Alisa Houseknecht Ph.D., NCC, CRC

Teaching Philosophy

My goal as an educator is to engage, challenge and inspire growth in my students by creating a student-centered learning

environment. My philosophy of teaching is based on the integration of the Student-Centered Teaching Model (Rogers, 1969) and the Experiential Model of Learning (Kolb, 1984). Through the integration of these two approaches, I hope to instill a lifelong love of learning, both personally and professionally.

As an educator, I aim to challenge students to become self-reflective learners. I integrate tenets of the Student-Centered Teaching

Model and believe that for information to be truly learned, the student

must understand how to apply it (Rogers, 1969). I encourage students to

become active participants in their own learning in order to integrate

self-awareness and theory into their future practice as counselors. I

implement in-class activities and course assignments that are geared

toward the developmental level of the students. Furthermore, I

understand that all students learn differently. I offer a wide assortment

of learning methods to meet the unique learning needs of students and

to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to find meaning in, and

connect to, the information in their own way. I strive to create a learning

experience that encourages self-reflection so that students can begin to integrate their newfound professional identity as counselors.

My teaching style is collaborative and can be evidenced in my goal to encourage and empower my students to meet their unique

potential. I aim to provide a safe and supportive environment for students to explore their own biases, strengths, and areas for growth.  To achieve these learning outcomes, I strive to create a classroom atmosphere conducive to experiential learning by modeling a climate of trust and commitment. I integrate Kolb’s (1984) approach to experiential learning by providing students with opportunities to be active participants in the learning process and to learn from each other. I aim to create and maintain an active learning environment that encourages students to understand, apply, analyze, and evaluate the material presented. Students engaged in experiential learning participate in concrete activities (e.g. case studies, group projects, or role plays), and then have the opportunity to critically analyze and reflect on those experiences through class discussions, reflection exercises, or similarly insightful processing activities.

In conclusion, I believe my role as a counselor educator is not only to teach counseling, but to exemplify what it is to be a

counselor. My integration of the Student-Centered Teaching Model (Rogers, 1967) and the Experiential Model of Learning (Kolb, 1984) allows me to model the core tenets of humanistic counseling and to create a classroom atmosphere that inspires growth through critical thinking.

References

Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Englewood Cliffs, N.J: Prentice-

Hall.

Rogers, C. R. (1969). Freedom to learn: A view of what education might become. Columbus, Ohio: C. E. Merrill Pub. Co.