Teaching

I have extensive experience as a teacher in both academic and practice-based settings. I've used my love of teaching and abilities in the classroom to enhance my work as a physical therapist. As a professor, I learned how important respect, compassion, honesty and clarity are to effective instruction; as a clinician, I believe these same attributes are critically important to patient-centered care. I have worked as a lecturer and instructor for several courses at Dartmouth College, the University of British Columbia, and Utah State University. I have also designed and taught field-based short courses for managers and scientists engaged in environmental monitoring. I truly loved the process of teaching, including the development of curricula, the design of exams and assignment, leading practical field or classroom activities, lecturing small or large classes, and one-on-one consultation with students.

Teaching Philosophy

My approach to teaching had three main components:

Respect my students. I believe in the ability of all students to comprehend, appreciate, and critically evaluate the information or problem before them. Furthermore, I realized that I could learn as much from my students as they could learn from me.

Have patience. I recognized that for some students, time was the only thing they need to progress from confusion to understanding. If I showed my students I was willing to stick with them, they were more likely to keep trying themselves.

Be dedicated. I knew that I must show as much genuine interest and enthusiasm for my subject as I hoped to get from my students. Though I could not expect every student to love all topics I taught, my energy and excitement about a concept could make the process less intimidating and potentially more fun.

Fundamentally, I believe that teachers, particularly those in the environmental sciences, play a critical role in the development of creative, thoughtful, and responsible citizens. I hope I inspired a generation that will find the means and the desire to tackle the enormous environmental problems facing our Earth now and in the future.

Teaching Strategies

My teaching philosophy required that I use a range of teaching tools, including interactive lectures, visual demonstrations, project-based lessons, hands-on learning, field trips, group participation, and one-on-one assistance. Teaching in the environmental sciences is well-suited to these methods, because of the myriad opportunities for students to physically engage with the subject matter and the practical applications of what they learn. My teaching approach included the following strategies:

Engage students. I frequently asked the class questions to encourage active listening and evaluation of the topics. I also included personal anecdotes and often ask students about their experiences to help make an idea accessible. I drew diagrams or use props and images as a way to ward off monotony and stimulate other modes of learning. My own learning style is visually oriented, thus my lectures were often arranged around visual representations of ideas. I supplied an outline for each lesson so that the students can easily focus their attention. These techniques facilitated the engagement of students.

Incorporate activities and projects. Project-based learning, field trips, and group participation were a significant part of the classes I teach. Through my teaching experiences and my own education, I’ve discovered that activities and problem-solving allow students to critically evaluate and apply the ideas they learn in lecture. Furthermore, hands-on learning can introduce students to the tools used by environmental scientists in both management and research settings. Demonstrating to students how their newly learned skills can be applied in a practical setting makes the experience more meaningful and enjoyable. For example, as a teaching assistant for an undergraduate geologic field course, I helped students find their way, using only a topographic map and a Brunton compass, across a vast mountainous Montana landscape, recording the geologic features they observed along the way. Upon returning to camp, the students used their hand-drawn maps to reconstruct the geologic history of the area they had traversed and identify possible locations of valuable mineral deposits. Exciting, challenging, and practical, this assignment made the students feel empowered by their geologic lesson.

Introduce students to their local environment. Readily available sources of information, such as weather reports or maps, become infinitely more interesting when students are taught how to interpret and apply them to their everyday life. Likewise, awakening students to the lessons in their local environment alters how they perceive their surroundings and the relevance of what they learn. For example, as an instructor for an introductory geography course, I required students to observe daily weather patterns for three days and then explain their observations from weather maps and data they collected themselves. Applying classroom knowledge to explain phenomena they observed everyday was an eye-opening and empowering experience for many of my students.

Encourage collaboration. By encouraging my students to work together, I demonstrated my respect and trust in my students’ abilities and help balance the unequal learning paces that often exist in introductory level courses. Students helped one another without direct guidance from the instructor, gaining confidence, reinforcing their own knowledge, and promoting camaraderie, elements that will help them in whatever profession they choose.

Be available. Helping students individually was often the most difficult and yet the most rewarding parts of being a teacher. I made sure that students feel comfortable approaching me for help, because I know that everyone learns at a different pace. If a student is willing to try, I did my utmost to guide them towards understanding. My students often told me how grateful they are that I remain positive and perseverant as they struggle, because it gave them the resolve to keep trying. Breakthroughs were as satisfying to me as it was for the students.

For me, all elements of the teaching process were immensely enjoyable and richly rewarding. Desire for knowledge, critical thinking, and analytical skills are qualities that can be taught and cultivated by effective teachers.

Courses Taught

Utah State University

Intermountain Center for River Rehabilitation and Restoration

Stream Restoration Short Courses

Instructor

Designed, coordinated, and helped instruct afternoon field activities; through site visits and field activities, taught students methods of environmental monitoring and river restoration; gave hour-long lectures in class; clientele included managers, graduate students, government researchers, and staff of non-profit agencies.

Watershed Sciences/Geology 3600: Geomorphology

Instructor

Responsible for preparing and delivering three hour-long lectures a week, writing and administering exams, answering student questions in-person and via email, addressing administrative tasks, developing and grading class assignments, and coordinating and assisting with weekly labs and field trips. Upper level course for undergraduate and graduate students covering the topics of geomorphic processes, origin of landforms and surficial deposits with an emphasis on fluvial and hillslope landscape elements and surficial geologic mapping.

Geography 1000: Physical Geography

Instructor

Responsible for preparing and delivering three hour-long lectures a week, writing and administering exams, answering student questions in-person and via email, addressing administrative tasks, and developing and grading class assignments. High-enrollment, introductory level course covering the geographic analysis of physical processes and spatial distribution of natural elements (i.e., the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere).

Natural Resources 2220: General Ecology

Guest Lecturer, 27 April 2010

Lecture: ‘Restoration Ecology 101: Focus on River Ecosystems’

University of British Columbia

Geography 103: Introduction to Physical Geography: Water and Landscapes

Sessional Instructor, January – April, 2009

Prepared and delivered hour-long lectures three times a week to a 200-person class of first- to fourth-year undergraduates from a range of disciplines; wrote and administered exams; answered student questions in-person and via email; dealt with administrative tasks and student concerns. Topics covered: fluvial processes and landforms; glacial processes and landforms; weathering and erosion; mass movements; anthropogenic impacts.

Lab Coordinator, January – April, 2009

Managed and advised six teaching assistants in the instruction of 16 two-hour labs per week; organized instructional materials; dealt with administrative tasks, scheduling conflicts, and student concerns; prepared final laboratory examination. Topics covered: topographic maps; plate boundaries; hydrology; rivers and fluvial landforms; glacial processes and landforms; mass movements and human impacts.

Teaching Assistant, 2005 – 2008

Taught two or three two-hour lab assignments to classes of 30-40 students; gave interactive lectures and hands-on instruction; graded weekly lab assignments, multi-part projects, and final lab exams. Topics covered: topographic maps, plate boundaries, hydrology, rivers and fluvial landforms, glacial processes and landforms, mass movements and human impacts.

Author, Teaching Guide, 2007

‘Teaching Notes for Geography 103: Introduction to Physical Geography: Water and Landscapes’

Author, Laboratory Assignment, 2006

‘Rivers and Fluvial Landforms’

Geography 102: Introduction to Physical Geography: Climate and Vegetation

Teaching Assistant, 2005 - 2008

Taught two or three two-hour lab assignments to classes of 30-40 students; gave interactive lectures and hands-on instruction; graded weekly lab assignments, multi-part projects, and final lab exams. Topics covered: atmospheric energy transfer, adiabatic processes, wind and circulation, vegetation in the field, land cover change, vegetation communities and succession.

Guest Lecturer, 26 November, 2007

Lecture: ‘Desert Biome’

Author, Teaching Guide, 2006

‘Teaching Notes for Geography 102: Introduction to Physical Geography: Climate and Vegetation’

Dartmouth College

Teaching assistant, 2003 – 2005

Department of Earth Sciences; Department of Environmental Studies

Courses: Introduction to Hydrology; Field Studies in Earth Sciences; Global Environmental Change