Statement of Educational & Teaching Philosophy

David B. Rolloff

 

My philosophy of education and teaching is comprised of three elements:

relevance

practicality

action 

¨       Higher education can be thoroughly relevant in students’ lives as a way of expanding their world view. 

¨       Knowledge and abilities gained in higher education can have infinite practical applications for students throughout their lifespan. 

¨       When students apply relevant knowledge to practical situations, they are more likely to produce pragmatic responses to life’s challenges.

 

 In the applied field of outdoor recreation and park management, we have the opportunity to work at all three levels with our students.

Experience

Kurt Hahn, the pioneer experiential educator, considered education the heart of a democracy: a training experience in the development of critical, well-reasoned, enthusiastic students.  My notion is similar to Hahn’s in that I believe that education should be an integrated effort of the intellect and the spirit, so I use both in my instruction.  In addition, I make room for humor and enthusiasm.

Service

My experience with outdoor recreation students is that their academic motivations have three sources: a passion for experience, a bond with the natural world, and an engagement with applied knowledge.  My hope is that an integration of these three leads them to become actively engaged in constructive service in the recreation field. 

Hope

Among recreation and natural resource students (including myself), I’ve often observed that when their knowledge and awareness expand, there can be a parallel increase in cynicism, particularly when our system of government fails to protect the environment.  I build my hopes on Terry Tempest Williams’ reminder to those who would care for our environment and natural homelands: we cannot afford to be cynical.  We can respond.

Critical Thought

My role as a recreation and natural resource professional involves the nurturing of intelligent, reasoned responses to environmental and human resource issues.  I believe that political, social and ecological questions must be considered together.  Ecological and cultural literacy is the foundation of our ability to act individually and socially as a professional community.  Education at the university level becomes an ongoing process by which the next generation discovers our geography of hope.