Teaching Experience
Katie has 8 years' experience working as a high school social studies teacher in Florida and is in her fourth semester teaching undergraduate students online for the University of South Florida.
University of South Florida
January 2019-Present
Katie recently completed teaching EDP 4275 Enhancing Children's Learning and Development Within a School Context, the final course in a series of three online courses. In this course, undergraduate pre-service teachers investigate learner differences, language development, and motivation, and their applications to exceptional students. Previously, Katie taught EDP 3272 Learning Within a School Context online, which examines the influence of social and moral development as well as brain development on learning. In 2019, Katie taught EDP 3271 Human Development in a School Context online, which focuses on applying cognitive developmental theories and research to the school context. Katie also co-facilitated EDF 3228 Human Behavior and Environmental Selection online, which explores the application of social and behavioral science to a variety of real-world contexts including education.
Freedom High School
August 2008-April 2015
Katie worked with diverse student populations as a Social Studies teacher at Freedom High School. She taught general, honors, and advanced placement courses, including: Psychology I, AP Psychology, Philosophy, American History, and World History. She sponsored several clubs including AP After School Study, the Gay-Straight Alliance, and the Green Club, which coordinated the school recycling program and participated in local events focusing on environmental conservation and stewardship. Katie was also the head swim coach for the Patriots from 2008-2010.
Brooks-Debartolo Collegiate High School
July 2007-June 2008
Katie was selected for a paid internship at Brooks-Debartolo Collegiate High School where she taught Psychology I, American History, AP Human Geography, and AVID courses, in addition to co-sponsoring the Student Government Association.
Supporting Undergraduate Learners
EDP 3271 Human Development in a School Context
Engaging Undergraduate learners
EDF 3228 Human Behavior and Environmental Selection
Creating Personal Relevance
Providing students with opportunities to apply concepts to their own lives and experiences helps to make learning meaningful, relevant, and memorable. To encourage lively discussions, I ask students to engage in self-referencing--finding experiences from their own lives that demonstrate or elucidate concepts learned in class.
Experiencing Psychology
Psychology is unique in its ability to be experienced within a classroom or online setting. Whether asking students to adopt a psychological perspective or experiencing the frustration of a social trap, I love finding activities and experiences that position my students to "do" psychology or to apply their understanding.
hands-on learning in AP Psychology
Freedom High School 2011-2014
Introducing: The Brain
I seek to limit direct instruction and work to provide students with opportunities for more hands-on, active learning experiences. To introduce the structure and function of the brain, I led students through the creation of their own map of the cerebral cortex, identifying major structures (e.g., Broca's area, Olfactory bulb), and developing memorable mnemonics to aid in learning.
Sampling M&Ms
For a hands-on lesson in descriptive statistics, students analyzed the quantity and color distribution of snack-sized packets of M&Ms. Students compared their individual and pooled M&M samples with distribution statistics provided by Mars, Inc. in order to determine the representativeness of the sample.
Applying Psychology
When introducing or reviewing concepts, I often include short videos from popular TV shows or movies. This is an effective and engaging way for students to apply their learning to salient or familiar situations, such as when Sheldon uses chocolate to shape Penny's behavior on the Big Bang Theory.
