Digital Student

Development
Theory
Philosophy
Presentation
December 13, 2017
 What are my core values as an
educator?

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I value…
1.Encouraging students to get involved
within their institution
2.Being at an institution that believes it is
important to have a diverse and inclusive
student body
3.Collaborating with other campus offices to
provide high quality programs for students
4.Working with students to inform them of
the importance of self care and their
overall well-being
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 Student Involvement

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Encouraging students to get involved
through…
Various activities within their
institution. Students can get
involved academically, socially,
through community services, etc.
These types of involvement
opportunities can be in the form of
clubs, organizations, meeting with
their professors, and much more.
Students who get engaged with
their institution will enhance their
experience.

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 An Inclusive Community

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Working at an institution that believes in a
diverse and inclusive community is important
because…
All students should feel like they belong during their time at
college. It is important for me to work at an institution that
values a community that recognizes their similarities and
embraces their differences. An institution that has a diverse
and inclusive community gives students the opportunity to
learn about different realities and cultures from other students.

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 Collaboration

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Collaboration is…
Crucial to the success of running successful programs.
Throughout my experience working in higher education I
have learned that it is important to collaborate with other
campus offices. Without collaborating with campus partners
it would not be possible for one office to plan and execute
an inclusive and successful program, such as orientation.

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 Self care is important because…
Between academics, social
lives, as well as organizational
involvements students can live
very busy lives. Students need
to balance their lifestyles in
order to not get burnt out. As an
educator I want to assist
students in understanding the
importance of self care and how
to balance their time to be the
most successful.

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 What is the importance of
student development
theory?

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 Student development theory…
“provides a strong basis for knowledge, expertise,
and practice and serves as a foundation for the
student affairs profession” (Patton, McEwen,
Rendon, & Howard Hamilton, 2007, p. 40).

“Without theory, professionals may informally

attempt to make sense of observations and
phenomena.” (Patton et al., 2007, p. 40).

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 However, it may be time to take a
break…
As Dr. Nicolazzo (2016) suggested, “I think theory
has a place in graduate preparation programs;
however, I think it needs to be couched in analyses
of systemic oppression and privilege.”

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 How has student development
theory influenced how I think
about my role as a student
affairs educator?

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 Challenge students to think about their
privileges
According to DiAngelo (2011), “White people in North
America live in a social environment that protects and
insulates them from race-based stress. This insulated
environment of racial protection builds white expectations
for racial comfort while at the same time lowering the
ability to tolerate racial stress” (p. 54)
As a student affairs educator I think it is important to
challenge students to think about their privileges. Society
is very diverse and it is important for students to know
themselves and understand the experiences of their
peers.
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 What student development theory
has been particularly meaningful
to me?

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 Privileged Identity Exploration (PIE)
Model
Watt’s (2007) model looked at the 8 defense modes that
are associated with students behaviors when discussing
social justice topics. Depending on type of situation one
is in will determine which defense mode they may use.
Recognizing Contemplating Addressing
Denial Intellectualization Benevolence
Deflection Principium Minimization
Rationalization False Envy

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 The PIE model has been meaningful to
me because…
This model helped me gain a
better understanding of how
people may react when
discussing social justice issues.
I think it is important as students
affairs educators to expose
students to a constant open
dialogue about diversity. By
exposing students to these
types of discussions it is
important to understand how
students may react.
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 How do I plan to use my student
development theory philosophy
to enhance my work as a
student affairs educator?

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 I plan to…
1. Have students participate in activities that encourage
them to think about the privileges they have, therefore,
creating a discussion with their peers about these
privileges.

Ex. When I was an undergraduate student I worked as an

orientation leader. During the training process there was
an activity I participated in that made me think about my
privileges for the first time. In this activity we were
blindfolded and asked to step forward or backward if the
statement read applied to us.

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 I plan to…
1. Have students participate in activities that encourage
them to think about the privileges they have, therefore,
creating a discussion with their peers about these
privileges.

As a first-year student it shocked me when I realized that

even though some students looked like me they had a
much different experience. As a student affairs educator I
want to implement similar activities that open dialogue
with students about privilege.

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 I plan to…
2. Create an office environment that makes my students
feel accepted and welcomed.

Ex. As an undergraduate student my supervisors from the

first day I started working made me feel like I joined a new
family. They were always there to support me whenever I
needed someone to talk to or needed advice. They
always made me feel like they genuinely cared. As an
educator it is important to be there to support and guide
our students through difficult times.

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 THIS IS HOW STUDENT
DEVELOPMENT THEORY
HAS SHAPED ME AS A
STUDENT AFFAIRS
EDUCATOR

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 References
DiAngelo, R. (2011). White fragility. International Journal of Critical Pedagogy,
3(3), 54-70.
Nicolazzo, Z. (2016, March 19). Taking a break from student development theory
[Blog post]. Retrieved from http://znicolazzo.weebly.com/trans-
resilience-blog/takinga-break-from-student-development-theory
Patton, L. D., McEwen, M., Rendón, L., & HowardHamilton, M. F. (2007). Critical
race perspectives on theory in student affairs. New directions
for student services, 2007(120), 39-53.
Watt, S. K. (2007). Difficult dialogues and social justice: uses of the privileged
identity exploration (PIE) model in student affairs practice. College
Student Affairs Journal, 26(2), 114-126.

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