Teaching

Teaching Experience and Philosophy

I am currently the instructor of record for introductory, calculus-based mechanics at Drexel (Physics 101), where I am using Modeling Instruction. Previously, I was a graduate teaching assistant for both laboratory and discussion sections of introductory physics for four semesters.

My teaching centers around:

(1) developing students' critical thinking skills, such that students are able to decide for themselves what to do and what to conclude when presented with data and models,

(2) implementing research-based instructional practices, such as inquiry-based labs and clicker questions, and

(3) cultivating a classroom environment that supports all learners, for example by broadening the set of peers with whom students' collaborate.

92 out of the 105 students who have evaluated my teaching have rated my instruction as a 4 or 5 out of 5. A representative sample of written evaluations from my students is provided below.

Modeling Instruction classroom at Drexel.

In inquiry-based labs:

"When asking questions, she gave us answers that were not just simply 'here's how you do it,' but rather 'here's how you should think about it.'"

-- (Spring 2022, PHYS 1110 Lab, Cornell)

"She was always very excited and encouraging and would help us improve our experimenting skills and give us feedback on our experimental design and approach."

-- (Spring 2020, PHYS 1112 Lab, Cornell)

"Meagan is very helpful during labs and outside of labs: I do not hesitate to ask her a question on how to conduct a lab, and she provides helpful suggestions on how to improve the procedures my group came up with, so that we can reduce human error and uncertainties."

-- (Fall 2019, PHYS 1112 Lab, Cornell)

"Meagan was wonderful. She checked in often, explained things very well, and always graded fairly to help us improve."

-- (Spring 2020, PHYS 1112 Lab, Cornell)

"A very welcoming person, who is always open to provides helps for her students."

-- (Spring 2020, PHYS 1112 Lab, Cornell)

"Good vibes"

-- (Spring 2022, PHYS 1110 Lab, Cornell)

In discussion sections:

"Meagan was very willing to clear up any points of confusion experienced by the students; the discussion sections were overall very useful in clarifying concepts learnt in class."