College Level Teaching

My scholarship, particularly the BlackCreate Framework (Mims et. al., 2022), which illustrates the power of educational spaces to support the learning and development of youth, as well as the scholarship of other Black women scholars (e.g., Sealey-Ruiz, 2007; hooks, 2014; Gay, 2010; Tatum, 1997) guides my teaching. My research and classroom teaching experience have taught me that students flourish as content experts, knowledge producers, powerful advocates, and strong voices when their identities are recognized, celebrated, and affirmed. As such, my classroom style is guided by culturally responsive caring, or the practice of providing an academically demanding learning experience within an affirming environment (e.g., Gay, 2010; Jackson et al., 2014). My teaching has consistently received high course review scores and praise.  

At NYU, I teach applied developmental psychology courses at the graduate and undergraduate levels. In Fall 2022 and Fall 2023, I taught Advanced Survey of Developmental Psychology, a course for Masters and PhD level students. In Spring 2023, I designed and piloted two new NYU course offerings: African American Children and Families (an undergraduate course open to any major at NYU), and The Development of African American Children (a MA/PhD course open to any graduate student at NYU). In Spring 2024, I designed and taught Families and Schools (a MA/PhD course open to any graduate student at NYU). I also have three additional years of experience teaching at Ball State University. At Ball State University, I taught Human Growth and Development for Early & Elementary Education, a required undergraduate professional education course, to approximately 400 pre-service teachers, and Adolescent Development, a required graduate course for Educational Psychology students. Notably, while there, I was honored with a university-wide Outstanding Teaching Award given to one faculty member an academic year.