COE Faculty Profile

Matthew Keefer, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Division Chair
Division of Educational Psychology, Research and evaluation

Undergraduate and Graduate courses taught include:

EdPsy 3312 Psychology of Teaching and Learning
EdPsy 7640 Changing Perspectives in Educational Psychology
EdPsy 6111 Psychology of Education
EdPsy 6210 Life Span: Individual and Family Development
EdPsy 3610 The Psychology of Learning Processes
EdPsy 6220 The Psychology of the Elementary School Child
EdPsy 6225 The Psychology of Adolescents

Four Principles of Teaching

Active student learning

My philosophy of teaching is constructivist and places an emphasis on students’ active engagement. Students, ideally, should approach knowledge from research and theory as they were initially intended, as solutions to problems and, often, as arguments in the context of an ongoing debate (Bereiter, 1993). In my classes, I alternate between more information-based learning formats (lecture/discussion) and more experiential leaner-centered critical discussions. Recently, my use of mygateway has included extensive use of the discussion board where students have an opportunity to express their views regarding application of theories and concepts. In these discussions, students present their own views as well as make comments regarding other students’ posts.

Accountability to knowledge of course content

In all of my courses, I try to make it clear to students that they will be accountable to knowledge of the course context. While I attempt to encourage students to apply their own knowledge and experience to concepts, facts, and theories they encounter, I also emphasize the importance of demonstrating their knowledge of curricular content. Essential to acquiring knowledge of course content is developing an awareness of the theoretical frame from which that knowledge is formed and kind of evidence is can be provided in support of it. In my courses, I encourage students to develop a mature understanding of scientific research and findings.

Promote critical thinking

Another very important instructional goal included in all courses I teach is to highlight the importance of critical thinking. Research and theories in the social sciences often carry implicit assumptions concerning the nature of the learners, their relationship to learning contexts, and their relationship to other learners (teachers and students). Making such assumptions explicit by analysis and class discussion not only improves the quality of education (what is learned) but increases the chance that what is learned will be significant to the learner and hence improves the chance for long term retention and transfer. In both my philosophy and method of teaching, the development of critical thinking is an inherent part of the instructional process (and related to the accountability to course content). I also try to model constructive criticism of students’ ideas after students’ research presentations. At first, I experienced some difficulty helping some education students understand that this type of critique and analysis is not a personal criticism.

High expectations for students’ work

Stressing the importance of knowledge of concepts, and critical knowledge of theories that produce that knowledge, is obviously a difficult task. By modeling and by being somewhat uncompromising in this task, I believe my classes have provided students with high expectations for student learning and achievement. Personally, I find one of the most gratifying aspects of teaching to be when one is successful in inspiring some students to go well beyond what is ‘required’ in their acquisition and demonstration of knowledge and learning.

Research Interests:

Research and scholarship focuses on the areas of cognitive studies in teaching and moral education. Publications include articles in the fields of moral philosophy and moral psychology, discourse and argumentation studies, inquiry-teaching, and professional ethics.

My research has a cross-disciplinary focus including philosophical and theoretical analyses that have guided my empirical research studies. My empirical research has combined analyses of cognitive discourse guided by philosophical writing in argumentation, practical reasoning, and ethics. My more theoretical publications have utilized philosophical writing in ethics, and practical reasoning that draw on the classical, casuist, and other writing within the neo-Aristotelian tradition -e.g., the work of Joseph Raz, Michael Walzer, Stephen Toulmin, and Charles

Professional Academic and Research Experience:

Post Doctoral Researcher, University of Pittsburgh , Learning Research and Development Center , September, 1994-96 with Dr. Lauren Resnick

Associate Professor of Educational Psychology, University of Missouri, St Louis, Missouri September, 1996 - 2002

Associate Professor of Educational Psychology, University of Missouri , St Louis , Missouri September, 2002, present

REPRESENTATIVE PUBLICATIONS:

Keefer, M.W. (2006). A Critical Comparison of Classical and Domain Theory: Some Implications for Character Education. The Journal of Moral Education, 35(3): 369-386.

Keefer, M. W. (2005) Making Good Use of Online Case Study Materials Science and Engineering Ethics Vol 11, 413-429.

Keefer, M. W. (2003) Moral Reasoning and Case-based Approaches to Ethical Instruction in Science. In D. L. Zeidler (Ed) The Role of Moral Reasoning on Socioscientific Issues and Discourse in Science Education , (p. 241-259). Kluwer Academic Publishers: AA Dordrecht , The Netherlands

Keefer, M.W., (2002) Designing reflections on practice: Helping teachers apply cognitive learning principles in an SFT - inquiry-based learning program . Interchange A quarterly review of education. Vol 33/4 , 395-417

Keefer, M.W., & Ashley, K.D. (2001). Case-based Approaches to Professional Ethics: A systematic comparison of students' and ethicists' moral reasoning. The Journal of Moral Education Vol. 30, (4) 377-398.

Keefer, M.W., Zeitz , C.M., & Resnick , L.B. (2000). Judging the Rational Quality of Peer-Led Student Dialogues. Cognition and Instruction , 18 (1), 55-83.

•  Keefer, M. W., (1999) Challenges in teaching professional ethics: Theoretical and practical issues. Symposium presented at the Association for Moral Education Annual Meeting: November, Minneapolis , MN .  Some Preliminary Thoughts On Reasoning With Cases:  A Cognitive Science Approach,   Rosa Lynn Pinkus , Micki Chi, Judith McQuaide , Kevin Ashley, and Martha Pollack. The Role of Middle-level Principles in the Resolution of Practical Ethical Dilemmas. Matthew W. Kevin, A. Ashley. What Can Philosophy Contribute to Professional Ethics? Michael Pritchard

Keefer, M.W. (1997) Distinguishing practical and theoretical reasoning: A critique of Deanna Kuhn's theory of informal argument. Informal Logic, 18(1): 35-55

 Ashley, K. D., & Keefer, M. W. (1996) Ethical reasoning strategies and their relation to case-based instruction: Some preliminary results. Proceedings of the Eighteenth Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society , San Diego CA , July, 1996.

 Keefer, M.W., (1996) The inseparability of morality and personal well being: The Duty/ Virtue debate in moral education - revisited. The Journal of Moral Education. 25, (3) 277-290

Keefer, M.W., & Olson, D. (1995) Moral reasoning and moral concern: An alternative to Gilligan's gender based hypothesis. Canadian Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 27(4) 420-437 

Dr. Keefer has experience as a PI on several different research projects including the following:

• An NSF (SDEST) funded study investigating relationships between case-based instruction in engineering ethics and cognitive analyses of ethical reasoning strategies.
• Dr. Keefer is presently working on another NSF (SDEST) research grant to study internet supported problem-based learning approaches to teaching professional ethics in science and engineering in collaboration with Dr. Caroline Whitbeck at CWRU.
• Dr. Keefer was also the sole PI for a more recent Interagency Educational Research Initiative (NSF) award aimed at improving students' understanding of reading, mathematics, and science. The project is titled: An Inquiry-based Approach to Professional Development: Using prototypes to help teachers reflect on project-based learning and is funded for $253,482.00.  The project focuses on the collaborative development of curriculum, teaching, and assessment tools designed to help teachers implement a problem-based learning program.
• Dr. Keefer has also been a Co-PI or sole PI on three other major research and professional development projects funded by the James S. McDonnell Foundation. These projects produced innovative new curricula and professional development tools for teachers in the St Louis region.
• In summer 2002 Dr. Keefer participated in an NSF sponsored summer institute focusing on online ethics instruction.

• Ethics
• Problem Solving
• Professional Development
• Teacher Cognition
• Teacher Knowledge