Scholarship in Teaching and Learning: An Interview with John Mitterer

Abstract

John Mitterer earned his PhD in cognitive psychology from McMaster University. Like many teaching professors, his career took an unexpected turn early on when he was hired to teach introductory psychology at Brock University, near Niagara Falls, in Ontario, Canada. It was love at first lecture. He never left the course and now, as a full professor some 25 years later, has taught well over 20,000 students. Along the way he has participated in the development of a wide variety of learning materials, including textbooks, videodiscs of support materials, student-learning CD-ROMs, online learning objects, Web sites, test banks, PowerPoint slides, study guides, and instructor's manuals. Mitterer now thinks of himself as a scholar of teaching and learning with a special interest in the educational potential of digital technology. He is a frequent presenter at conferences devoted to teaching and learning and currently holds a Brock University Chancellor's Chair for Teaching Excellence. He is the recipient of the 2003 Brock University Distinguished Teaching Award, a 2003 Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) Teaching Award, a 2004 3M Teaching Fellowship, and the 2005 Canadian Psychological Association Award for Distinguished Contributions to Education and Training in Psychology.

David B. Daniel is involved with forging reciprocal links between cognitive-developmental psychology and teaching practices and pedagogy. He is the coordinator of the Society for Research in Child Development's (SRCD) Teaching of Developmental Science Institute as well as chair of the SRCD Teaching Committee, and the managing editor of Mind, Brain, and Education. He chaired the Society for the Teaching of Psychology's task force on pedagogical innovations. His interest in the development of effective teaching has informed his current efforts to develop effective pedagogical techniques that positively impact both student learning and teacher performance.