Teaching Philosophy

I teach because all learners deserve to discover that they are capable of succeeding, and that the process of learning is a valuable endeavor. I believe that students learn best when they are able to see their identities reflected in the course content, when they can find relevance in the subject to their daily lives and intended careers, and feel that the material is accessible across all ranges of learning styles. There are many transferable skills to be gained in the chemistry classroom, even for students who do not plan to pursue careers in the field. I aim to help my students develop these skills by using inclusive teaching practices, actively working to enhance student motivation and supporting growth-mindset. My goals for my students are that they will find value in the material they learn, discover that they are capable of succeeding in STEM, and gain a skillset that will aid them in their future pursuits, whether that happens to be within the field of chemistry or not.

Students find value in the material they learn. I believe that all students in the classroom deserve to find value in the course, regardless of how relevant chemistry may seem to their lives or future careers. Finding value in the classroom is necessary for students to develop a positive attitude about science. My role in guiding students to find value in the material they learn will be to cater tailor the coursework to student interests and goals, keeping in mind that all classrooms will have a diverse range of learners. I have developed a pre-semester survey for general chemistry in which students have an opportunity to express their interests and intentions for the course, as well as what they are excited about, nervous about, and what their attitudes towards science are at that moment. I’ve used this survey in a general chemistry course at Madison College as part of my Delta Internship. This process is useful from two standpoints; it provides me as the instructor with information that allows me to cater the class to students interests and needs, and as a metacognitive exercise, it gives students the opportunities to express their goals for the course and consider what their biggest challenges may be. I’ve used the responses about what students are nervous and excited about to form word clouds to share with the class as an anonymous way to normalize the nerves that can be associated with science coursework, and help develop a learning community where students can feel like their own views are held by their peers as well. I’ve used the interests that students identify to cater assignments towards students’ lives or career trajectories in order to promote enhancing student interest and motivation in the coursework, such as in the chemical nomenclature project I developed as part of my Delta internship, where students were assigned chemicals to do an independent research project on based on their survey responses about their interests and career goals. This activity was well received by students. When asked to provide an example of how the activity impacted their interest in chemistry, one student said:

“The final project impacted my interest because I received a chemical that I will potentially be working with in my future career after college. This made learning about my chemical and doing the project much more interest because I feel that it directly applied to me.”

The success of this activity solidified my belief that if the classroom content can be catered towards student interests, they will view the course as a more valuable experience.

Students will discover that they are capable of succeeding. It is not uncommon for students to be intimidated by science in introductory courses. Instructor-focused classrooms that are not compatible with different learning styles and examples of successful scientists that are not diverse, can both contribute to a lack of feeling of belonging in a science classroom. In my courses I will support a growth mindset in the classroom (the belief that everyone is capable of succeeding in the subject), aid student discovery of science identity, and promote the persistence of underrepresented groups in STEM. I have developed an introductory activity for general chemistry coursework that celebrates and emphasizes the significant scientific contributions of a diverse range of scientists, a group inclusive of many races, ethnicities, gender identities and sexual orientations, and ability status. By doing this activity early on in the course, students will be exposed to how diverse science truly is. I also believe that sharing my own background with students is a good way to normalize difference and struggle in the chemistry classroom. In the pre-semester assessment where I ask students to provide me information on their interests and trajectories, I will also explicitly ask them to answer the following questions: “How do you learn best?”, and “What can I do to support your learning in the classroom?”. I hope that this will both show students that I recognize that everyone learns differently, and that I prioritize making the classroom inclusive and personalized. I will assess how well I am supporting my students’ learning and development of science identity by scheduling opportunities for one-on-one meetings with students to discuss progress, as well as having a short mid-semester survey to ask students if they feel their learning is being supported, need additional resources, and if/how their learning needs are being met or could be met better.

Students will gain a skillset that will aid them broadly. I will employ inquiry-based activities in my classroom which will aid student learning and development of the ability to independently pursue knowledge, how to give and receive constructive feedback, as well as how to revise and reflect on one’s work. These skills are broadly applicable in all areas of learning and discovery. Inquiry-based activities can be used as an introduction to the scientific process in both in non-lab and lab-based coursework. For non-lab courses, this can be implemented through student-led research projects where students are able to develop their own hypotheses and focus on questions of interest to them, similar to the research project I implemented in my teaching-as-research internship, as described above. This project incorporated peer feedback by having students share their projects with others within the context of a review activity. Another way I have incorporated more inquiry in non-lab coursework is through sharing “case studies” which more closely represent the work that is done by research scientists. I will aim to move lab-based courses away from boiler-plate or recipe style labs, and into more project based and inquiry-based labs that more closely resemble what researchers typically do in the lab. Feedback is an integral part of the inquiry-based learning process, and so for these assignments, there will be designated checkpoints to receive either peer feedback or instructor feedback. These are opportunities for self, peer, and instructor assessment to ensure that students are on track to reach their learning goals. Experience with the iterative process of research will help students develop important skills to continue in sciences, but also that are applicable to a range of subjects, such as learning how to ask good questions and develop testable hypotheses, how to plan experiments or investigations, how to summarize findings, communicate ideas effectively, and how to contextualize the work within the greater community.

It is vital for teachers to always remember that teaching is a reflective process. I aim to continue to be a reflective practitioner in all areas of teaching, mentorship and professional development. I believe that all assessments should be intentionally and/or backwards designed to ensure that the assessments give evidence if students are achieving their learning goals. I aim to continue to be malleable and flexible in my teaching, recognizing that there is always more to learn about how people learn. I will use assessment to see if I as a teacher am reaching student needs, and if not, improve what I am doing. One way I will do this is by asking students for specific feedback on course evaluations. I’ve also demonstrated my commitment to learning about teaching through my participation in a variety of teaching professional development activities and workshops at UW-Madison as part of my involvement in the Delta program. I will continue to seek out these opportunities to learn about how to support learning, knowing that as a teacher I can always improve, and embracing that fact.