Teaching Statement

The three pictures here really capture what I hope are my educator 'essence', and are a visual summary of some of the key elements of my teaching statement (included below). 

All images obtained through Microsoft Powerpoint. 

You will also find a copy of my teaching statement submitted with my Searle Fellows ("Before") application and my revised teaching statement ("After"). These are snapshots that document some of my experiences with the Searle Fellows program.

"Before" Teaching Statement

I am a big fan of cork boards and whiteboards, and my office is littered with pinned up schedules, articles, notes, and various décor. But directly above my computer, in my daily line of sight, I have a printout of one of my most meaningful evaluations I have received to date, with the note-to-self, “Remember who you are here for and why…”. The evaluation reads, “Dr Dueñas is an incredible teacher. I really appreciate her efforts to educate us – she always took so much time to deliver a personal level of instruction that left me feeling like I understood the material extremely well. She also made an effort to connect with each student as a person, which I greatly appreciate. Dr Dueñas is the teacher at Feinberg that has made me feel the most comfortable and at home.”

This evaluation means so much, because it perfectly sums up the core underlying belief of my teaching philosophy: that the purpose of education is to empower students in their growth, not just as learners or future health professionals, but as human beings. In all my teaching activities, this notion of purpose has been the driving link. I support this growth by: establishing communication about collaborative learning, integrating cognitive and social constructivist pedagogical techniques in my teaching, fostering a learning environment that prioritizes psychosocial needs, and drawing on tenants of critical pedagogy to demonstrate the power of education.

I believe one of the first steps in empowering students is clearly communicating the ‘classroom’ as a co-created space; I make this clear at the start of any teaching activity. My role as an educator is to not simply convey information to learners, but to help learners co-construct their learning, thereby meeting their specific educational goals. I welcome and regularly provide opportunities for informal feedback from students, sometimes using educational technologies, or through welcoming open communication. I pay close attention to evaluation feedback, using it to reflect with colleagues about ways we can constantly be improving our curriculum.

Beyond learning environment, the overarching philosophical approach to my teaching activities and style is underpinned by the tenants of both cognitive and social constructivism. Following in cognitivist beliefs, I recognize that learners are individualized in their cognitive approach to learning. Particularly for adult learners in health professions education, who will ‘arrive’ to my classroom with their own unique schemas for learning. My role as educator is to encourage metacognition from students, so that they can best understand how they want to approach information, and learning, to achieve their educational goals. I often do this by providing frequent opportunities for self-assessment, and creating a variety of bespoke materials so learners can see all the ways in which they can interact with materials and encourage them to consider what will be the best fit for their learning. However, I also believe learning does not exist in a cognitive void for each individual student. Social influences on learning can be huge in, again, supporting individual learner needs and goals, to empower growth. Following in the social constructivist school of thought, personal psychosocial experiences can also shape learning.

In considering both these philosophical influences, as an educator, my teaching centers around creating engaging learning environments that promote deep thinking from learners, first as individuals. After this ‘groundwork’ is established, I then aim to encourage learners to engage more deeply with social elements of learning. As such, depending on the given teaching topic, I often employ clear didactive elements to introduce content, and encourage learners to consider their current ‘state’ of knowledge. This may be as a standalone lecture, series of mini lectures, or in ‘flipped classroom’ model. I try to always integrate ‘real-world’ and humanistic examples to didactic elements, even in anatomy (basic science) teaching, to also start to promote consideration of broader social networks and connections in learning. I then believe that structured content time is best spent engaged with peers and instructors, applying basic knowledge.

In a basic science topic, like embryology, which my students know is my personal favorite topic of anatomy to teach, this might be following lectures with ‘active learning’ sessions. In recent years, for embryology content I have developed a team-based learning (TBL) sessions, as well as interactive review modules in Rise 360, to get students more actively engaged in gauging their knowledge of topics. Through such activities, I hope that my students feel empowered, and like they constantly have an active role in their learning. I think particularly in the field of health professions education, this combination of cognition and knowledge with social interaction is key in supporting budding practitioners.

Further, I believe considering how to integrate psychosocial elements as an educator is not only important in fostering students’ growth as learners, but also as human beings. While this has long been my position, having my early years of training and teaching impacted by a pandemic has solidified my commitment to teaching with empathy, emphasizing well-being, and encouraging reflection from students on their needs, context, and narratives. Education should not be an instrument to inform and get from place A to B, rather a holistic experience and opportunity to grow as a human being. Furthermore, I believe that education can and should be a joyful experience. Whether this means inundating my students with Taylor Swift gifs to remind them about the functions of the autonomic nervous system, or donning an Indiana Jones-style hat to introduce a video lesson that will detail an ‘exploration’ of the anatomy of the skull, I think fun and joy have their places in the classroom. And there is evidence base that supports these social experiences can promote deeper and more engaged learning.

Finally, key tenants of critical pedagogy, such as hope, community, and the urge to create a vision of a better world for all find their place in my teaching practice. In my basic sciences experience, I believe there is opportunity in every lesson to call attention to ethics and inclusion, and to frame the historical context of science as not always the ‘objective’ discipline many believe it to be. I also believe in trying to highlight ‘hidden curriculum’, to support students in navigating and contextualizing their learning. Again, I think this can be integrated into any type of teaching session, or topic. Further, integration of elements of critical pedagogy in everyday educational settings can help promote cultural competency. This also aligns with my commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) principles in health professions education. Always, the intention of critical pedagogy in my educational practice is not to radicalize, but rather to empower and inspire, thereby aligning with my belief on the ‘purpose’ of education.

I am conscious that I am still an early career anatomy educator, and I see myself doing a lot of growing alongside my students, with each year I take on, and cohort I see move forward. However, I think the philosophy and approach to teaching that I have outlined here will always be a key tenant of my teaching. Pinned just above the student evaluation I have printed out, I have an excerpt from a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning article printed, with an excerpt attributed to Shulman (2002):

“Scholars of teaching and learning are prepared to mess with the world even more boldly than their colleagues who are satisfied to teach well and leave it at that. They mess with their students’ minds and hearts as they instruct, and then they mess again as they examine the quality of those practices and ask how they could have been even more effective. Scholars of teaching and learning are prepared to confront the ethical as well as the intellectual and pedagogical challenges of their work. They are not prepared to be drive-by educators. They insist on stopping at the scene to see what more they can do.”

My philosophy and approach to teaching goes beyond what a typical basic science educator teaches, and I take great pride in this. I am excited about my future career, and the directions this philosophy may take me. And I hope in the years to come, I continue to insist on ‘stopping at the scene’, for all my students.

"After" Teaching Statement

I am a big fan of cork boards and whiteboards, and my office is littered with pinned up schedules, articles, notes, and various décor. But directly above my computer, in my daily line of sight, I have a printout of one of my most meaningful evaluations I have received to date, with the note-to-self, “Remember who you are here for and why…”. The evaluation reads:

“Dr Dueñas is an incredible teacher. I really appreciate her efforts to educate us – she always took so much time to deliver a personal level of instruction that left me feeling like I understood the material extremely well. She also made an effort to connect with each student as a person, which I greatly appreciate. Dr Dueñas is the teacher at Feinberg that has made me feel the most comfortable and at home.”

This evaluation means so much, because it perfectly sums up the core underlying belief of my teaching philosophy: that the purpose of education is to empower students in their growth, not just as learners or future health professionals, but as human beings.

In all my teaching activities, this notion of purpose has been the driving link. I support this growth by:

·   Establishing communication about collaborative learning

·   Integrating cognitive and social constructivist pedagogical techniques

·   Fostering a learning environment that prioritizes psychosocial needs

·   Drawing on tenants of critical pedagogy to demonstrate the power of education

·   Committing to my own educational growth and professional development as essential[AD1] 

Below, I detail each of these elements in this teaching statement by elaborating on why these are core tenants of my educational philosophy and including examples of how I accomplish such goals. Additionally, each section includes just one sample from my formal evaluations where students have commented on these elements. Much like the original quote shared above, drawing on these thoughtful reflections I find insightful in grounding myself in my teaching philosophy, and reminding me of my core educational values.

Establishing Communication About Collaborative Learning

“Dr. Duenas held our hand the entire time throughout what would have been a very very confusing and difficult topic and made it fun to be in class with her!”

I believe one of the first steps in empowering students is clearly communicating the ‘classroom’ as a co-created space; I make this clear at the start of any teaching activity or course. My role as an educator is to not simply convey information to learners, but to help learners co-construct their learning, thereby meeting their specific educational goals. In many health professions, there are typically ‘standards’ of expected knowledge that students should gain. However, I like to recognize that educational goals can and should extend beyond these, particularly from the perspective of future scope of practice, as well as general intellectual curiosity. I see my role as educator as a guide through content – there to explain, support, and guide students through their individual educational journey.

To support this line of shared communication, I welcome and regularly provide opportunities for informal feedback from students, sometimes using educational technologies. These can include brief surveys after a new educational activities. I pay close attention to evaluation feedback, using it to reflect with colleagues about ways we can constantly be improving our curriculum.

Integrating Cognitive and Social Constructivist Pedagogical Techniques

“Dr. Duenas is awesome and knows how to teach in a way that sticks. Her learning guides are the best and really help me to be prepared for her exams. I can always tell she puts into a ton of work into preparing for class and lab.”

Beyond learning environment, the overarching philosophical approach to my teaching activities and style is underpinned by the tenants of both cognitive and social constructivism. Following in cognitivist beliefs, I recognize that learners are individualized in their cognitive approach to learning. Particularly for adult learners in health professions education, who will ‘arrive’ to my classroom with their own unique schemas for learning. My role as educator is to encourage metacognition from students, so that they can best understand how they want to approach information, and learning, to achieve their educational goals. I often do this by providing frequent opportunities for self-assessment, and creating a variety of bespoke materials so learners can see all the ways in which they can interact with materials and encourage them to consider what will be the best fit for their learning. However, I also believe learning does not exist in a cognitive void for each individual student. Social influences on learning can be huge in, again, supporting individual learner needs and goals, to empower growth. Following in the social constructivist school of thought, personal psychosocial experiences can also shape learning.

In considering both these philosophical influences, as an educator, my teaching centers around creating engaging learning environments that promote deep thinking from learners, first as individuals. After this ‘groundwork’ is established, I then aim to encourage learners to engage more deeply with social elements of learning. As such, depending on the given teaching topic, I often employ clear didactive elements to introduce content, and encourage learners to consider their current ‘state’ of knowledge. This may be as a standalone lecture, series of mini lectures, or in ‘flipped classroom’ model. I try to always integrate ‘real-world’ and humanistic examples to didactic elements, even in anatomy (basic science) teaching, to also start to promote consideration of broader social networks and connections in learning. I take pride in content that is well organized and bespoke to my students learning needs.

I then believe that structured content time is best spent engaged with peers and instructors, applying basic knowledge. In a basic science topic, like embryology, which my students know is my personal favorite topic of anatomy to teach, this might be following lectures with ‘active learning’ sessions. In recent years, for embryology content I have developed a team-based learning (TBL) sessions, as well as interactive review modules in Rise 360, to get students more actively engaged in gauging their knowledge of topics. Through such activities, I hope that my students feel empowered, and like they constantly have an active role in their learning. I think particularly in the field of health professions education, this combination of cognition and knowledge with social interaction is key in supporting budding practitioners.

Fostering a Learning environment that Prioritizes Psychosocial Needs

“Dr Duenas is genuinely the best teacher I have ever had in my educational career. Her positive attitude is SO uplifting and does not go unnoticed. It really does make a huge difference to hear someone ask "how are you doing?".”

“Going into MSK anatomy I was feeling very "my tears ricochet," but the way it was organized and broken down to be made approachable had me feeling "Fearless" going into the practical and MCQ”

I believe considering how to integrate psychosocial elements as an educator is not only important in fostering students’ growth as learners, but also as human beings. While this has long been my position, having my early years of training and teaching impacted by a pandemic has solidified my commitment to teaching with empathy, emphasizing well-being, and encouraging reflection from students on their needs, context, and narratives. Education should not be an instrument to inform and get from place A to B, rather a holistic experience and opportunity to grow as a human being.

Furthermore, I believe that education can and should be a joyful experience. Whether this means inundating my students with Taylor Swift gifs to remind them about the functions of the autonomic nervous system, or donning an Indiana Jones-style hat to introduce a video lesson that will detail an ‘exploration’ of the anatomy of the skull, I think fun and joy have their places in the classroom. And there is evidence base that supports these social experiences can promote deeper and more engaged learning. This also communicates to my students the value of humanness – I am a person, not just an anatomy educator. I have hobbies, and joys, and a full life. I like to share some of these aspects with my students to encourage them to share and exalt in their humanness too. While ‘student’ might be an important identity to them during the time I know them, they are more than that to me. This lends to the role of critical pedagogy in my teaching.

Drawing on Tenants of Critical Pedagogy to Demonstrate the Power of Education

“Dr. Duenas, you have been an outstanding teacher throughout this course. You have a unique ability to make complex concepts in embryology clear and engaging. Your passion for the subject shines through in every lecture, making learning the material an enjoyable experience. I particularly appreciated how you connected the theoretical content to real-world applications, helping us see the relevance of embryology in clinical practice. Thank you for your dedication and for always being available to answer questions. Your support and teaching style have truly made a difference in my learning.”

Key tenants of critical pedagogy, such as hope, community, and the urge to create a vision of a better world for all find their place in my teaching practice. In my basic sciences experience, I believe there is opportunity in every lesson to call attention to ethics and inclusion, and to frame the historical context of science as not always the ‘objective’ discipline many believe it to be. I also believe in trying to highlight ‘hidden curriculum’, to support students in navigating and contextualizing their learning. Again, I think this can be integrated into any type of teaching session, or topic. As someone who teaches basic science to future healthcare professionals, I want them to see the scope of the knowledge I give them beyond the next exam or quiz, and to see these as foundational elements that can have meaning for clinical practice. And through their clinical practice, they have the ability to change lives and champion health equity.

Integration of elements of critical pedagogy in everyday educational settings can also help promote cultural competency. This also aligns with my commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) principles in health professions education. While I recognize these are currently ‘hot topics’ in education, I stay committed to their true definitions. I want to teach students from all types of backgrounds. I want all my students to have as equitable experience as possible in my classroom. And I want every student to feel like they belong in my classroom. The intention of critical pedagogy in my educational practice is not to radicalize, but rather to empower and inspire everyone, thereby aligning with my belief on the ‘purpose’ of education.

Committing to My Own Educational Growth and Professional Development as Essential

“Dr. Duenas is one of the best professor's I've ever had. Her organization of complex and difficult information is so helpful. I appreciate that she is constantly evaluating her material and re-working it as needed- ex. when she came back from the PA conference and had a new review game for us (the "escape room") which was really helpful. Her course is very hard and makes me think, however I am always amazed by how much I am able to learn in a few short weeks. She is incredibly approachable and I know if I need help re-working how I study she will find time to sit down with me. Overall I cannot speak higher of her as a professor and think we are incredibly lucky to have her teaching us.”

As this student notes, my commitment to education does not just apply to my students but to myself. I genuinely enjoy professional development opportunities, such as conferences or additional training programs I have participated in, including the Searle Fellowship at Northwestern University. I believe in being highly reflective, and value innovation in my teaching – not for the sake of innovation, but to improve learning and teaching practices. I take what I learn back to my classroom and implement it. Recently, that meant creating a new way to review the brachial plexus via an ‘escape room’ after seeing a model for low fidelity rooms at a conference. In a new course I taught, I implemented a ‘CAT of the Day’ (Classroom Assessment Technique) after every lecture, after receiving a book on these topics and practicing quickly utilizing them in a workshop.

While this teaching philosophy has highlighted some of the positive evaluations I have received, commitment to personal growth is not something to be viewed through rose-colored glasses. Negative evaluations and areas for improvement are as essential to my practice as the affirming comments. I am constantly wondering what I can do ‘better’, how can I teach complex topics ‘better’ and ensure I prepare my students well. When students point these things out, I dig deep into reflective practice.

Further, recognizing the limitations of classroom teaching evaluations as documented in the literature, I also rely on wonderful colleagues to provide feedback and brainstorm new opportunities. In particular, working with such a wide range of clinical colleagues has proven insightful as someone with a ‘basic science’ and education background, to remind myself of my student’s journey. I love learning clinical things from my colleagues. Lastly, through my own publications and staying engaged in the literature, I draw upon evidence-bases in my field and beyond to improve my practice.

I am conscious that I am still an early career anatomy educator, and I see myself growing alongside my students, with each year I take on, and cohort I see move forward. However, I think the philosophy and approach to teaching that I have outlined here will always be a key tenant of my teaching.

Pinned just above the student evaluation I have printed out, I have an excerpt from a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning article printed, with an excerpt attributed to Shulman (2002):

“Scholars of teaching and learning are prepared to mess with the world even more boldly than their colleagues who are satisfied to teach well and leave it at that. They mess with their students’ minds and hearts as they instruct, and then they mess again as they examine the quality of those practices and ask how they could have been even more effective. Scholars of teaching and learning are prepared to confront the ethical as well as the intellectual and pedagogical challenges of their work. They are not prepared to be drive-by educators. They insist on stopping at the scene to see what more they can do.”

My philosophy and approach to teaching goes beyond what a typical basic science educator teaches, and I take great pride in this. I am excited about my future career, and the directions this philosophy continues to

 [AD1]Key from Searle - my role in education as the educator. A commitment to bettering myself, my practice - think my students pick up on this.