2017 Outstanding University Teacher Award Winner, Tenure Track

Bill Anderson, Ph.D.

Ph.D. in Educational Psychology, The University of Alabama (2005)
Associate Professor, Family and Consumer Sciences

Teaching Philosophy

"An idea, to be suggestive, must come to the individual with the force of revelation" -- William James

Favorite parts of teaching

Discussion

Ill-structures problems

Interrupted case-studies

A resource that has been important to my teaching

William Perry’s “Scheme of Intellectual and Ethical Development” caused me to conclude that this may not solely be a product of motivation or habitual thinking. It may be, at least in part, developmental where students would need steady, sequential, and appropriate challenges in dealing with, and prioritizing multiple perspectives.

The most challenging aspect of teaching for me is

Rich conversation in the classroom has gotten more difficult as technology becomes more the norm. I seek to facilitate discussion that guides students in the direction of inferences and conclusions rather than providing them with ready-made answers.

Photo of Bill Anderson — “I want my students to become self- sufficient learners, comfortable taking risks in the classroom, and generating questions and possibilities without hesitation.”