Teaching

David Hage passionately enjoys teaching at the university level. He is committed to helping his social work students prepare for generalist social work practice, and others develop practical knowledge and skills in the fields of geriatric care management, gerontology, interdisciplinary health professions, and leadership. David currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Social Work, Field Director, and Coordinator of Gerontology Education at Misericordia University, a private Catholic University in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Students can find course related and other helpful external links on the “Resources” page.

Teaching Philosophy

When I reflect on the impact that several of my teaching mentors have had on my present identity as an educator, there are several core values that I have carried over into my teaching approach. Each of these educators had a strong student-centered approach rooted in the dignity and worth of each diverse person, and the value of relationships with students and those they will work with professionally in the future. They were ethically grounded and competent in professional standards of practice. Their approaches also highly valued truth, justice, and service to others. The teaching philosophy that I have developed embodies these core values.

As an educator with training and experience in social work, interdisciplinary health care, mental health, leadership, and gerontology, I have the privilege of using my varied practice experience and education to help students translate theory into practice as they begin to develop and refine their professional identities. As a social worker, I value the person-in-environment framework, which considers strategies to professionally assist individuals, families, groups, communities, and organizations execute needed change in micro, mezzo, and macro systems. As a clinical social work healthcare provider with management and leadership experience, I aspire to help students understand principles of population health, health promotion, and health policy in support of developing future health care leaders and administrators. As a gerontologist, I have a specific interest in understanding the complex needs of a rapidly aging society, and advancing strategies to help this population maximize independence and quality of life across the life course. These overlapping content areas are closely aligned and helpful in engaging students as they increase their confidence and competence in interdisciplinary healthcare and leadership roles.

My concept of learning acknowledges situated cognition for students, which notes that students learn best when the learning environment provides sufficient structure and personally meaningful content that offers opportunities to utilize new cognitive skills and strategies (Wilson, 1993). I also integrate Collingwood’s flexible Three-Stage Theory Framework, which accounts for staged contexts of learning (Collingwood, 2005). In this theory, a service user profile is obtained, theory is introduced to inform and intervene, and the appropriate knowledge, skills, and values are incorporated (Collingwood, 2005). This theoretical orientation provides students in the classroom or field with a useful and validated learning approach, which applies to students with various levels of preparation and individual learning needs. In sum, my teaching approach carefully combines structured evidence-based learning approaches in the context of the real-world application, informed by a strong value base.

References

Collingwood, P. (2005). Integrating theory and practice. The Journal of Practice Teaching and Learning, 6(1), 6-23. doi:10.1921/17466105.6.1.6

Wilson, A. L. (1993). The promise of situated cognition. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 1993(57), 71-79. doi:10.1002/ace.36719935709 …

Undergraduate & Graduate Courses Taught