Education
Ph.D. Psychology, California Graduate Institute Los Angeles, 2005
M.S. Counseling, California State University Los Angeles, 1998
Biography
In working construction, my first life, I learned a deep and abiding respect for determination and hard work, as well as for effective communication. After becoming proficient in my construction skills, I decided to pursue counseling studies to learn more about communication and relationships. The Bachelor’s and Master’s Programs in Counseling at Cal State Los Angeles provided an ideal fit, and there I came to love teaching and psychology.
I entered the Graduate Education Program at UC Riverside in 1998 and completed several years of coursework in Educational Psychology, while administering national and state grants on standards, assessment, and science and technology education. After a conversation with Dr. Bruce Alberts, then President of the National Academy of Sciences, my doctoral work took an unexpected turn. He recommended that in addition to autonomy and self-regulated learning research, I study teacher-student relationships.
Ultimately, my final degree is a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from California Graduate Institute Los Angeles. I studied the psychological dynamics of teacher-student relationships, directed toward the goals of student autonomy and self-regulated learning. My teaching philosophy and research interests focus on metacognition and self-regulated learning, effective teacher-student and student-student relationships, and instructional strategies that support student engagement, autonomy, and meaningful learning.
As well as the required curriculum, I want to pass on my enthusiasm for learning, and give my students intellectual and emotional tools that they can use beyond academic walls to build responsible, confident, inspired, successful lives.
Representative Courses Taught
- PSY 100 Introductory Psychology
- PSY 333 Measurement and Testing
- PSY 346 Human Motivation
- PSY 370 Counseling Theories
- PSY 375 Health Counseling
Scholarship
Keywords
Self-Regulated Learning, Metacognition