Teaching Philosophy

As a developmental psychologist and gerontologist, my teaching philosophy is centered on the belief that the ultimate goal of education is for personal fulfillment and lifespan development. To achieve this goal, I implement the following elements in my teaching:

Inclusivity Being an international student myself, I understand the importance of creating an inclusive classroom environment. With Cornell CTI fellows, we discussed bell hooks's Teaching to Transgress and Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed. In my classroom, I strive to create a welcoming and inclusive learning environment where every student feels seen, valued, and empowered to contribute their ideas. To achieve this, I get to know each of my students through pre-class and mid-term surveys, with open spaces for discussion. Moreover, I intentionally diversify my teaching materials, adopt accessible formats, avoid negative or deficit-based narratives, and present role models and research from underrepresented groups.
Independence I believe that autonomy in learning is crucial for students’ successful transition from high school to undergraduate and graduate studies. To achieve this goal, scaffolding is necessary, and the foundation of scaffolding lies in creating a secure attachment between the instructor and students. To achieve this, I create an environment that encourages trial and error as part of the learning process, for example, by providing constructive feedback via the compliment sandwich model and the “Yes, and” thinking, and by fostering peer learning through discussion boards and study groups. Besides, I introduced my students to resources that address the “hidden curriculum”, such as academic accommodations, the writing center, and strategies for effective reading and time management. I also integrate the self-regulation model to facilitate students' personal growth.
Integrative design I am committed to designing integrative courses that align learning goals with teaching/learning activities and feedback/assessments with attention to situational factors. I develop my classes using backward design and Bloom's taxonomy, aligning class activities with learning objectives at different levels. Throughout my course, I employ strategies such as anonymous feedback and backstage agenda to pace course progression. Moreover, I incorporate Universal Design for Learning, for example, by accommodating diverse learning styles through multiple modalities such as videos, visual aids, student presentations, and hands-on sessions. To complement summative assessments (e.g., exams and final paper), I incorporate low-stakes formative assessments with prompt feedback and opportunities for revision to facilitate continuous learning. In response to the rise of Generative AI, I include an AI policy in my syllabi that sets clear expectations and encourages the thoughtful integration of AI into intellectual work.

Teaching Fellow at Cornell Center for Teaching Innovation

I was awarded the teaching fellowship at Cornell Center for Teaching Innovation (CTI) since 2023 and am currently a senior lead fellow at CTI, co-leading a group of 20 graduate teaching fellows from different disciplines across the campus. At CTI, we design and implement teaching programs, events, and resources that foster teaching excellence and innovation. As a senior lead fellow, I also develop leadership and mentorship skills, reflect on and refine my pedagogical skills, enhance my communication skills, and foster collaborative, interdisciplinary teaching networks across the university, such as the Ivy+ Teaching Transformation Summit.

Teaching Interests and Experience

Teaching Interests

I am prepared to teach a range of introductory and advanced courses in aging and lifespan development, judgment and decision making, self and identity, and social psychology. I am also prepared to teach research methods and statistics at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, including experiment design, measurements, and quantitative methods such as multilevel modeling.

Teaching Experience

Instructor of Record

[HD2180] Human Development: Adulthood and Aging

Offered term: Summer 2025, online

Course Aim

What do we gain and lose as we age? How do our relationships change over time? How does population aging influence our society? How should we approach aging research, and how can we translate our findings into concrete policies? This course provides an overview of biological, cognitive, and socio-emotional development across the adult life span with a particular focus on the later years. We will consider what age-related changes mean for research, clinical, and policy settings. Different aspects of development will be integrated within a multidisciplinary life-span developmental framework.

Specific Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, you will:

  • Describe changes in different aspects of functioning across the adult life span
  • Integrate theoretical perspectives on aging across disciplines
  • Read and understand contemporary research in gerontology
  • Translate current findings in the aging literature to policy, programs, and practice
  • Recognize the great diversity and resilience among older people
  • Re-examine your personal attitudes about older people and your own aging process

[HD1130/PSYCH1131] Introduction to Human Development

Offered term: Summer 2024, online

Course Aim

Introduction to Human Development provides a broad and foundational overview of the field of human development, starting from conception and ending through the process of death and dying. The course will start with an outline and explanation of the lifespan perspective in human development. The biological beginnings of life and prenatal development will serve as the start of the discussion of human development, followed by an exploration of physical, cognitive, and socioemotional development at each subsequent stage within the lifespan (e.g., infancy, early, middle & late childhood, etc.). Discussion of each developmental stage will highlight major research findings and their real-world application.

Specific Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, you will:

  • Develop a broad but strong base of knowledge surrounding the field of human development and how human development research is conducted.
  • Be able to read, understand, and critically think about current research in the field of human development and how research can be applied to the real world.
  • Gain an understanding of the different developmental stages and what kind of change is occurring across the domains of physical, cognitive, and socioemotional development.
  • Consider your beliefs about development before the course and reconsider the beliefs that are not supported by research.
  • Find this class fun and interesting, taking what you learned from the course and being able to apply it in your daily life!

Guest Lectures and Workshops Given

Cognitive Aging for [COGST 1101] Introduction to Cognitive Science

In this lecture, we discussed the age-related changes in the brain, attention, and memory with a special focus on older adulthood. After this lecture, students had an understanding of neurobiological changes in brain structure and functions and age differences in different types of attention and memory across various contexts, with practical advice on their preparation for the aging process and interactions with older adults.

Essentials of Teaching Institute

In this four-part workshop series we developed, participants will explore strategies to foster a positive classroom environment, create effective interactive teaching activities to help students learn, and develop fair methods for assessment and grading. Since 2023, I have instructed all four workshops in this institute, covering the following topics:

  1. Role of TAs in Cultivating an Inclusive Classroom
  2. Supporting Student Learning as a TA
  3. Effective Grading and Feedback
  4. Final Session: Discussion of an Action Plan
Teaching Portfolio Program

In this in-person program, I co-instructed two workshops for graduate TAs and instructors-in-training on developing Teaching Philosophy Statements and Inclusivity Statements.

Evidence of Teaching Effectiveness

What students said after attending my courses

[HD1130/PSYCH1131] Introduction to Human Development

I really enjoyed the part of this class that was interactive, such as the group project and the discussion. I enjoyed that I was not required to meet daily but instead got to communicate with others through our work. I also felt that the daily quizzes were extremely helpful as they helped me grasp the concepts more and allowed for constant grades, which I felt to be extremely helpful.

It introduced in depth knowledge about human development from prenatal development all the way to death. I love how we had multiple ways to show our learning, such as through discussions, quizzes, and group presentations. The extra credits were also interesting to do, such as the World Map of Human Development or Article Analysis.

The lectures were very organized, which made the class a lot more manageable. Further, when sensitive topics were discussed, the instructors did so with care and compassion. They also provided us with the necessary resources if we were upset by the topics.

[HD2180] Human Development: Adulthood and Aging

Very practical information that I feel will help me interact with all people even going into a field unrelated to gerontology. Professor Lu also went out of her way to be available to us in an online asynchronous class, and I greatly appreciate that.

What students said in courses I TAed

[HD1170] Human Development: Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood

Very helpful and approachable TA, both in person and online!

[HD3260] Human Bonding

Yi seems nice though and I am sure they are a good TA.

What instructors said in courses I TAed

Yi was excellent. She was there when I needed her. She was always prepared to do whatever I asked. She was reliab[b]le. I could count on her.

As far as I know, she had a good relationship with students. I received no complaints.

[She] went out of her way to anticipate issues before they occurred, proactive and engaged at all times.

[She did an] amazing job in getting the paper grading completed on time before the Thanksgiving break.

What attendees said after attending workshops I led

The introduction on Bloom’s Taxonomy and related exercises were very helpful for me to have a better idea about how to draft learning outcomes of a class.

The information was well-presented and really interesting and helpful for me who knew nothing about this topic.

I think everything went well, and the teaching fellows managed the unexpected tech issues well.

For a more detailed document on my teaching effectiveness, click here

Mentoring

At the Healthy Aging Lab, I have been mentoring a group of 1-4 undergraduate research assistants for each semester since 2023.

One of my mentees, Adelyn Yu (‘25), presented her project on personality traits and social discounting at the 2025 annual conference of the Eastern Psychological Association. After graduating, Adelyn was admitted to UCLA’s Master of Social Work program and plans to advance her career path as a counseling psychologist.

I also served as a graduate mentor in the Graduate Students Mentoring Undergraduates program at Cornell’s Office of Academic Discovery and Impact, and provided my guidance and support to undergraduates from underrepresented groups.

At the graduate level, I served as a volunteer tutor for the Consider Cornell graduate diversity recruitment weekend and a mentor for the first-year Ph.D. students at the Department of Psychology.