Meet Douglas Lecorchick ’17 EDD: I Want to Create an Atmosphere of Critical Reasoning

“I have learned that if an individual can become engaged in and inspired by what they are doing, then great things can — and usually do — happen.”

This is part of a series of profiles of faculty who joined the NC State College of Education in 2018-19.

Why I Chose NC State College of Education: As a doctoral student, I experienced the high standards and expectations to which the NC State College of Education holds its students. The reason for choosing the NC State College of Education, specifically the Department of STEM Education, are the people I will be working alongside. There’s no place I would rather be.

Why I Chose Education: There is something I find very exciting about complex problems, and I have always been intrigued by them. The way individuals and teams frame, explore and ultimately accept solutions to problems is fascinating to me. I posit that we can teach more efficient ways to navigate complex problems to create more dynamic problem solvers.

Why I Pursued an Ed.D.: Earning an Ed.D. was not a lifelong dream of mine. During undergraduate and graduate studies, I often had professors comment that my questions during class were thought-provoking, and they suggested I should consider the vocation of higher education. There is something I am instinctively drawn toward about taking chaotic information and presenting it in a comprehensible manner. Higher education seems to be a great platform to do so in.

My Teaching Philosophy: My main objective inside the classroom is to help create an atmosphere of critical reasoning. When students are introduced, engaged, and then inspired to embrace content I feel a sense of accomplishment.

Who Inspired My Teaching Philosophy: The most impactful educator was my 10th-12th grade AutoCAD teacher. We stay in touch to this day. He showed me how to become excited about something inside the classroom and how to spark interest and enthusiasm in others. Since then, I have learned that if an individual can become engaged in and inspired by what they are doing then great things can and usually do happen.

What I Hope My Student Learn From Me: My hope is that students will view our time together as valuable. If I can demonstrate how to think and reason critically about our content, then I am sure my students will walk away from my class with something they feel was worthy of their time.