Philosophy of Teaching Inclusively & Equitably

Teaching Philosophy

Seminal to my academic experience, is the freedom that my parents were denied by the Communist regime they were raised under. This academic privilege afforded me the opportunity to move beyond the desire to achieve not only an undergraduate education, but a graduate degree—achievements that were mere pipe dreams for my parents. My mother and father were both raised in the Czech Republic under the Communist regime of the Soviet Union. Their education was limited, hampered by Soviet ideals that prohibited them from pursuing their own interests. In defiance and out of sheer courage, my parents defected the Czech Republic at the climax of the Cold War. They lacked college educations, yet were, and continue to be, able to forge an individualism that they continually impart unto me. In response to their bravery, I take every available chance to participate in and advance a constantly evolving and progressive field, the discipline of biology. It is nothing short of an intellectual privilege and great honor to be able to exercise my passions in a way that my parents could not. Within these desires lie a duty to extend my knowledge to students by imparting my skills and experiences to undergraduates who have the same interest in furthering their education.

Through my Graduate Teaching Assistantship, I have been fortunate enough to experience teaching first-hand as a graduate student. My excitement to teach was quickly struck before my first term of graduate school, as I learned which class I would be teaching: Human Anatomy & Physiology. Although I had taken physiology courses, I had never specifically studied anatomy, let alone taught a class before. Yet, I felt compelled to rise to the occasion. I tasked myself with first teaching myself, and then my students, the details of human anatomy at a level that would impart the same wonder and passion for learning that my parents and numerous mentors have imparted unto me. Throughout the quarter I worked hard to verse myself in the material and make sure each student was comfortable and confident with the content and concepts. I feel exceedingly fortunate to have had the ability to teach during graduate school, as it reminded me of the impact that an educator can have on the lives of others and helped me to reflect on the role my professors had played in my own education. At the end of the term, I was amazed by the overwhelming positive response from my student reviews and was gratified to know I was able to teach and inspire.

Beyond lectures, I was granted the opportunity to lead a human cadaver laboratory. This challenging and detail-oriented dissection lab proved to be an extremely useful teaching tool for both myself and students enrolled in my anatomy classes. I worked closely with undergraduate students who previously and successfully completed the Anatomy & Physiology lecture and laboratory sequence. My job was to train them on cadaver dissection techniques with the end goal of exposing muscles for student observation and testing. These students were cautious and diligent when dissecting, always worrying they would shred a muscle or cut a vein. I made sure they knew that everyone makes mistakes. I always let them know, “Don’t worry, if you mess up one arm, there’s always another.” The students appreciated this light-hearted gesture, as it helped foster a positive learning environment. It is important for students to know that failure is okay and, in fact, part of the learning process in science.

As an instructor, I want to ensure and maintain a level of transparency between students and myself. I firmly believe that it is an instructor’s responsibility to lay out their expectations for students. This is even more critical when challenging content increases barriers to student success. Throughout the three-term Human Anatomy & Physiology sequence, we cover a wide array of material. This breadth of content is covered in an appreciably short time span, often resulting in intimidated and overwhelmed students. Simply put, Anatomy & Physiology is rated as one of the hardest classes to pass at Portland State University. During lectures, I frequently emphasize to students which topics I strongly suggest they review in detail and topics that they only need to know superficially. In doing so, I hope to guide their studying and avoid the extra barrier that students often face when there is a lack of clarity. As an instructor, I am responsible for teaching biology to my students, but I also find it imperative to understand my students. I want to eliminate any imaginary wall that separates teacher from student and instead create a connection, relating to students and showing them that I too was once in their shoes. At the beginning of each term, I ask students to fill out a survey that will tell me more about their academic career, expectations for the course, and some light-hearted questions, such as what is their favorite baked good or flavor of bread. I also give my students the opportunity to tell me something that they think I should know. In doing so, I have learned what pronouns a student goes by, or how a student may have severe test anxiety – all of which have shaped how I approach teaching.

Students enter the classroom with differences in education, experience, personalities, and cultural backgrounds, which all contribute to the diversity of the classroom. Coming from a family of immigrants, I believe having a classroom of students of varying temperaments, talents, and convictions enriches the classroom experience and helps facilitate discussion and inquiry by introducing new perspectives. It is important to me that the classroom be treated as a sanctuary for growth, knowledge, and safety. Too often it is assumed that students have a safe place to go back to after class; I want students to know that in the hours they spend in my classroom, they are safe and this is a time for them to learn. Understanding that all students do not come into the classroom on equal or equitable footing allows me as an instructor to adjust my teaching style to be accessible to all students. For students with physical, mental, or emotional challenges, accommodations in the classroom, like extensions on due dates, various platforms for learning, distraction-reduced spaces for tests, hearing and vision tools, and other school resources can be paramount in their classroom success.

With diversity in students comes diversity in learning styles. I want to encourage metacognition in the classroom, allowing students to understand which ways they learn best. I believe in giving students frequent and diverse opportunities to earn points in the classroom through weekly assignments, in-class activities, and assessments. Providing students with regular opportunities to display their knowledge also gives me the opportunity to see how well students are learning the material and adjust how I deliver the material accordingly. Learning anatomy and physiology can be seen as learning a foreign language. By giving students a plethora of ways to learn throughout the class (e.g., mnemonics, visual aids, drawing exercises), I strive to facilitate the discovery of each student’s learning style. I plan to implement active learning exercises, such as think-pair-share, one-minute papers, and group work to help facilitate a student-centered classroom. I want to engage my students in their learning experience, giving students time to work independently and in groups, as scientists regularly do. Ultimately, I wish for students to leave the classroom knowing basic human anatomy and physiology and be comfortable applying those concepts to more complex problems.

As my graduate career continued to develop, I realized teaching is not limited to the classroom. Not satisfied with spending my first graduate ‘summer’ in educational stasis, I sought out and was able to participate in the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP), funded by the National Science Foundation. LSAMP enabled me to work directly with Adalid Pelayo, a former U.S. Marine. At first, I felt little connection to Adalid; he had formerly served in the armed forces and I had formerly served coffee at a volunteer clinic. This disconnect began to wane the more we worked together. I discovered, like me, Adalid was also a first-generation college student. Although he had never worked in a lab before, Adalid’s passion to learn was uplifting and drove me to further improve my ability to teach. I have since been actively participating in other programs to promote undergraduate research experiences to underrepresented populations by mentoring students in the Ronald E. McNair scholars and National Institutes of Health BUILD EXITO programs. These programs allow me to work with minority students, who are often first-generation and low-income, to get first-hand research experience. Though I had previously always sought out mentors, such as my undergraduate advisor Dr. Paul Yancey and my current principal investigator Dr. Jason Podrabsky, I finally found myself truly ready and willing to take on the role as an educator both in and outside of the classroom.

As I approach the end of my graduate career, I have found the confidence to move from mentee to mentor, from student to teacher, and from classmate to role model. I am actively pursuing and furthering my goals and aspirations to become an instructor in an undergraduate setting. This passion for teaching was imparted unto me, yet the ability to impart is exactly what I hope to gain. I hope that I will encounter students who too will build a passion for biology and that I may help them along their way. My desire to step into a more autonomous teaching role comes with the recognition that not all students will want to become biologists. This is not because they cannot, but they realize their passions fall elsewhere, whether that be moving to a different science discipline or leaving STEM altogether. I plan to provide students a foundation of biological knowledge and a confidence that carries them throughout their academic careers and personal lives, wherever that may be.