Teaching
Teaching Philosophy
My teaching philosophy is based on the Socratic Method encouraging a progressive discourse between students and instructor. I believe that the resulting bidirectional discussions foster active learning and build students’ critical thinking skills.
Examples of Methodology
- Flip the classroom using integrative platforms
- Illustrate how psychology is in action all around us by incorporating current events and popular media into discussion of class material
- Use the art of storytelling to model the application of course material to the real world
- Assign introspective application papers to encourage students to make material personally relevant and memorable
- Use clickers for interactive discussion polls or quizzes
- Demonstrate problem solving skills
- Set-up mock research experiences
Solid Foundation
A good class begins with a solid foundation. My syllabus provides students with clear expectations for the class and material is readily available on the classroom repository site from day one. I post frequent announcements and update the classroom site on a regular basis. Beyond my dedicated office hours, if my door is open, students are welcome to stop in to ask questions or share their struggles and triumphs with me. When teaching online, I have a very visible presence in the virtual classroom. My teaching approach is informed by research. I introduce the science of learning and discuss effective study habits such as spaced study intervals and frequent quizzing early in the semester. Engaging the students in actively looking for connections between course information and real life helps make what they are learning salient and meaningful, which bolsters their learning experience.
Student Comments
"The professor followed the syllabus and moved at a perfect pace.”
General Psychology Student
"Dr. Mize is by far the most involved online professor I have ever had across all subjects. She interacts in the discussion postings, provides valuable feedback, and encourages students to think outside the box. Despite being a virtual classroom, I felt she made learning Quantitative Psychology a positive experience. Dr. Mize is in no way an “easy” professor, the material she introduces is challenging, but the homework assignments, her online availability to help and answer our questions daily, as well as the flow and organized presentation of the material facilitates learning.”
Statistics Student
"Doctor Mize is an outstanding teacher who is very dedicated and helpful.”
General Psychology Student
"The work was challenging but Dr. Mize was always available to assist me. She also was very active during the discussion postings and pushed us to further our posts with more questions. She truly wanted us to learn and succeed."
Human Development Student
"Very helpful and clear! Expectations were known and questions were answered in a timely manner."
Statistics Student
"I really loved how the professor connected to her students on a personal level and how she was able to give us real life examples."
General Psychology Student
"What I liked most was how she used real life situations to explain her reasoning to support the terminology."
General Psychology Student
"I like how Dr. Mize doesn’t test us based on memory but more on concepts. Dr. Mize explains things thoroughly and breaks it down and gives examples that we can relate with."
General Psychology Student
Student Involvement
From the first day of class I invite my students to be collaborators in exploring the field of psychology. In some classes, I begin the semester with a fun icebreaker that introduces the scientific method, gets the students laughing, and promotes student involvement. Before leaving, students are given the opportunity to submit in writing the questions they want answered as well as any media suggestions that they would like me to incorporate into the curriculum. This gives the students a sense of ownership over the course and their learning process.
A Safe Place
I want my students to feel comfortable sharing their views in class because I genuinely believe that even a lecture should be a conversation between the teacher and the students. I take the responsibility of creating an atmosphere that encourages participation and involvement seriously. I am interested in my students’ educational journey and I value their contributions to class. Afterall, we are social animals and learning can be facilitated through interactive engagement.
Student Comments
"I liked how involved Dr. Mize is with her students and how she can be so personable even though it is in a huge lecture hall.”
General Psychology Student
"I liked how interactive the professor was and that she was always asking questions and making sure the class was involved.”
General Psychology Student
"I liked that the professor had the students pose questions that were later answered in class. ”
General Psychology Student
"I think what I enjoyed most about the course was the stories our professor told us to help make the material relatable. The professor discussed the material with us by asking questions and was open to our answers."
General Psychology Student
"I feel very comfortable in class because students can express their ideas openly in class discussion.”
General Psychology Student
"What I enjoyed most about the class was how passionate the professor was about all the topics and how she always wanted feedback from the students and allowed open discussions. I liked this because it allows us to think for ourselves and contribute to the class."
General Psychology Student
You have shown a selfless interest in my progress, and intervened on my behalf to make my educational experience much more pleasant. I realize that you help countless students each semester and I
know what you do can be a physical and emotional drain. But where would people like me be without the Dr.
Mizes of the world?
General Psychology Student
From Basics to Critical Thinking
I want my students to learn fundamental concepts about the field of psychology. To accomplish this, my message must be clear and it is necessary to assess learning throughout the semester. Using classroom response systems allows for me to insert low-stake quiz questions into discussions to check student comprehension and provide real-time feedback to students. Beyond learning the basics, I push my students to adopt a scientific attitude and become critical thinkers. I challenge them to be curious and skeptical, especially of extraordinary claims. Critical thinkers do not accept arguments and conclusions blindly. They examine assumptions, discern hidden values and biases, and evaluate evidence before coming to conclusions. Critical thinkers strive to avoid falling prey to confirmation bias and belief perseverance by actively seeking out contrary information as they assess whether information holds up under scrutiny. I am delighted when at the end of my semester, I can see that some of my students have begun to develop open-minded and objective thinking.
Student Comments
"Everything was exceptional. The professor was well informed and also knew how to communicate well with the students."
General Psychology Student
"Everything was exceptional. The professor was well informed and also knew how to communicate well with the students."
General Psychology Student
"The professor was very helpful and clear!"
Statistics Student
"I liked that she would make students vote using the iClicker based on what they thought and then give the answer and explain it."
General Psychology Student
"Overall I really enjoyed this course. It was most likely my favorite course. It was somewhat challenging but it came very easy to me because of how she broke things down.”
General Psychology Student
"I appreciate your advice to the class to think for yourself and not just accept what others say blindly. My father has always told me not to be a follower and when I shared with him what you had said, he wanted me to thank you for encouraging critical thinking."
General Psychology Student
"I liked that you made me think critically to solve the problems."
Statistics Student
Learning Through Stories
My courses are designed to stimulate intellectual curiosity and my extensive reading augments my effectiveness as a teacher. It allows me to go beyond the scope of the textbook and incorporate new and exciting research into course discussions. I invite students to bring relevant discussion topics to class as well. This makes the classroom a dynamic, evolving, and interesting educational environment that generates enthusiasm for learning. One of my most beloved teaching methods is to use the art of storytelling to keep students engaged as I illustrate how psychological constructs pertain to the real world. Sharing stories from my own life serves to establish common ground and modeling conceptual application in this manner prepares the students to engage in self-reflection and make connections between what they are learning in class and their own lives. Not only are students encouraged to emulate my application process as they study the material, but they are also asked to actively synthesize and apply course material in short writing assignments.
In All Seriousness, Use Humor
Our emotional states can impact learning. With that in mind, adding in a little humor never hurts the educational environment. Teaching is a performance art but that does not mean that it is all fun and games. I do not shy away from difficult topics—sex, racism, feminism, violence—because students will face these constructs in the real world. I strive to create a culture of respect in the classroom where they can feel safe expressing their thoughts and feelings openly, which exposes the students to a variety of viewpoints. I demonstrate how controversial topics can be examined through the lens of science and respectfully acknowledge cultural differences as well as the questions that science cannot answer. The critical thinking and communication skills my students acquire through class discussions and assignments provide them with a solid foundation for lifelong learning.
Student Comments
"I like how Dr. Mize tried to make it interactive. She incorporated examples in class that were pretty funny. I LOVED the sex ed discussion. Some of her lectures were my favorites of my college career.”
General Psychology Student
"Dr. Mize gave extra info that was interesting and fun to learn.”
General Psychology Student
"Dr. Mize is an excellent professor because not only is she extremely knowledgeable of the material, but she is very much involved in the field, allowing the class to get information first hand."
General Psychology Student
"I am very inspired by your teaching. I have been very iffy about my major selection but now I feel as if psychology is my calling."
General Psychology Student
" Dr. Mize is a great professor with a good sense of humor. She really cares about her students and their progress."
General Psychology Student
"I liked that the instructor gave us personal and relatable examples even though at times they were comically ridiculous."
General Psychology Student
"I liked how the professor linked the lectures to her past experiences; this way it was easier for me to remember and study the material."
General Psychology Student
"I liked how she focused on giving examples in stories to help us understand things better rather than just reading slides and definitions."
General Psychology Student
"I liked the way Dr. Mize linked the concepts to her personal life or other stories. It made it easier to understand and remember."
General Psychology Student
"Professor Mize's use of personal experiences brought an interesting element to the course."
General Psychology Student
"The professor gave great examples. The course was interesting because we could self-reflect to understand the topics and the homework."
General Psychology Student
"I liked that the information was reinforced in a way that made it easier to comprehend. I really liked that the topics discussed had great relevance and I especially liked the lecture analyzing the meaning of life."
General Psychology Student
"What I enjoyed most about the class was she always wanted feedback from the students and allowed open discussions. I liked this because it allows us to think for ourselves and contribute to the class."
General Psychology Student
Dare To Challenge The Teacher
Students want to be inspired and challenged. Although my expectations for my students are high, my goals for them are attainable. It gives me great joy to witness ‘aha’ moments or when statistics students tell me that they did not think that they could be successful and have fun in a math class until they took my course. One of the best feelings is when my students challenge me with thoughtful questions. Although I am well informed, I am absolutely delighted when a student stumps me with a question that makes me say, “I don’t know but I will do some research and get back to you”. Being challenged by a student allows me to model humility and intellectual curiosity.
Student Comments
"Absolutely and inspiring professor!"
Statistics Student
"I liked the constructive criticism given and I liked that the course was challenging without feeling impossible."
General Psychology Student
"I never thought I would be able to learn this material but through the help of the wonderful professor and the discussions with other students, I was able to master the subject matter.”
Statistics Student
"What I like best about class was the plethora of information my professor has about psychology. She always gave great lectures."
General Psychology Student
"Thank you for all your help; you oddly made statistics enjoyable and even easy!"
Statistics Student
"Dr. Mize is a very intelligent and highly educated individual who exemplifies an intellect."
General Psychology Student
"I enjoy the lectures. They were very informative and you could tell that the professor really knew her stuff.”
General Psychology Student
"Dr. Mize goes out of her way to answer every question to the best of her ability."
General Psychology Student
Empowerment Through Education
My passion for psychology and education translates into genuine enthusiasm about learning and teaching. I strive to make my classroom a culture of inquiry in which my students are encouraged to question their own assumptions as well as the material they encounter in the world. I want students to leave my classroom changed. It is my desire for my pedagogical approach to provide students with an educationally enriching experience. By providing a curriculum that is both rigorous and relevant to real world issues, I hope to inspire my students to become reflective and insightful thinkers and enthusiastic lifelong learners who are empowered through their education.
Student Comments
"Never underestimate the roll you have played in my getting to do what most people never get to experience. Thanks to your positive motivation and sound teaching methods, you were able to reach across four decades and assist me in enjoying a part of life that I thought had passed me by. I will always be grateful to you for the role you played in my educational and personal development. ”
General Psychology Student
"Dr. Mize is my first university professor, and I must say, that she has primed me to expect the university to have exceptional professors."
General Psychology Student
"I just handed in my last exam and have completed my degree requirements. Four years and four months ago
you were assuring a very unsure student that things would be okay. From the outside, that might have looked like just a normal teacher-student encounter. For me it was much more. I am used to being confident but that day, I was far from confident. Your kind words of encouragement kept me from making what would have been a big mistake had I not come back to class. You have also provided encouragement and help along the way that has been instrumental in my success. I am grateful that our paths crossed and it may be unscientific but I will never believe that was by chance."
General Psychology Student
Courses Taught
General Psychology*
Honors General Psychology
Social Psychology*
Lifespan Human Development*
Child and Adolescent Development
Statistics*
Research Methods in Psychology*
Independent Research Supervision*
Senior Seminar Thesis
Honors Thesis
* Also Taught Online
Teaching Interests
Evolutionary Psychology
Evolutionary Developmental Psychology
Animal Minds
Human Sexuality
Emotional Development
Social Development
Bad Boys & Mean Girls: Human Aggression
Psychology of Women
Myth Busters: Pseudoscience & Science
Careers in Psychology