Completing the Certificate of Accomplishment in Teaching (CoAT) program has been a richly rewarding experience. It has given me a framework to develop my teaching style through workshops, critical self-reflection and putting together a college teaching portfolio. The process of putting this portfolio online has reinforced two principles I strive to apply in my classroom:
1. Whatever you want to say, be prepared to show your work, as in this clip from "How I Met Your Mother" starting at 0:40.
2. Don't tell students what they can figure out themselves.
When I left teaching high school to come to NC State, it was because I was inspired by my students to become a better scientist and teacher. I knew that hands-on experience was the best way to learn, but wasn't sure what that looked like in a college or lecture setting. I knew that a science teacher without experience is no science teacher at all.
What the CoAT program has taught me is to look at my classroom in the same way I do my scientific research. Look for evidence. You can't just say that you're a reformed educator. Show your work. Be able to bring out specific examples that show what kind of teacher you are. I feel well prepared to plan lessons and evaluate how well they work, because I can look at them as data, without letting personal pride get in the way. Sure, I might think a particular lecture on minerals is the bee's knees, but if the evidence shows a lack of student engagement and content building, it's time for a re-write. And when it's that time, I know that I have a university full of professional development resources, workshops and supportive faculty to accomplish my goals. This "show your work" mantra also makes sure I am encouraging students to be self-reflective learners who are aware not only of what they do know, but of what they don't, and how to change that.
I have always brought a great deal of enthusiasm and spirit into the classroom. Through the careful process of self-reflection, and multiple iterations with the same course, I've learned how to use this as a tool to stimulate student growth. I've learned to connect with a population very different from my high school students, and to appreciate the needs of diverse learners in my classroom. Not everyone will be a scientist, and it's not my job to make them one. It is my responsibility to encourage students' objectivity, help them process the onslaught of data this world provides, and stimulate a lifelong appreciation for the world around them. I have learned that students respond positively when you help them make connections between the content area and their interests. And for the students who make those connections and realize they do want to be a scientist? They will have those skills as well.
I want to continue to be a better practitioner of reformed teaching and learning activities that engage students at a deeper level than traditional classroom instruction. The use of inquiry-based learning tools is part of the second goal mentioned above: to never tell students what they can figure out themselves. As I work on my PhD program in Geoscience Education, I want to challenge students ideas of what a lecture looks like, and what their and my role is within the lecture setting. I am looking forward to pushing myself as I expand my teaching role in our department from MEA 110: Physical Geology lab, to MEA 592: Geology of North Carolina for Teachers (Summer II 2011) and MEA 101: Physical Geology lecture (Fall 2011).