Comments From Students

"By discussing scenarios and realistic contexts of schools today, we were able to engage with the material in numerous ways. This course allowed me to understand the material through various mediums such as writing, reading, and presenting the information to the class. In discussing controversial topics, we as a class grew closer and the conversations grew stronger. I look back on this course as one of the best courses I have taken at WPI because of the strength of information I was able to receive in such a short amount of time (7 weeks). I am thankful for the information I have gained from the readings and everything Professor Ottmar provided us with, especially since the learning was placed in our hands. I feel stronger as a student going forward in my educational career, and I am grateful to have taken such an influential course"

"The amount of information I learned in this course exceeds any number of pages I have read through our textbooks, or sites I visited in writing my class papers. The information I gained from this course is more relative to my overall experience of school, the completion of my long-term career goals, and the responding to the answers of my own personal questions surrounding school. By opening my eyes to the multi-faceted world of school psychology, I feel engaged and connected with my own educational timeline"

"I’m grateful to have been given the opportunity to learn facets of school psychology in multiple different ways. Not only was the highlight of the course the in-class discussions, I found significance in all of our activities. Hosting our own independent discussion activity in front of our peers forced us to not only read the content, understand it, and apply it to context, it also engaged us with the position of teaching. I feel as though before I entered this course I viewed school, and teaching in general, in one mindset; not placing importance on the complex nature of school, the student, and the teacher. This was not only one of the more challenging things I did in the class, but one of the more challenging activities I have done in general"

"More than anything, I believe this class provided me with great life skills and advice for my life in the real world. I gained a deeper understanding of what it means to question and critically analyze every aspect of an idea"

"This was by far my favorite course here at WPI. I learned a lot and was kept very engaged throughout the course."

"Something I believe many individuals struggle with is looking at life from another individual's perspective. However, this ability is essential to achieving just thought and compassion, two traits that are extremely desirable for teachers. Through this course, my ability to consider another individual’s perspective greatly improved. Guided discussion along with individual reflections reinforced my ability to consider the ways an individual’s perceptions and environment impacts them"

"You always asked questions that challenged us to think harder and in different ways. Although I rarely spoke up in class, the questions you asked, both rhetorical and not rhetorical, always made me think more in depth, making me contemplate how shallow my ideas and thoughts were in my head. The questions you asked often times blew my mind because it never occurred to me that I could think about a topic/idea in this manner or in this light. you “opened a new door” in my mind, helping me think in ways I would have never thought of or been aware of. You were somehow able to shed light and introduce many ways of thinking regarding even the most simple, “argument-free” topics".

"this class really challenged me to think outside the box, stressing the importance of understanding the many perspectives and arguments for and against certain topics."

"The format of this class was one of my favorite things about it. Too often, I am pressed for time and scribbling down notes that I do not understand like a mad woman. Almost all of my classes have been lectures of at least fifty students. This was the first class that I felt I could drop the stress and just truly engage with the class discussion and material. I have never felt so involved and present in a class before"

"Dr. Ottmar is AWESOME! She was SO HELPFUL inside and outside of class. She met with me outside of class to help me with my thesis data even though she's not my advisor. She took a genuine interest in everyone's success and was really passionate about the topics covered in class. She was so in tuned to what the students needed and always explained things so we could understand them."

"This course really changed how I think about research design as well as classroom environment. Since I will be working in a classroom setting, this course will prove helpful in my future career. Also, Dr. Ottmar always encouraged us to think critically. I felt more emphasis was on the process of learning and thinking instead of the final grade, which is what every class should strive for. I learned so much and LOVED this course!!"

"One of the best classes I have taken to date. Not only did we learn a large amount of content, we did so in an engaging and practical manner. The material and takeaways I took from this class will stay with me for a long time."