Teaching

Teaching Experience:

Head instructor:

Earth's Crust and Interior

Teaching assistant and/or lab instructor:

At Home in the Universe (a history of science and planetary geology course)

Physical Geology

Intro to field Geology

History of Earth and Life

Invertebrate Paleontology

Geologic Field Camp

Mapping and Landforms

Teaching Recognition:

Distinguished Teaching Assistant, University of Oklahoma, 2014

Outstanding Teaching Assistant, University of California, Riverside, 2018

Teaching Philosophies:

From my experience and understanding of current educational research, both specific to the geosciences and from broader educational studies, I affirm the following statements regarding courses and instruction.

  • Lower-division geoscience electives are vital for developing an informed public, equipping them in science literacy, an appreciation of the scientific method as a way to solve problems, and an appreciation of natural processes.

  • Core geology curriculum and graduate-level courses should equip students for futures in industry, government, or academia with knowledge of the course content, skills for further investigation (i.e. ability to read science literature and proficiency in designing projects), and the ability to communicate their knowledge both with other scientists and with the public.

  • In an ideal geology program instructors communicate their syllabi and course expectations with each other in order to minimize knowledge gaps and to direct instruction time to reinforcing and expanding upon key concepts rather than reteaching those students have already learned.

  • Audio, visual, and tactile learning should all be utilized in lab, lecture, and field work in order to best engage students with a variety of learning styles.

  • Field trips are a vital component of geoscience education, and there is no substitute for learning to observe and interpret geological features. Even students destined for subdisciplines that primarily rely on lab work or computer modeling need to have a working appreciation for field conditions as these impact sampling and data acquisition.

    • Starting the geoscience track with fun, low intensity field trips in the introductory levels and building up to more rigorous field work at advanced levels will help improve student comfort levels in the field, reducing anxiety and allowing them to focus more productively.

    • Technology (e.g. mobile compass apps, air photos, image sharing software, drones, etc.) can make field settings accessible to all students in ways not previously possible.

  • Assessments are part of the learning process, not simply an evaluation, especially for lower division students still learning how to study and evaluate their own understanding.

    • Low-pressure quizzes (e.g. only take half the quizzes as grades) encourage students to stay on top of course content and identify key misunderstandings, and they provide me an opportunity to see where further explanation is needed and improvements can be made for future classes.

    • The opportunity for partial-credit exam corrections with explanations provides opportunity and motivation for students to fix prior misunderstandings, work through the metacognition process of understanding their reasoning behind their initial answer, and they reduce testing anxiety and resulting mental paralysis.