This month’s featured teacher is Michelle Hurley, Ed.D . Dr. Hurley is the Assistant Project Director for the McNair Program which assists students from underrepresented segments of society to attain advanced graduate degrees. She also teaches several classes in psychology and human development as an adjunct for the Department of Counseling and Human Services.
Teaching to Create Competent Professionals

Such professionals have both their heart and their head in the game. “Some students come into human services related fields because of personal experiences with hardships. They tend to be self-motivated and intrinsically engaged. The challenge, though, is to get them to consider the necessary roles critical scholarship and evidence-based practices play in their professions.” Transferring skills gleaned from the theory and action research of the field into workplace skills is a main goal of her teaching.

One way this happens is with “show your work” thinking and writing. As in mathematical problem solving where the process is as important as the result, critical thinking involves carefully and slowly spelling out each step taken to arrive at a conclusion. Exercises such as this aim to expose how opinions often lack the more objective evidence required by professionals working in the field.
Dr. Hurley has other innovative techniques up her sleeve. In Write like a question mark students first write out a series of simple statements which they later revisit and transform into questions. Questioning is a key component of most class sessions as well. “Some questions have simple answers, right or wrong. More interesting questions elicit responses, which may not have a simple resolution and can lead to interesting discussions. Still other questions lead to more questions. Those are the really good questions!”
Atypical Classrooms

There may not be a typical day in Dr. Hurley’s classes. She teaches both on-ground and online but in whatever setting she starts with creating an inclusive environment by listening to the students and building connections to course content based on their level of understanding. This requires continual feedback, of which she is a big fan. As opposed to grades, such feedback is low stakes and formative, it can be a quick on-the-fly survey or show of hands. It may also be more in-depth and personalized. “The students I work with love feedback in any form. They are hungry for individualized responses to their work and are diligent about incorporating it in their future assignments.”

She also loves case studies which are one of the most effective forms of active learning. By simulating real life scenarios they stimulate critical problem solving abilities in students. Not only does Dr. Hurley use them, she also creates her own tailored to class needs. Dealing with sensitive real life problems can trigger adverse reactions in students. While providing trigger warnings, she may also ask, “Would working with this client make you uncomfortable?” Getting students to be sensitive to their own emotional reactions is the first step in creating a caring empathetic environment with clients.

Trio of Interests

Dr. Hurley’s teaching is a natural extension of her research and service interests. One focus of her research is vicarious trauma, a sort of professional hazard of counseling professionals who may take on too much from their clients. This research serves her well in the classroom. In addition to the first hand experience conducting such research entails, it gives her a researcher’s mindset which she models for students all the time, both in her classes and for the student research projects she mentors. “Staying open, foregoing snap judgments, and developing a sense of neutrality to all points of view is very important in research and in the field.”

Doing what you expect your students to do

When it comes to evaluating and improving her own teaching practice, Dr. Hurley tries to take her own advice. “I do what I expect my students to do: Consult and evaluate resources for best practices, collaborate with colleagues across campus, and constantly seek fresh ways to present material and engage students."

Her advice for new teachers? First of all, “be a learning partner with your students.” She advocates for maintaining a down to earth approachable persona. “Don’t pose as an expert, even if you are one.” Students have to make their own connections in order to learn. Finally, “don’t over rely on the bells and whistles." Teaching technology can be cool if used effectively but never be afraid to be real and present with your students.