Teaching Portfolio
“Good teachers possess a capacity for connectedness. They are able to weave a complex web of connections among themselves, their subjects, and their students so that students can learn to weave a world for themselves”
Parker J. Palmer
The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher’s Life
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Introduction
The subtle art and science of teaching becomes evident in the student's capacity to absorb knowledge within the classroom, be profoundly influenced by its content, and subsequently teach that wisdom with others in the world.
I first read The Courage to Teach in my first class of graduate school in a degree program for Organizational Leadership. I aspired to re-enter the workforce in previously held director- or executive-level roles after a motherhood employment gap (2010-2016). My purpose for pursuing graduate school was centered around the evolving role of NICU parents and their professional engagement within the intricate landscape of healthcare. In a Discussion Forum (2012), I proposed that teaching extends from traditional degree-seeking coursework in-person or online to the practical, skills-based learning required for career advancement through workforce development. The profoundly influential professor of servant-leadership in this first class encouraged me to remain open-minded about my perception of teaching, thus sowing a seed that continues to flourish and adapt throughout the seasons of my life.
In 2020, after eight years of cultivating interpersonal leadership skills, immersing myself in teaching management, conducting academic research, and finding myself in the right organizational culture, my passion for teaching was ignited.
The organizational culture that activated my desire to teach in 2020 was at Golden Gate University (GGU), a university that has been championing underrepresented students since 1901 in San Francisco. Golden Gate University's 120+ year history of providing business and law education to students who didn't come from wealth or privilege (which was a requirement at the time for admittance to a degree program) resonated deeply with my social justice values. GGU's dedication to a rigorous academic curriculum fosters practical, skills-based learning, resulting in rich class dialogue and papers that are enriched by experiential learning.
As a military spouse, GGU's organizational culture felt like coming home. GGU linked my background as a military granddaughter, daughter, and spouse to a profound sense of purpose and belonging. The diverse global community among my colleagues and students exemplified a level of attentive listening and leadership that invited me to approach teaching differently. I discovered how to present academic curriculum in a manner that flexibly adapted to students' comprehension while employing teaching methods that challenged their critical thinking. This dialogic approach, positioning me as a co-learner alongside students, not only enhanced their understanding but also enriched my own learning journey.
At the heart of my teaching philosophy lies a deep acknowledgment of students' diverse lived experiences and their unique motivations for enrolling in a degree program. As an instructional designer, I continuously seek innovative approaches to deliver dynamic and engaging course content. Recognizing the demands of adult, working students, I prioritize creating learning modules that are mobile, concise, and of high quality. Leveraging technologies like TEDx talks, YouTube videos, podcasts, and stream-of-consciousness responses, alongside more scholarly formats such as discussion forums and APA 7th cited papers, empowers students to seamlessly integrate learning into their everyday practical lives.
The rhythms, rituals and routines of my live classes (Zoom or in-person) are designed to integrate student well-being with strategies to foster collaborative dialogue. Every live class begins with a presencing exercise that asks students, “what do you need to leave behind to be fully present in today’s class”? This often activates authenticity and trust within the shared space of learners. I lead students through the Four Breath Presencing Practice, a four-step expansive breathing that shifts awareness from the individual self to the world at large. A 15-minute TEDx video follows allowing students to settle into the learning environment. I allow 25-minutes of every 90- to 160-minute class to invite students to relax and arrive into a safe space within the classroom.
I rarely resort to traditional lecturing during live classes. Instead, I encourage students to actively engage by sharing their insights from assigned readings, videos, podcasts, and other course materials available on our eLearning platform. Recognizing that life's challenges may sometimes impede preparedness, I foster a classroom environment rooted in empathy and understanding, nurturing a commitment to both personal and collective growth.
To stimulate collaborative dialogue, I use WorldCafe methodologies, providing a platform for students to exchange ideas freely. This approach acknowledges that students possess inherent leadership qualities and allows space for those who may not feel fully prepared to contribute, enabling them to reference course material as needed. In rare instances where the entire class may not be adequately prepared, I adapt by selecting a key reading of the week and crafting WorldCafe-style questions to guide discussion, prompting students to highlight pertinent aspects of the text as we progress through the session. Within this framework, my role is to seamlessly integrate lecture material into the dialogic flow of the WorldCafe approach, ensuring that learning remains dynamic and participatory.
Next, my core values as an educator.
Core Values
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I am committed to empowering students to excel in their professional journeys. This involves creating impactful learning experiences that inspire individual and collective growth and development. I strive to foster an environment where students feel capable, confident, and motivated to achieve their goals.
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I value the integration of rigorous theory with practical, skills-based learning outcomes. This holistic approach to education ensures that students not only understand concepts but also gain the practical skills needed for success in their careers. By blending theoretical knowledge with hands-on experience, I aim to provide a comprehensive educational experience.
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Inclusivity and diversity are core values for me. I prioritize engaging underrepresented voices in shared decision-making processes, creating an inclusive learning environment where all students feel valued, heard, and represented. This fosters a sense of belonging and community within the educational setting.
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I am driven by the belief that education can shape future leaders and drive organizational success. This dedication to the transformative power of education motivates me to continuously seek ways to enhance the learning experiences of my students and contribute positively to their personal and professional development.
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As a social scientist and community-based participatory researcher, I employ consensus-building strategies to engage various voices in decision-making processes. This approach reflects my commitment to promoting collaboration and cooperation within the educational community, ultimately enriching the learning experience for all stakeholders.
Courses Taught
21 courses as instructor-of-record
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Golden Gate University
Catalog Description:
This course explores the importance of workplace engagement and how engagement is connected to and informs morale, the ability to thrive, and overall individual and team performance within a variety of organizational contexts (including private, public, nonprofit, and military contexts). Students identify the factors and conditions that are necessary to build and sustain engagement. The topics of applying strengths, making a contribution, professional development, autonomy and problem solving, recognition, and meaning and purpose in one’s work are explored. The significance of work and the workplace are also explored, as well as insights about the leadership and management practices that enhance and support engagement, thriving and the well-being of people in organizations.
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Golden Gate University
Catalog Description:
This course develops an understanding of the dynamics of team cohesiveness and relationships between team cohesiveness, performance and results. Students will apply methods and assessments evaluating team performance, research, and practitioner-based practices; these assessments focus on comprehending how critical phases of team development and management, including trust building, mastering conflict, building commitment, and peer-to-per accountability, contribute to achieving results. Students will also learn methods for creating a team environment that promotes and supports positive behaviors and strengthens the overall performance of the organization.
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Golden Gate University
Catalog Description:
This course explores the how conflict can be framed, understood, addressed, and managed within organizational settings. This includes building a perspective of conflict as an opportunity to build clarity, understanding, and alignment between people, within teams, and organizations. Students will also learn how to conduct or hold crucial conversations in a situation characterized by conflict, misunderstanding, and mistrust. Students will explore approaches to conflict that are relational, organizational, and ideological. This will include understanding how conflict is viewed and experienced within people, different organizational cultures, and across cultural boundaries.
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Golden Gate University
Catalog Description:
This course explores the importance of leading others using influence and persuasion in a variety of settings and positions within organizations. Students will gain strategies, tools, and resources for how to influence others to move toward a common goal or shared objective. This course will examine selected leadership approaches as well as explore the importance of motivation, empowerment, credibility, building engagement, morale, and trust between leaders and followers and between and amongst followers. This course will provide an understanding of how to practice leading and leadership, in both formal and informal settings, that is based on the needs of those who are being lead and the needs of the larger team, department, organization, and community.
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Golden Gate University
Catalog Description:
This course focuses on the role and responsibility of leaders as servants to strengthen and empower people, organizations, and communities. Whether formal or informal leaders, the servant leader leads and influences in ways that encourages others to bring themselves holistically to their respective work responsibilities as well as into their communities. This course will define how the primary work of the servant leader is to equip others so that they themselves are able to engage in servant leadership wherever they find themselves within or beyond the organization. As the capstone course for the OLHS degree, this course emphasizes that the role of any leader at any level in any organization is to model a servant leadership approach that advances organizational performance while it also addresses the importance of the servant leader’s connections to their communities in ways that heal, restore, and empower communities.
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University of Arkansas Fort Smith
Catalog DescriptionProvides an introduction to leadership through the examination of historical perspectives and theories. Examines contemporary issues impacting leaders in a technology-driven global environment.
INVITED ENGAGEMENTS
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LINK to recording
April 2003, San Diego, California (On-Site)
Description:
In fostering connection and well-being, individuals find resilience against burnout, recognizing that the root cause often lies in isolation and disconnection. Organizational cultures that prioritize collective potential over individual achievements become incubators for innovation and growth. Servant leadership in healthcare unlocks transformative potential, empowering teams to prioritize care, compassion, and collaboration for both patients and staff. -
January 2023 (Virtual)
Description:
The roundtable discussion explored the intricate intersection of ethics, logistics, and feasibility in conducting studies during the postpartum period.
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April 2022
International Leadership Association.
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October, 2020 (Virtual)
Presented as part of Critical Path Institute’s International Neonatal Consortium’s Communication Workgroup. -
August, 2020 (Virtual)
Women Making Waves, San Luis Obispo, California. -
October, 2019
Components of Care, Postpartum Support International's 2-day Certificate of Completion Program.
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February, 2018
Poster Presentation at 1st Annual Congress for Trauma-informed Neuroprotective Care of the Hospitalized Newborn & Infant, Bruges, Belgium -
October, 2015
Speech presented at the National Association of Neonatal Nurses, Dallas, Texas.
Community Engagement
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Critical Path Institute, International Neonatal Consortium Communication Workgroup
2023-current: Co-Chair and Parent Stakeholder
2020-2022: Parent StakeholderNeonates, often termed "therapeutic orphans," frequently receive drugs off-label due to a lack of tailored treatments. Moreover, significant advancements in neonatal drug development have been stagnant for over 30 years. This stagnation stems from various factors including limited understanding of neonatal physiology's impact on drug development, absence of standardized adverse event evaluation methods, and insufficient engagement with NICU stakeholders. In 2015, the International Neonatal Consortium (INC) was established as a public-private partnership under the Critical Path Institute. Its mission is to address these challenges and advance drug development for neonatal needs.
Problem: Over 96% of neonates in the NICU receive off-label medications, leading to increased adverse reactions. Conducting drug trials in neonates is challenging, resulting in a lack of safe and effective treatments tailored to this population.Solution: The International Neonatal Consortium (INC) by C-Path offers a global partnership to establish a regulatory pathway for evaluating neonatal therapies. Stakeholders collaborate to generate consensus and develop tools, fostering medical innovation and regulatory science for neonates through open collaboration.
The International Neonatal Consortium Communications Workgroup develops key messages on pharmacological research conducted by INC scientists.
International neonatal consortium. (n.d.). C-Path. Retrieved April 18, 2024, from https://c-path.org/program/international-neonatal-consortium-inc/ -
NIDCAP Federation International is a global organization representing clinicians, educators, researchers, families, and students within the NIDCAP membership. Dedicated to advancing the NIDCAP model, caregiving, and training approach, the NFI offers certification for professionals and hospital nurseries, ensuring the highest standards of care. Committed to maintaining excellence, NIDCAP ensures quality and consistency in training while expanding educational avenues. With a dynamic approach, the NFI adapts its programs to evolving healthcare landscapes, ensuring relevance and efficacy. Moreover, it fosters a thriving community by nurturing and expanding its membership base, providing a supportive network for professionals and families. The NFI standards of excellence and provides support for those dedicated to improving neonatal care worldwide.
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The NICU Parent Network is a leadership organization that provides support to member organizations that are dedicated to providing resources, information, and support to parents of babies who are in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). The NICU can be a challenging and stressful environment for families, as their newborns require specialized medical care due to being premature, having medical conditions, or experiencing complications at birth.
The NICU Parent Network members typically offer a range of services, including:
1. Peer support: Connecting parents with others who have experienced similar situations can provide emotional support and guidance.
2. Educational resources: Providing information about the NICU environment, medical procedures, and ways to care for premature or sick infants can help parents feel more empowered and informed.
3. Advocacy: Working to improve NICU policies and practices, as well as advocating for the needs of NICU families within the healthcare system.
4. Outreach and awareness: Raising awareness about the challenges faced by NICU families and the importance of support during this critical time.
NICU Parent Network member organizations aim to provide a supportive community for parents navigating the NICU journey, helping them feel less alone and better equipped to care for their babies.
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Ambassador, 2019-Current
The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) is an independent non-profit organization in the U.S. It funds research focused on patient priorities, aiming to improve healthcare decision-making. PCORI supports comparative effectiveness research, comparing treatments to determine the best options. Key to its approach is patient-centeredness, involving patients in all research stages. By prioritizing patient perspectives, PCORI aims to enhance quality of life, patient safety, and reduce healthcare disparities. Overall, PCORI plays a vital role in advancing patient-centered research, ensuring that healthcare choices are informed by evidence that matters most to patients and caregivers. -
Golden Gate University
Catalog Description:
This course focuses on the role and responsibility of leaders as servants to strengthen and empower people, organizations, and communities. Whether formal or informal leaders, the servant leader leads and influences in ways that encourages others to bring themselves holistically to their respective work responsibilities as well as into their communities. This course will define how the primary work of the servant leader is to equip others so that they themselves are able to engage in servant leadership wherever they find themselves within or beyond the organization. As the capstone course for the OLHS degree, this course emphasizes that the role of any leader at any level in any organization is to model a servant leadership approach that advances organizational performance while it also addresses the importance of the servant leader’s connections to their communities in ways that heal, restore, and empower communities.
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University of Arkansas Fort Smith
Catalog DescriptionProvides an introduction to leadership through the examination of historical perspectives and theories. Examines contemporary issues impacting leaders in a technology-driven global environment.
