Dr. Heather Deal

Fall 2024 Winner

Heather's teaching philosophy as a social work educator is rooted in critical pedagogy and student-centered learning. She prioritizes the development of students’ critical thinking skills alongside their professional growth, believing that these competencies are essential for addressing the complex challenges they will face in their careers. Her goal is to empower students to engage deeply with course content, reflect on their roles as social workers, and critically examine the social issues they encounter.

Heather views herself as a facilitator within a collaborative and co-creative learning environment. She encourages active participation through reflective assignments and problem-posing activities, such as analyzing real-world ethical dilemmas from internships. Assignments like the Social Location Reflection and the Personal Foundation of Social Justice foster self-awareness and empathy by prompting students to examine their beliefs, biases, and assumptions. Her approach promotes student agency, especially through the Macro Analysis project, which allows students to present meaningful work from their internships and engage in peer-led discussions that connect theory to practice.

Her philosophy also emphasizes continuous evaluation and responsiveness to student needs. Heather incorporates student feedback, self-assessment, and her own reflections to improve her teaching. Tools like exit tickets and repeated reflection activities help track students’ growth in critical thinking and social work competencies. Ultimately, she aims to cultivate a learning environment that prepares students to be not only skilled professionals but also compassionate advocates for social justice and positive change in their communities.

What Students Say

Her lessons are full of rich content and helpful information that lend to our success as professionals. She comes amply prepared with activities, discussion questions, and helpful information for the class. She holds each of us to high standards while also remaining flexible and understanding when life gets in the way of completing assignments. She provides helpful feedback on our assignments and our evaluations in a way that has helped me grow as a professional.