The psychology professor’s wonderful teaching journey

How did she pull herself up to go to another country to teach under the age of 23, how did she teach students to build personal resource? Today we are honored to have Dr. Amrita Kaur from the College of Liberial Arts, who have a doctorate in psychology, to share her unique education experiences. Dr Amrita Kaur, or Ms Nikki as she is fondly called by her students, is passionate about life and education. As a professor who had taught in India, Thailand and Malaysia, Nikki has rich experience in international educations.

India was the starting point of her wonderful teaching journey abroad. For a young lady under the age of 23, teaching in India was undoubtedly a challenging task. However, Nikki said that that time ignited her passion in psychology and pedagogy and laid the ground for her pedagogy and psychology research.

She moved to Thailand a few years later. She found Thai students to be relatively quiet and gentle which was in contrast with the Indian students who are more vocal and competitive. She began to pay attention to the differences in the attitudes and styles of learning among students from different backgrounds. After almost 13 years in Thailand, she moved to Malaysia in 2013 to take up an academic position in a university. Her research journey continued and prospered in Malaysia wherein she conducted several researches.

In 2020, she and her husband were both offered an academic position at WKU which gave her the opportunity to move to China. When asked why she chose China as her next destination, Nikki replied, “Wenzhou-Kean University is a young university, and China remains a magical attraction to me. Here, I have met professors from all over the world and learned a lot about the rigorous learning attitudes of Chinese students.” She is happy with the university environment and is glad that her colleagues are friendly and her students are diligent and inquisitive.

As a psychology professor, Nikki shares her teaching methods. She usually creates a conducive environment for students to immerse themselves in the learning instead of giving typical presentations. Nikki tries to get students to involved in their own learning through a number of activities since she believes in ‘learning by doing’. She provides individual attention to all the students in her class and makes sure that nobody is left behind.

No matter which country she goes to, Nikki will actively integrate into the country’s life and culture, learn the local language, and experience the local folklore. “Embracing new culture encourages me to learn more and facilitate my research. At the same time, to be able to inspire students in a new school with my teaching philosophy is my pleasure.”

As a determined researcher of psychology and a meticulous observer of pedagogy, WKU’s teaching work has well met her expectations and made her full of enthusiasm for her future career and life. She is eager to make progress together with young WKU and make breakthroughs together.

Writer:Zanxiang YIN

Proofreader:Alisa LAI