Linda Woolf, PhD
My first piece of advice to any student—Don't follow in my footsteps! Take a look at what is important to you in your life and how you might want to make a unique contribution to the world. How can you make a difference in the lives of others and your community? Then examine the steps along the path you want to create—put together your roadmap. Remember that the difference between a goal and a dream is planning. You can always change your plan but make sure you have a focus. Otherwise, the days, months, and years just slip away. Ultimately: Work hard, pay attention to the details, honor your commitments, and keep your eye on prize.
How do you conceptualize the intersection of social justice and academia?
Education is foundational to social justice! Take a look at any community or country which is deficient in terms of educational opportunities, and you will find a community or nation that is in trouble. Social justice consists of three elements: distributive justice, procedural justice, and equity. Are the doors to education closed for some students? Is the educational system fair or is it grounded in systemic or institutional forms of bias or discrimination? Does everyone regardless of who they are receive the same educational opportunities? In some countries, young girls are denied equal access to education and face a future of child marriage, manual labor, and limited opportunities. Malala Yousafzai has raised the visibility of these concerns worldwide. In the United States, too many students find themselves in schools which are underfunded, under-resourced, and designed to create failure. It is a system which harms students, families, teachers, and communities. Too often, it is BIPOC students who are being denied access to education based on socially unjust policies designed to limit wealth and opportunity—racist policies from the past. As teachers, we can work to recognize and address barriers to education and open up the doors of opportunity for our students.
What do you want students to take away from your class?
As a teacher of psychology, I want them to learn how to think critically and evaluate evidence. They probably will not remember five years down the road how the action potential works in neural transmission. However, I hope they will be able to critically evaluate claims made about various treatments for depression and separate science from pseudoscience. In addition, I want all of my students to learn about human rights, social justice, and how they can make a positive contribution through their lives. Each individual is important and we have a responsibility to not only care for each other but also strive to be kind in our daily interactions. Now I can see some eyes rolling right now! "Everyone will just walk all over you!" One can be kind and assertive at the same time. One can use productive versus destructive conflict resolution skills. No one needs to be a bully to get ahead in life. A successful life really is a cooperative endeavor.
How do you or how should psychology instructors in general promote the idea that psychology is a science?
Certainly, psychology is a science and we should teach it as such. We focus on teaching research methods and the scientific process. We evaluate theories of the past based on the research of today. We ask questions, develop hypotheses, and design studies—even small activities in class can demonstrate the scientific method. When we cannot "do the science," we examine what the research tells us about our hypotheses. We model the science in our teaching and use the science to help facilitate student learning.
However, there are three major barriers that we have to contend with as a scientific discipline. First, students are very familiar with the TV (or perhaps, the YouTube) answers related to psychology—answers, which are largely grounded in myth and misinformation. Students have to unlearn a lot of bad information and that is challenging. Second, we are living in an anti-science and anti-education period in U.S. history. Students too frequently begin a sentence with the phrase, "I disagree with the research finding." It is amazing when students critically evaluate the research but an opinion is not the same as evidence; anecdote is not equivalent to data. Finally, in some states, to teach high school psychology one needs very little preparation. I really feel for teachers who find themselves with little training assigned to teach psychology with little time to prepare. High school teachers are some of the most responsible and committed professionals that I know. They want to do a good job teaching whatever courses they are assigned. Ideally, teachers should have some basic certification to teach psychology, much like other disciplines. Without preparation, teachers may unwittingly foster myths about psychology. For those dropped into teaching psychology at the last minute, TOPSS can be a safe and resource-filled harbor! All sorts of materials are available for teachers at any level from lecture suggestions, activities, videos, vetted modules, etc.
What is your favorite thing to teach? (or, conversely, what is your least favorite thing to teach?
I have yet to find a course that I don't like to teach! Teaching is just plain fun and I really enjoy working with students. My least favorite teaching activity? Grading. If I had to pick a class that stands above the rest in terms of teaching satisfaction, it would be my course on the Holocaust. It brings together human rights, social justice, ethics, peace, and the importance of one individual in either harming or saving a community. The lessons of the Holocaust are very much present in the world today.
