Vicki L Olson

Professor Emerita

CB 312
olsonv@augsburg.edu

“I believe both in the process and content of learning. Students have to learn both how to do things and to know the information. I believe in a lot of interactive learning that involves students interacting with each other. I believe that you learn by seeing, doing and hearing. You have to be curious to be a good teacher – curious about the world. Questions are often more important than the answers and getting people to ask themselves questions matters more than coming up with a set answer. So when I teach, I use lots of whys”

The education program at Augsburg has a good balance of theory and practice, both being important, but practical experience in not ignored. “There is a lot of good practical experience in the Minneapolis and surrounding schools.”

Vicki said the education faculty provides quality advising and they try to tailor their teaching to students needs as much as possible. “We not only talk about the ways of teaching, we model quality ways of teaching to build student success.”

Vicki sings in the Masterworks Chorale of Augsburg University and in her church choir.

Education

  • B.S. University of Minnesota
  • M.S. University of Minnesota
  • Ph.D. University of Minnesota

Current Research Interests

  • Vicki is currently working with three other institutions on the best way to help pre-service teachers to learn to teach reading.