Teaching

Teaching Philosophy

To thoroughly learn course content, a student has to be engaged with it, to question it, to examine it from all sides, and to try to apply  it in some way, whether by designing an experiment, making a prediction, or teaching the information to their peers. This is why I try to create a learning environment that focuses on discussion, student activities, and peer instruction whenever possible. There is no single way to teach. Teachers must take advantage of their own natural talents while being flexible enough to meet the diverse needs of their students. I believe my role in the classroom is to set up conditions that make learning possible and to mentor the students as they journey through the course material. I believe that most deep learning takes place outside of the classroom, however students often do not understand this.  To increase learning outside of the classroom I use a moderately structured classroom model, which has been shown to help all students, especially underrepresented student populations. With moderate structure, students always know what they are expected to do outside of the classroom. This helps them to stay on task, keep up with material, and avoid cramming before a test. Moderate structure also prepares them for each day of lecture. Time in class is vital as an opportunity for  students to put ideas together, ask questions, gain clarification, and discuss material with others. I believe students learn best when a lecture reviews material that they have already encountered  outside of class. 

Introductory biology requires a lot of memorization as well as the understanding of concepts. I have implemented several activities to transform what could be rote memorization into as active a process as possible. I recall what it is like to read a college science textbook: it is easy to get to the end of a paragraph and not recall what was just read. Therefore, I have created an active reading guide for my courses. These are questions that students answer while they read the book, to keep them engaged and focused on the topics most important for the course. Once this reading is completed, students either complete an online assignment or take a short reading quiz to test their comprehension of the material. In the classroom, students use their devices (phones, laptops, etc.) as clickers to answer questions, so that I can gauge their understanding of the reading as well as the material covered in lecture. For many complex and challenging  concepts, I create or find activities that help students to break concepts into manageable parts, apply it, and teach it to their classmates in small groups. When assessing student knowledge, my exams include multiple choice as well as short answer questions and incorporate questions from several levels of Bloom’s taxonomy. I also believe that learning is more important than testing, especially when teaching  difficult topics like  cellular respiration or photosynthesis. I often allow students to take a test a second time in a group setting for additional points. In this situation,  I place students (without their knowledge) into groups based on their exam scores; each group contains students who scored high, average and below average on the grade spectrum. In this way, as students discuss the test and their answers, they can hear their peers’ reasons for choosing each answer. 

Labs perform a vital role in teaching  my biology courses. Labs offer a chance for hands-on application of lecture material, critical thinking, group work, and scientific communication.  I encourage students to be curious, to engage in critical thinking as well as experimental design as much as possible. Far too often students are asked to uncritically follow a list of detailed instructions and collect data, and yet they cannot explain why they did the experiment or what their findings mean. Student learning is vastly improved when they have a hand in designing experiments and communicating their results to others. 

As an instructor it is imperative that I do not fall into a rut, but instead strive for continuous improvement.  At the end of each semester, I review my teaching evaluations and use the data and comments to determine where I need to grow as an instructor. I also attend as many teaching workshops, seminars, and meetings as possible so that I can diversify and improve my teaching toolset. The biggest challenges that I face are having a rigorous, structured course that does not overwhelm students with  busy on and off campus lives. Each semester I alter my approach to conveying material and assessing student growth based on my observations and student feedback. I enjoy learning innovative teaching methods, and I find real enjoyment and fulfillment in helping others to learn about the natural world. 

C.V.