Pursuing her PMHNP- psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner degree in the College of Nursing, Signe Christensen is the ATL’s Graduate Student Spotlight for February 2025.

What is one piece of teaching advice that you have received that you would like to pass on to others?

I think the best piece of teaching advice I received is that students learn best by layering information. This means they need to receive the same information in two or three different ways. This makes sense to me as I cannot recall everything I have been taught in past lectures but I tend to remember the information that I then came across again at other times in my life and in other contexts. I apply this to teaching by coming up with radically different ways of presenting information students read in their textbooks for class. If they read it, they do not need me to present it again to them in the same way. Instead, I try to create ways for them to get the information again but in a different way. Perhaps they need to apply it to a case study, or film themselves explaining it to a friend or family member, or, if they are unlucky, I might invite them to stand up in class and act it out. Learning the same information in different ways helps us to understand it more thoroughly and to remember it.

What are the three qualities that you think make for a great teacher?

1. A great teacher has to relate to their students. In other words, they cannot simply be conveyers of information, they need to form the connection between the information and their students. The more they know their students, the better they will be at presenting information in a personalized and relevant way.
2. A great teacher will look for ways to make learning enjoyable. Some material can be a little dry or complex and I believe it is a teacher’s job to find a way to make it enjoyable, perhaps with a game or a group activity or a funny way of remembering it.
3. A great teacher has to teach all the students in the room. So often some students will feel left out in the beginning of the semester and then go on to slowly disengage throughout the rest of the semester. I think a great teacher should have her eye on these students and find ways to bring them back in and make them feel included and important too. 

How do you envision incorporating teaching into your future career?

I love to teach and I used to do it full time. Now, I have decided to transition to a role in which I will be practicing medicine primarily. However, I intend to continue to look for opportunities to teach classes here and there when possible. I find that I never understand material better than when I teach it. 

How do you relax after a long day of teaching?

Walking is the most relaxing activity for me after a day of teaching or preparing classes. I like to take my dog to the woods and walk for a few miles. Sometimes I listen to music and sometimes I walk in silence. These days it is dark by the time I get to do this so I wear reflective gear and bring a flashlight. I love looking up at the dark trees against the sky. It is also very satisfying to have a happy and tired pup at the end of a long walk!

What are you streaming that you want others to know about?

This has nothing to do with teaching but I have been loving a new series on HBO called Somebody Somewhere. It depicts a very disarming friendship and it always makes me happy when I watch it. I highly recommend it! The only sad thing is that it was canceled after three seasons.