Nursing Department
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Nursing Department
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Rank:
Chair and Professor Teaching Philosophy: When the classroom began to feel more like home, I relaxed and began to learn, probably more than the students. I began to understand that the true center of the classroom is not the content or the teacher, but the student. I also began to value an educational approach that recognizes and genuinely respects all participants in the classroom as learners and teachers. It is reasonable to acknowledge a professor’s greater experience and knowledge within a discipline, however, this “fact” is never the basis for value judgments on the relative human or intellectual worth of students. Within this perspective, I could acknowledge (with relief) that I did not have all the “answers” and openly seek “answers” through classroom discussion. The students and I could engage in a dialogue – a talking, listening, sharing, and responding to each other – for the purpose of coming into contact with ideas and to understand and meet each other. I seek to create a classroom environment that values process as much as content and uses a variety of teaching/learning strategies. In my role as teacher-learner and classroom facilitator, I take the following approaches: I prefer classroom discussion to lecture and expect students to come to class having completed the assigned learning activities; I offer case studies for analysis, problems for problem-solving, and dilemmas for decision-making. I am committed to helping students learn to think and learn to write through the application of theoretical principles in reality-based, context-sensitive situations, and formal and informal writing assignments; I enjoy creative and “fun” approaches to serious and “boring” topics; and I love group activities that promote peer interaction and help students develop caring relationships with each other. Respecting student and faculty needs, opinions, and choices is fundamental to caring and essential to the caring community in the Department of Nursing at the University of West Georgia. I am honored to work with nursing students and find real pleasure in sharing my enthusiasm for nursing, teaching, and learning. I am constantly challenged to create an atmosphere in which all participants find personal and professional meaning and are motivated to learn and realize new possibilities. Courses Taught: Education: Areas of Expertise or
Professional Interests: Professional Memberships
and Certifications: Personal Interests: The most unique thing about our programs are…the small classes taught by full-time tenure track faculty who, together with students, create our community of caring.
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Kathryn
Grams, PhD, RN