Statement of Teaching Interests
Hsueh-Hua (Shay Wa) Chuang
________________________________________________________________________
Teaching Interests
My primary teaching interests involve courses in PK-12 technology integration for preservice teachers, preparing them to select, assemble, integrate, utilize, and evaluate
instructional technology in the classroom in PK-12 educational settings.
Teaching Experience
My background includes a wide range of teaching experiences. I began my teaching
career in a junior high school in Taiwan shortly after I earned my B.A. from National
Kaohsiung Normal University in Taiwan in 1990. On receiving my M.S. from State
University of New York at Albany in Curriculum and Instructional Technology, I moved
on to a senior high school, continuing my teaching career as an EFL (English as a
Foreign Language) teacher. I served as a teacher-facilitator in the AJET (Advanced Joint
English Teaching Telecommunication) project in Taiwan. AJET aimed to provide a
collaborative foreign language learning environment beyond traditional classroom
boundaries in time and space through information technology such as CMC (Computer
Mediated Communication). My teaching career in higher education started with my
return to graduate school in pursuit of a PhD in Curriculum and Instructional Technology
in Fall 2000. I was admitted to the doctoral program in Curriculum and Instructional
Technology at Iowa State University and worked as a lab instructor for an undergraduate
course CI201 entitled " Introduction to Instructional Technology".
As a CI201 lab instructor, I did not focus solely on building students’ technology skills
but also on applying technology into various content areas. I encouraged students to
use/integrate technology with appropriate curriculum alignment in learner-controlled,
multidisciplinary, cooperative, project-based and problem-based approaches. My goal is
to help students develop professionally by providing them with information, skills, and
guidance in technology use and integration applied in PK-12 educational settings.
Teaching Philosophy
"Every function in the child's cultural development appears twice: first, on the social
level, and later, on the individual level; first, between people (interpsychological) and
then inside the child (intrapsychological). This applies equally to voluntary attention, to
logical memory, and to the formation of concepts. All the higher functions originate as
actual relationships between individuals." (Vygotsky, 1978, p. 57).
My teaching philosophy about how people learn is based on two key concepts derived
from the above quote from Vygostsky. First, people learn best by building relationships
between new information obtained from interacting with others and their existing body of
knowledge. Such interactions provide the context that helps students understand higher
levels of meaning behind the facts and allows the students to acquire a degree of
relevance for themselves. Second, students must be active participants in the learning
process in which learning by doing is the essence of knowledge construction. By
applying their knowledge to authentic non-trivial problems, students are involved with
their own learning and improve their retention of knowledge.
There is a great deal of materials and skills to be mastered in any course with a
technology component, but I use straightforward language when explaining concepts and
provide hands-on small group activities with guided questions when explaining
technology terminologies. Students will not only more readily retain the information;
they will also be more likely to interact in class, explore innovative use of technology,
and work collaboratively with others.
I set high standards for my students and myself. I am committed to becoming an effective
instructor and continue to work to improve my ability and make the learning experience
pleasant and worthwhile.
Reference:
Vygotsky, L.S. (1978). Mind in Society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.