DW
Unit: School of Education and Human Development
Department: School of Education and Human Development
Office location and address
Bavaro Hall 234B
417 Emmet St S
Charlottesville,
Virginia
22903
Education
Ph.D., Oregon State University, 1998
M.S., University of Rhode Island, 1985
B.S., University of Rhode Island, 1980
M.S., University of Rhode Island, 1985
B.S., University of Rhode Island, 1980
Publications
Courses
Credits: 1
Mindfulness practice is bringing full, non-judgmental attention to what is happening in the present moment. Classes include instruction in four core practices: body scan, mindful yoga, sitting, and walking meditation. The practical application of mindfulness in mind-body awareness, health maintenance, mindful eating, stress reduction, and communication will be explored through exercises & group discussion.
Credits: 1
Aikido is a traditional, non-violent yet effective Japanese martial art. Aikido focuses on harmonizing with your opponent to bring peaceful resolution to conflict situations. Students learn how to redirect an attacker's energy into joint locks and throws. This course focuses on the basics of aikido, including conditioning, safe falling and rolling, and self-defense techniques.
Credits: 1
This course strives to develop the mind and body through martial arts. There will be an introduction to basic moves followed by more challenging techniques over the course of the semester. There is an equal emphasis on striking and grappling. This course is only offered when there is a qualified instructor available.
Credits: 1
This course will introduce students to mindfulness practices, and prepare you to instruct your peers in mindfulness meditation in settings like school, work, clubs, and sport. Current research and adaptations of mindfulness in settings such as health care, education, and athletics will be explored. Training includes exercises in embodied presence, deep listening, and facilitating dialogue. No previous meditation experience necessary.
Credits: 1
Spending time in nature and practicing mindfulness are two of the best ways to destress and stay balanced and resilient. This course is focused on learning mindfulness through connecting with the natural world and hiking the nature trails on grounds. Each week we will explore principles of mindfulness, emotional resilience, and nature connection through both playful and reflective activities in nature.
Credits: 1
Through this course, you will learn foundational skills for bringing mindfulness-based contemplative practices into your personal life, community, and professional environments. Students will deepen their own mindfulness practice while learning to lead contemplative practices and infuse mindfulness into facilitation and leadership settings. Students will apply what they are learning to a specific dimension of their life.
Credits: 1
Spending time in nature enhances physical and mental wellbeing. This course focuses on how to engage with nature in the most impactful and safe way possible. Classes will include engaging nature (i.e., "forest bathing"), demystifying the outdoors, planning appropriately for a safe wilderness engagement, and discussing the history of Grounds as a restorative setting. Classes will routinely incorporate hikes or walks on and off Grounds.
Credits: 1
All tennis classes include participants from beginners through intermediate/advanced players. Instruction is tailored to the level of class participants. Classes stress proper use of the basic fundamentals including proper strokes, court positions and strategy for singles and doubles. Rules, terminology, and etiquette are equally stressed.
Credits: 1
Pickleball is a Lifetime Physical Activity class that will focus on skill development and understanding of strategies and rules of the game. The game, one of the fastest growing activities in the U.S., is played with a paddle, wiffle ball, and a three-foot high net on a badminton-sized court. The class will have an emphasis on basic skills, scoring, rules, etiquette, and strategy.
Credits: 1
The basic fundamentals of skills and shots, including serves, forehand, and backhand are stressed, along with rules and game strategy
Credits: 1
The basic fundamentals of skills and shots, including serves, forehand, and backhand are stressed, along with rules and game strategy. All levels are welcome. A racquet can be provided, but all participants will need their own protective eyewear and non-marking shoes.
Credits: 1
This class is open to beginners through intermediate/advanced players. Classes emphasize the fundamental skills and rules of volleyball, as well as basic team play and strategy.
Credits: 1
This class is open to beginners through intermediate/advanced players. Covers the basic skills of soccer such as dribbling, shooting, passing, heading, and trapping. Students will learn drills and participate in game playing.
Credits: 1
An intermediate-level class, as well as a class specifically for women are offered. Emphasis is on the fundamentals of dribbling, passing, shooting and rebounding. Rules and game strategy are also covered and practiced through participation in games throughout the class.
Credits: 1
The emphasis of this class is on the fundamentals of dribbling, passing, shooting and rebounding. Rules and game strategy are also covered and practiced through participation in drills and games throughout the class.
Credits: 1
This class is open to beginners through intermediate/advanced players. Instruction is provided on a group basis at a local golf club (Birdwood). Emphasis is placed on grip, stance, and swing in addition to etiquette and rules. Additional fees apply to this class. Note that students are required to find their own transportation to Birdwood Golf Course.
Credits: 1
The basic fundamentals of skills and shots, including serves, forehand, and backhand are stressed, along with the rules and game strategy. Singles and doubles play will be stressed.
Credits: 1
Ultimate frisbee, or Ultimate, as it is now called, is a non-contact team sport that combines running, passing, and catching. It combines the "best" of soccer, football, and netball into a fast-paced game that is at once simple and complicated. Get ready for an aerobic workout while learning the skills and strategies of a game that has huge local and national appeal.
Credits: 1
Beginning (I) and intermediate (II) levels of swimming are offered (simultaneously; instructors will determine participant levels the first week of the class). The beginner level is designed for students who have little or no prior swimming knowledge and emphasizes basic stroke development and safety skills. The intermediate level stresses the improvement of strokes, kicking and breathing. Deep water skills are also taught.
Credits: 1
This course is designed to improve fitness level through cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, and flexibility training. It also covers stroke mechanics, basic water safety, and components of fitness. A basic knowledge of swim strokes and ability to swim multiple laps is required.
Credits: 1
Beginning scuba (I) is offered for those with no experience or certification. Advanced scuba (II) requires that the student possess a basic scuba certification. Both classes emphasize the skills of skin diving and scuba, along with the physiology of diving, first aid, and decompression. Both classes are offered off-grounds and have additional fees.
Credits: 1
Prerequisites: Basic Scuba Certification. Class meetings are held off campus at local dive sites, and transportation is the student's responsibility. Contact instructor directly for class fee, and rental needs if you do not have all the equipment needed.
Credits: 1
This is a coed class intended for all levels of experience with weight training. Emphasis is placed on learning proper lifting technique and designing individualized programs.
Credits: 1
Yoga is the practice of uniting the mind and body in a series of postures or a meditation in motion. The type of yoga offered will be contingent on the skills of the instructor. All yoga classes focus on a series of postures that strengthen the muscles, increase flexibility, energize the body and cultivate mental and emotional calmness. The class will begin with instruction on basic postures and progress to an intermediate level.
Credits: 1
Core training is a series of controlled movements engaging one's body and mind that focuses on improving flexibility and strength for the total body without building bulk. Emphasis is placed on strengthening the "core" or "powerhouse" of the body, including the abdominal muscles, the back and the butt.
Credits: 1
Climbing improves strength, agility, balance, and mental stamina. This course is geared mostly for beginners and will focus on technique and training strategies to enjoy this lifetime sport. Most classes will be on the Bouldering Wall at the Outdoor Recreation Center with some sessions at the Poplar Ridge Challenge Course to introduce belaying and other rope-based skills.
Credits: 1
Emphasis is placed on increasing cardiovascular endurance through various forms of exercise, including, but not limited to, aerobic dance, circuit training, running, and other aerobic activities. Resistance exercise will also be included such as squats, push-ups, crunches, and weights.
Credits: 1
Open to runners of all levels. Instruction may include road, off-road, speedwork, interval training, and hill work. Training to meet individual needs.
Credits: 1
This class is for women of all ability and experience levels, but is especially designed for women with little to no formal instruction in weight training. Emphasis is placed on learning proper lifting technique and designing individualized programs.
Credits: 1
Climbing is one of many possible goal-driven activities that have 'flow'' potential. The course explores climbing as a tool for engaging the body in the flow of the mind and vice versa and its contribution to heightened body/mind awareness without formal 'meditation'. Discovering such body/mind engagement through a concrete, stimulating activity can transfer to other domains (such as academic success and overall resilience).
Credits: 1
Course covers the basic steps, vocabulary, and variations of dance in various fields. Students learn basic techniques based on ballet and modern dance. Through daily warm-ups and exercises, students gain strength, flexibilty, endurance, and coordination.
Credits: 1
Presents the basic step patterns, rhythmic patterns and positions in ballroom dance. Includes techniques based upon traditional (American Style Ballroom) steps with basic choreographic patterns. Emphasizes proper lead and follow. Will be tailored to students' interests and strengths.
Credits: 1
Recommended for beginners, but is open to students with all levels of experience. The class emphasizes the risk management & environmental concerns of hiking while providing students with the tools to plan their own hiking trips. This class takes place both on & off grounds with some indoor class portions, like in the case of inclement weather. Students must provide their own gear, such as appropriate clothes for the weather & a daypack.
Credits: 1
This class is an introduction to Latin dancing including Salsa, Bachata, Merengue, Cha-cha and other forms of Latin partner dance. We will cover the fundamentals of leading and following, as well as beginner and intermediate dance patterns, musicality, and styling for each dance.
Credits: 3
This course will focus on the social and psychological factors related to participation in sport and physical activity over the life span. Personal factors that influence sport & exercise behavior (e.g., personality, self-perceptions, age, gender, race), situational factors (e.g., observational learning, motivational climate, socioeconomic level), and psychological methods for enhancing sport and exercise behavior will be reviewed.
Credits: 3
This course will focus on key interpersonal and psychological knowledge, skills and applications to guide successful practice with clients in health-related contexts. Effective communication and cultural competence serve as foundational skills, and strategies (motivational interviewing, managing stress, goal setting) will be reviewed and practiced. Topics will align with American College of Sports Medicine and other similar certifications.
Credits: 1–6
Independent Study
Credits: 1–6
Directed Research under supervision of faculty member.
Credits: 3
This course will focus on biological, psychological and social development from birth through older adulthood. Topics will be presented via discussion of underlying theory, research, and application, with attention to how gender, race, SES, and cohort impact development. Concepts of consistency and change will be stressed. Throughout, students will be encouraged to examine and even question their own beliefs about what it means to "grow up".
Credits: 3
This course will focus on key issues in adult psychological and physical development. We will explore development from a biopsychosocial perspective, examining topics such as health, cognitive function, personality, interpersonal relationships, and work. This will be a theory-to-practice class, with an emphasis on current theories of optimal or successful aging. In particular, we will focus on how adults respond and adapt to changes in their health, their environment, and their sense of self. Contexts for development will include education, health care, the family, and the community, with attention to individual differences (gender, race, ethnicity).
Credits: 3
This course will focus on key issues in motivation across multiple domains such as school, sport, and work. Theories and supporting research will be reviewed, and practical applications to real-world contexts stressed. Topics will include psychological needs, cognitions, emotions, and individual differences (e.g., age, race, gender), and how these issues impact theory development and the practical application of theoretical constructs.
Credits: 1–6
Prerequisite: Instructor permission.
Credits: 1–12
Designed to give masters students experience conducting research in professional settings appropriate to their disciplines. Prerequisites: Permission of Advisor
Credits: 1–6
Opportunities for experienced doctoral students to teach courses or partial courses at the University, or to supervise student teachers under the guidance of a faculty member. Opportunities are arranged by the students with the assistance of the sponsoring faculty member.
Credits: 1–12
Under close faculty guidance, students work on an area of interest not covered by the curriculum. A plan of study must be signed by the faculty sponsor and filed in the student's permanent file in the Office of Student Affairs. Prerequisite: Instructor permission.
Credits: 3–12
Designed to give doctoral students experience conducting research in professional settings appropriate to their disciplines. Prerequisites: Advisor Permission Required.