“What the teacher is, is more important than what he teaches.”
Karl Meninger
CACREP Teaching Competencies
a. Roles and responsibilities related to educating counselors
b. Pedagogy and teaching methods relevant to counselor education
c. Models of adult development and learning
d. Instructional and curriculum design, delivery, and evaluation methods relevant to counselor education
e. Effective approaches for online instruction
f. Screening, remediation, and gatekeeping functions relevant to teaching
g. Assessment of learning
h. Ethical and culturally relevant strategies used in counselor preparation the role of mentoring in counselor education
i. The role of mentoring in counselor education
Artifacts
Testimonials from my professors
Alice, thanks for sending me your video. You did great with your teaching demo. I appreciated how you got the audience involved early. That's typically a best way of establishing a collaborative tone and inviting their investment early in the teaching. You also did a good job, though, of then balancing the dialogue with more scholarly content. Employers want to see us do both--showcasing our knowledge and facilitating high engagement with students. So, you're doing great with that balance. Plus, your energy and enthusiasm are inviting and engaging, and that is very important, too. Well done, Alice! Keep practicing and growing in counselor education! -- Dr. Warden
- Shannon Warden
Alice, your syllabus is "perfect!" I've put the word perfect in quotation marks because "perfect" is actually nearly impossible with syllabi. There just seems to always be one or more places where we can clarify more or offer more examples, etc. But, for the purposes of this assignment, your syllabus is very good! You've followed the instructions well and delivered an appropriately detailed, clear, and realistic syllabus. You did especially well with your assignment instructions. Should the Lord lead you into teaching, you'll find that you amend your syllabi on a yearly basis, and so in that way, "perfect" becomes increasingly less of the goal; instead, clearer instructions, better examples, and even more practical assignments become the goal. -- Dr. Warden
- Shannon Warden
Alice, you did an excellent job with your Teaching Competences Synthesis Assignment, and it was evident that you were well-prepared for our intensive week as a result. As the instructions for this assignment say, counselor educators and supervisors are responsible for knowing a wide-ranging body of scholarly literature pertaining to pedagogy and andragogy. Our two textbooks help to encapsulate that literature as well as the many professional expectations and responsibilities that come along with having a PhD in Counselor Education. I hear in your assignment that you are correctly understanding and beginning to embrace these expectations and responsibilities as part of your professional identity. Well done! -- Dr. Warden
- Shannon Warden
My overall comment is that this teaching presentation by Alice Suobo was one of the best that I have seen or experienced. Alice demonstrated an advanced combination of pedagogy and andragogy to engage and teach adult graduate students. Alice balanced the student developmental levels of both being adult students in graduate school and their early stage of understanding group work in counseling. She engaged the students in her teaching and was able to read the needs of the students and pivot her plan with transparency and ease. She was able to manage multiple hand raising while maintaining her focus on the material with a confidence and comfort that felt as if she had been teaching for many years. She experienced technical difficulties and was able to remain calm and develop a solution in the moment. Several students commented in class that they learned more from her during this class than they had in all the readings and modules up to this point. I do not have any feedback regarding the teaching style or ways this could have been done better. It was fantastic.
Dr. Lynn Bohecker
Alice did an excellent job teaching, answering student questions, and providing them with objective feedback throughout the semester. Students really appreciated her insight into working in addictions counseling.
Dr. Philips-Harris
Testimonials from Former Students
“Professor Suobo’s feedback in our triad were always sought after. She gave me personally helpful ideas and great insight. I have written them down and also been practicing them. I also enjoyed her powerpoint presentations. So well done. Also I asked her for her personal resource and shared them with us. That was helpful. Thank you for all your hardworking.”
A master level student in COUC 505
“I am grateful to prof Suobo, for her help. She was straight to the point and exact pointing to where I need improvement. She also did it with such grace and confidence. Thank you, dear professor Suobo for all your professional support”
A master-level student in COUC 505
“I feel that within our small groups, this intern provided constructive feedback that allowed me to grow in my counseling skills. .”
A master-level student in COUC 505
Reflections
What has been especially impactful/meaningful/important to you personally and professionally?
The role of mentoring: I have always loved teaching, but I struggle with stuttering, which had created negative feelings toward public speaking. Despite the stutter, I was a teaching assistant during my masters, and I simply buried the waves of insecurity that I experienced every time I stumbled upon a word. My PhD journey has been nothing short of a miracle, because of how it healed something within me. There was something magical about presenting with great, kind, caring, and honorable peers who waited, not in angst, but in love, until I got my word out. I noticed that as I progressed through the program, I stuttered less. Even when I taught master-level students, I went through my lectures just fine. In fact, I stopped noticing when I stumbled through words, and my students didn’t seem to notice, or mirrored the same kindness I received from my peers.
Describe an area of strength that you have developed while in the program in this area of competency. What is one way you plan to utilize this strength in your vocation?
The role of mentoring: My confidence in ability to teach has grown exponentially. I was unsure how to navigate what I saw as a deficiency, but with the shared kindness of my peers in this program, I feel confidence in my voice. In working with students, I tend to relate to whatever internal struggles that may be carrying. I show vulnerability in my deficiency, given them the courage to embrace their struggle, and show up just as they are.
Describe an area of challenge/growth opportunity in this area of competency. What is your plan to develop excellence in this area?
The role of mentoring: While I acknowledge the new confidence, I also notice that the environment is what is helping me navigate with pride. I would like to translate this confidence from Liberty University, to other institutions where similar grace and kindness may not be as abundant. My plan is to maintain the internal solace that has made this change possible, and continue to grow through showing up as I am.
Reflect on how faith in Christ relates to this competency.
I can’t stagger at someone else’s unbelief. I know who I am, and I know my voice is sound, just as it is. I can reach student an help them find their voice as well. God wants us to use our voice, not just for ourselves but for others, which is why he told us in Romans 10:15: "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"