Dr. Jones' teaching philosophy focuses on asking students three questions to help them develop their identity and social responsibility: Who am I? What are my commitments? Who am I becoming? She engages students in interactive learning opportunities to discover and rediscover the answers to these questions through history, literature, critical self-reflection, and understanding their own and others' experiences. Central to her philosophy is that identity development and affective, cognitive, psychomotor, and spiritual learning play a role in the transformational teaching and learning process. She believes in collaborative and experiential learning methods to help students connect information to themselves. Her goal is to educate students holistically and create equitable access to learning opportunities.

1. Dr. A. Jones
Philosophy of Teaching Statement
In my role as an administrator, I understand my work to be important to the lives of students outside of
the classroom. However, my work in Student Affairs has pedagogy, a philosophy and I recognize that I
have been teaching for my entire career, although not always in a “formal” classroom.
My teaching philosophy mirrors my naturally reflective nature. I choose to ask myself and my students
questions during the course of their college careers to help them focus on what is truly important for their
lives. Those questions are:
Who am I?
What are my commitments?
Who am I becoming?
They seem like simple questions, with simple answers but when reflected upon within a process of
identity development, and social responsibility, it can be very complex. To this end I engage my students
in interactive learning opportunities intent on the discovery and rediscovery of the answer to these
questions. These opportunities include information on the history and literature on a subject, critical
reflection upon the self, including knowledge of the Selfethnic and shared experiences of those who have
been involved in a liberatory transformative educational process and how they have benefited from it.
Central to my teaching philosophy is the fact that identity development is a huge part of the way students
learn or don’t learn. Affective, cognitive, psychomotor and spiritual moments play a significant role in the
teaching and learning process. This process is transformational from the inside out. The ability to feel,
think, behave and then connect to the information in a current setting is important in engaging the student
and assisting them in becoming lifelong learners. Without the knowledge of self and an understanding of
what that means for other individual populations, a student might not be able to recognize justice or
injustice and may not be able to recognize what a more “whole” self looks like.
Additionally, I believe in the collaborative learning process and enjoy working with faculty and
administrators using instructional methods rooted in principles that examine many methods of learning.
These include oral traditions such as storytelling, creating oral histories, and experiential activities. These
methods help students connect with information and make it relevant for them here and now.
I have conducted many workshops and seminars in student development, leadership development,
listening skills, etc. I have also conducted workshops and am qualified to teach in an adult focused
program in courses such as multicultural counseling, adult student development theory, Africentric
paradigm, and racial identity development. I believe in creating access and success for students through
these methods. This is where my passion lies.
Lastly, I understand that equity, diversity and access are all important as part of an educational
philosophy. It is my goal as an educator to create and share learning opportunities that are both purposeful
and long term. Understanding my students, who they are, what they bring to the table and what they wish
to achieve helps me to develop curriculum with enough structure and enough flexibility to fit their needs

2. and achieve the goals of discovery in the course. It is always my goal to educate holistically, the whole
person.