College of the Pacific

Scott Jensen

Teaching Approach

Teaching is about making connections—making clear associations between the current material to be learned and what the student already knows, as well as with the students’ short-term and long-term goals.

Perhaps the most important connection is that made between the professor and students. The relationship established between the teacher and students sets the stage for learning and is part of what I enjoy most about teaching I try to relate to my students by learning their names (even in the large lecture classes), injecting humor into the lectures/discussions, sharing from applied experiences, and generally learning about their experience and interests.

I hope that through this process, my enthusiasm for the course content with transfer to the students, making it easier for them to learn, retain, and use the information from my courses.

I also believe that the more a student interacts with the course material, the better they will learn the material and the longer they will retain it. I try to help students see how the information from class fits into their lives and impacts their world, and also illicit such comments from the students. Many of my course assignments are targeted at helping students to better interact with the course content and apply it to their lives.

Courses

Psych 031       Introduction to Psychology
Psych 111       Abnormal Psychology
Psych 154/254       Child Mental Health
Psych 189 /289      Psychological Assessment
Psych 193/293       Parenting PACS 2 Science: Good, Bad, and Ugly

Research Interests

My primary research interest is in parenting: what distinguishes poor, good, and great parents? What are the most effective ways of helping parents improve? Does how you feel about yourself as a parent impact your effectiveness? What is the relationship between knowing how to be a good parent, and actually doing it. Most of my research surrounds parent education classes that we provide through the department to the community. These classes include child-focused interventions as well. There are always great opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students to be involved in these trainings and research. Please contact me at any time about becoming involved in our research team.