshmen, I try to instill in them an enjoyment for the course so they can build a good foundation and like what they’re doing. I’ve always tried to make it relaxed, interesting, and not the end of the world because Biology One and Biology Two are just the beginning.”
Hence, Dr. Duffie has effectively combined a vehement enthusiasm for his discipline and students with a fervent commitment to Loyola University Chicago's Ignatian principles and mission of global progress. Such a combination is to be celebrated particularly as Dr. Duffie reaches his twenty-sixth anniversary of service to Loyola in 2016.
Interview by Andrew Kelly
Student Worker, Faculty Center for Ignatian Pedagogy
Title:
Instructor, Department of English
Loyola website:
http://luc.edu/english/writinginstructors/alysonpaigewarren.shtml
Alyson Paige Warren obtained her MFAW from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and applies her expertise in creative writing both in her capacity as an Adjunct Instructor in Loyola’s Department of English and as a writer and illustrator of children’s books.
“I’ve definitely been a reader and a writer for as long as I can remember.”
As a member of the English Department, Alyson emphasizes the central role of student involvement in her teaching and assessment practices.
“I consider myself a constructivist. I want to teach the students what they are here to learn and make them a part of that process. I know that listening and being available to students is part of Ignatian pedagogy. I try to be available to them in as many ways as possible and also to support them in as many ways as possible.”
Essential to this effort, Alyson contends, is her employment of a wide variety of “alternative teaching practices” designed to allow students to “engage with the writing process in a new way”.
“I have a heavy online presence with regard to my use of Sakai. I tend to use multiple sign systems in the classroom, anything from listening to podcasts, to watching TED talks, to engaging in performance and debate.”
Such practices, Alyson elucidates, allow her courses to remain dynamic and engaging to her students, whose active involvement in the pedagogical process “keeps the courses fresh… and developing”.
“I think it’s a kind of trap to think that education is a passive process and the professor is just there to dump all this information in your head and you either take it in or you don’t. For me, it’s really about teaching people how to think and exposing them to things.”
This pedagogical philosophy, and its emphasis of active student engagement, has been favorably received, both in the classroom and in evaluations, by those Alyson teaches.
“My evaluations are wonderful; I get really positive feedback from students. I really let them know how important their constructive criticism and feedback are to me, and that, again, is part of Ignatian pedagogy”.
Indeed, Alyson’s commitment to Ignatian pedagogy, and its elemental mission of social justice, further informs her educational practices.
“I encourage my students to be active civil students, civil servants, and members of the community, and I really seek to model in how aware I am of what’s going on with them, in their world, and in the world in general. I believe that education can be transformative. I believe that literature can be transformative. I believe that writing can be transformative. I think that by illustrating to my students that I love what we’re doing, that I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else, I’m able to share with them my passion for things that have transformed me and I hope will transform them.”
Interview by Andrew Kelly,
Student Worker, Faculty Center for Ignatian Pedagogy
Rebecca Silton
Title:
Assistant Professor, Clinical Psychology
Department of Psychology
Loyola websites:
http://www.luc.edu/psychology/facultystaff/r_silton.shtml
http://www.canlab.org/
A few of Becky’s teaching accomplishments:
2013 Sujack Master Teacher Award
2014–2016 Fellow at the Center for Experiential Learning
Length of time at Loyola:
Since 2010
Hobbies and interesting facts:
My favorite summer vacation spot is the Outer Banks of North Carolina—I love the beach :)
When I was ten years old I wrote a letter to the editor that was actually published! The letter was about saving the rainforest. At about the same time, I also helped start my neighborhood recycling program.
Description of featured teaching practice:
Students in my Neuropsychological Assessment course, which is taught to Clinical Psychology students, lead the development of the syllabus during the first week of class. This class was primarily graduate students, except for two undergraduates, and was a small seminar course. It also was unique in that most of the students in this class had taken a class together the prior semester, so the community and connections between the students were established prior to this process.
By letting the students design the syllabus content (e.g., domains covered by the course, primary assignments), it allowed the syllabus to be meaningful for students, as well as very current to the current body of research. Through this process, students engaged very highly in the class, and could see clearly how the content translated to their ultimate desire to work as clinical neuropsychologists. This did involve a high amount of work on my part, particularly at the beginning of the class, in terms of identifying readings that fit key student-identified domains and then becoming familiar with all of these readings. But my hope was to use the course to prepare students to "hit the ground running" during their first practicum experience so that leaders in the field, when teaching them through practicum, can appreciate how well Loyola students are trained. It was a true joy for me to be there in the class.
Also of note is that all students have access to the final presentations and related materials from the class through Google Docs, allowing students to use them in the future for working with clients and preparing for clinical licensing and board exams.
How Becky’s teaching practice relates to the mission and values of Loyola, such as the Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm and Transformative Education:
Individualized education, such as that engendered by allowing students to assist in developing the frame of the syllabus, can be transformative, as it helps students find his or her interests, passion, what they don’t like, and set up his or her own learning plan. We can think of the syllabus as a group learning plan—where the students ARE in their learning. This approach also reflects the Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm elements of context and reflection, as we reflect on how our own individual background comes into play in approaching others with disabilities. Also, students develop weekly written posts to share with other students, using a note-taking program called Evernote. This is a way to share thoughts and ideas, to post comments, and to bring those comments and ideas into class continually.
What Becky loves about Loyola:
I really enjoy the other faculty in Psychology and the students that I work with—that’s why I’m here. Faculty are collegial, collaborative, and conducting interesting and relevant research. Students are always very curious and inquisitive; they want to learn about the world and themselves, and they are really smart and ask good questions. They bring to the classroom very interesting and diverse backgrounds, both undergrad and graduate students.