Courses taught at North Carolina State University

Download Dr. Davis' Philosophy of Teaching Statement

Undergraduate Seminar: Applied Child Development (EDP 370)
Fall 2008, 2009; Spring 2009
Department of Curriculum and Instruction

The purpose of this course is to provide pre-service elementary school teachers with an overview of the principles of cognitive, social, and developmental psychology and their application in the classroom and other education-related fields.  This course focuses on ideas about human learning and development, including an examination of individual differences, particularly during the childhood years from preschool through early adolescence, the implications of these ideas for the field of education, and their applications to promote learning.

Undergraduate Seminar: Educational Psychology (EDP 304)
Fall 2009; Spring 2009
Department of Curriculum and Instruction

The purpose of this course is to survey the theories and research on human learning and
motivation within the context of educational settings. In this class, we will broadly define educational settings to reflect all of the places children and adults can learn. This can include in school, in their home, during an interaction (with a friend, a teacher, a stranger), with a piece of technology (such as a computer, a television, a book), and merely from observing what happens in their world around them. It is my goal that by the end of the course students are be able to: 1) Identify the major theoretical perspectives in Educational Psychology, 2) Identify tensions both within theoretical perspectives as well as across, 3) Argue a position using sound theory (even if it is a position you do not espouse), 4) Analyze your own experiences as a learner in light of psychological theories.

Graduate Level Independent Study & Supervised Research ECI 630; 830
Please contact Dr. Davis concerning independent study and supervised research opportunities.

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Courses taught at The Ohio State University

Doctoral Seminar: Seminar in the Social Psychology of Education (EDP&L 925.5)
Spring 2005, 2007, 2008
School of Educational Policy and Leadership, The Ohio State University

The purpose of this seminar is to explore the influence of social contexts on classroom learning. Specificaly we examine the ways in which the principles of social psychological and social developmental theories have been applied to understand students' and teachers' beliefs about themselves including their relationship quality and their acheivement behaviors. Topics include the social self, perceiving others and presenting one's self, socializing motivation and learning, the classroom context, and constructing relationships, motivation, and learning. Throughout the seminar, students are encouraged to examine the social context(s) of their own research interests. This course has an asynchronous web component.

Doctoral Seminar: Seminar in Emotions & Emotion Regulation (EDP&L 925.5)
Fall 2006
School of Educational Policy and Leadership, The Ohio State University

The purpose of this seminar is to explore theories of emotion and emotion regulation and
their application to understanding formal and informal learning processes. Specifically, we will examine cognitive theories of emotions and coping and explore the ways in which individuals’ judgments about classroom events may translate into different emotion experiences. Throughout the seminar, students are encouraged to examine the affective context(s) of their own research interests and to develop a research proposal that would study emotions / emotion experiences in the context of their own research.

Doctoral Seminar: Seminar in Professional Development/Inservice Education (EDP&L 756)
Fall 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007; Required Course for the Teacher Education Doctoral Program
School of Educational Policy and Leadership, The Ohio State University

The purpose of this seminar is to provide an in-depth exploration of the issues facing the professional development of career teachers. The overall theme of the course is, "What is / should be the role of the professorate in professional development for practing teachers?" Sub-themes include: paradigms and methods of studying teaching and learning; personal, social, and contextual changes facing the career teacher (e.g. retention and attrition, identity development, conceptual change, and resilience in the face of educational reform); establishment and maintenance of university-community relationships (e.g. faculty-teacher/district, faculty-outreach/union, and faculty-state/federal); and professional development (e.g. the landscape of adult learning, instructional and technological reform and retooling, and the characteristics of quality professional development programs). This course has an asynchronous web component.

Doctoral Seminar: Field Experience and Supervision of Novice Teachers (EDPL 768 / 937)
Winter 2007; Required Course for the Teacher Education Doctoral Program
School of Educational Policy and Leadership, The Ohio State University

The purpose of this seminar is to provide students with an opportunity to analyze the standards for and the development, implementation, and supervision of field experiences and clinical practices in teacher education. Topics include what to look for / how to “see” good teaching; beliefs of pre-service teachers and teacher educators; the nature of “good” observations, communication/feedback, and mentoring; the role of reflective practice; and developing adaptive administrative routines. For students enrolled in EDPL 937, this course strives to help students think about venues for inquiry in field experiences and supervision: who and what can be studied, how can we study field experiences/ supervision, and what work needs to be completed given the ‘state of the literature’ on field experiences/supervision.

Masters Seminar: Adolescent Development in the School Context (EDP&L 607)
Fall 2003, 2007; Winter 2004, 2005 x2, 2006 x2, 2007, 2008; Spring 2004
School of Educational Policy and Leadership, The Ohio State University

The purpose of this course is to provide pre-service middle grades and secondary teachers with an overview of the principles of cognitive, social, and developmental psychology and their application in the classroom and other education-related fields. This course focuses on ideas about human learning and development, particularly during the middle childhood years to and through adolescence, the implications of these ideas for the field of education, and their applications to promote learning. Specifically, through this course students will become familiar with common theories and ideas about child development and be able to evaluate these theories critically in light of your own knowledge and experience; students will begin to formulate their own theories about the role of development, instruction, and technology in learning; and students will investigate the implications of their own ideas and the ideas presented throughout the course on theirr future practice as educators. Students will also develop skills they can use to capture, maintain, and inspire the attention, motivation, engagement, and learning of their adolescent students. This course has an asynchronous web component.

Masters Seminar: Pedagogical Studies: Introduction to Educational Psychology (EDP&L 718)
Summer 2004, 2005, 2007
School of Educational Policy and Leadership, The Ohio State University

Pedagogy is the art and science of teaching. It is constantly evolving based on theorizing and psychological research that examines how learners learn and how teachers apply that knowledge to their teaching. Whenever education takes place, psychology is involved because this discipline studies human learning, thinking, and development. In particular, educational psychology seeks to understand learning and teaching and to develop ways to facilitate these processes whenever and wherever they occur. The purpose of this course is to examine the theoretical underpinnings of different instructional and classroom management methods currently employed in the field of early childhood and elementary education. Our investigation will cover the theories and concepts including the nature of learners, the modification of behavior, observational learning, the construction and mediation of learning, the processing of information and memory, social and emotional development, and motivation. In addition, because of the increasing complexity of our tasks as teachers, our course strives to consider the role of race, gender, ability/disability, and culture in shaping students’ motivation, learning, and development. This course has an asynchronous web component.

Masters Seminar: Educational Leadership, Learning, & Teaching: Middle childhood, Adolescence, and Young Adults (EDP&L 885.02)
Winter 2004 (Spring 2005)
School of Educational Policy and Leadership

The purpose of this course is to provide future school administrators with an opportunity to enhance their mastery and competence in applying the principles of cognitive, social, and developmental psychology to understand the thinking and behavior of the adolescent student population in their (future) middle grades or secondary school. Specifically, by the end of the course, students will be able to demonstrate competence in evaluating developmentally appropriate instructional and assessment practices for adolescence, demonstrate competence in pedagogical problem solving, and consider the role of principals in constructing a learning-centered culture in their school. This course has an asynchronous web component.

Masters Seminar:: Collaboration Among Teachers: Optimizing Productivity (EDP&L 727.50; Course offered in conjunction with the Office of Outreach and Engagement)
Winter 2005 (July 2007)
School of Educational Policy and Leadership

Teaching is fundamentally a collective task. The purpose of this course is to examine the underlying group dynamics of collaboration amongst teachers and the factors that enable people to be productive as a group or team. Specifically, we will be guided by four questions: How do we evaluate the assets and obstacles to collaboration in a team setting? How do we evaluate the "changes" (e.g. in policy, curriculum, instruction) our team is trying to produce? How can we capitalize on the collective assets of our team to support change in our classrooms and our school? What is needed to develop a sense of collective efficacy for our team efforts? As part of this course we will explore several social-cognitive and social psychological dimensions of group dynamics, the processes of educational reform and conceptual change, and the sources of collective efficacy. Throughout the course, participating teachers and administrators will work together to analyze their past, present, or future work on a team to implement a change in current policy, curriculum, or instruction and to develop guidelines/suggestions for teacher collaboration in their school.his course is offered to practicing teachers, on-site to support them in meeting their continuing education licensure requirements.

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