Metropolitan State University of Denver

Dr Aaron S Richmond

Personal Biography Statement

I have developed several fundamental teaching tenets from which I base my instruction. First, I have learned that one of the best ways to impart knowledge is through student-centered active learning. Students bring a wealth of personal experiences, knowledge, and theories to the classroom and if I can relate new information to their personal experiences through an active learning method, not only is their learning greatly enhanced, but more importantly their higher-level thinking skills are also improved.
Second, I believe that it is important to engage rather that entertain and to go deep rather than broad. Far too often, our students expect us to entertain them rather than engage them to critically evaluate the information we present. Additionally, far too often professors confuse entertainment with engagement. In every class I try to engage my students by presenting puzzling results, or discussing controversial issues. This allows my students to become motivated and actively construct their knowledge about psychology.
Third, I focus on building higher-level thinking skills. In all of my courses I teach in an active learning method that also incorporates elaboration, metacognition, and teaching memory and learning strategies. Using these methods and teaching these skills not only helps my students understand the class material at a higher-level, it allows a skill set that they may use in other classes.
Fourth, I adapt to the culture of the class. The adage “adapt or die” exemplifies my belief about classroom instruction. Although I primarily use active learning techniques, I will often change my instruction methods in order to reach students. This might be through the use of technology, or the Socratic Method, or direct teaching. Personally, being mired in one method of teaching hinders the learning process and students ultimately pay the price. Being able and willing to adapt makes me a far more efficient and effective teacher.

Educational Biography

Ph.D. Educational Psychology
University of Nevada-Reno
M.S. Applied Psychology
Montana State University
B.A. Social Sciences
University of Montana-Western

Research Areas/Interests

Defining the processes predicting mnemonic development and addressing transfer and retentional issues in mnemonic devices
Investigating moral reasoning and its role in teacher and adolescent education
Studying different pedagogical approaches to online instruction

Professional Affiliations

American Educational Research Association (AERA)
Northern Rocky Mountain Educational Research Association (NRMERA)
American Psychological Association (APA)
Rocky Mountain Psychological Association (RMPA)

Links

My webpage: http://clem.mscd.edu/~arichmo3/

Courses Taught

HON-1800,PSY-1800,PSY-3260,PSY-3280,PSY-3340,PSY-397L,PSY-397M,PSY-4450
,PSY-4960,PSY-498A,PSY-498D,PSY-498K,PSY-498P,PSY-498Q,PSY-498Z,PSY^-1000

Office Hours

Monday - [  :   to   :  ]
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Current Semester Schedule