Jeanne Holcomb philosophy

Teaching is a wonderful adventure. Everyday brings something new – an impromptu class discussion, current events that can be connected to course material, and the unexpected highs and lows of any semester. Every semester brings something new – a new course to teach, a new group of students, and updated course content to reflect recent research. Regardless of the promises of new opportunities, I am guided by three core principles that provide the grounding for my classes. These three main principles that direct the development of my classes are that students should be involved in course content and the learning process, that a significant amount of learning happens outside the classroom, and that the development of critical thinking skills is crucial regardless of a student’s future career choices. These three foundations combine to create a class environment in which learning is a dynamic process. It is my hope that through engaging students in opportunities to participate actively in their education, they not only learn how to look at the world in a sociologically informed way, but they discover that learning extends beyond the classroom and they develop skills that are carried with them throughout their lives.