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The scientific method can help make positive changes in students’ lives by fostering a mindset in which problems are broken down into solvable parts. Furthermore, it provides a system for approaching these parts of problems and solving them in a systematic way. Scientific learning is not about memorizing and regurgitating facts onto a final exam. Instead, it is about changing students’ thought processes to approach problems using a scientific framework. This change in mindset cannot be done by the teacher alone. Instead, I am a facilitator for my students. I empower my students to learn the skills to gather facts themselves, I challenge my students to connect concepts and infer important relationships, and I build a framework so in the future they will be able to discover new knowledge and contribute to the scientific community.
The application of mathematical principles and theories to biological systems shows the power of a multi-pronged approach to education. For instance, while teaching chi-square testing in the introductory biology series at Oregon State University, I help my students explain the outcomes of the chi-square test in biological terms. At the same time, I encourage them to think about the underlying math of the chi-square test and how that informs differences in observed and expected values. This helps them develop intuition about these statistical tests and how they might look for data. Once they develop this intuition, they are better able to use these statistical tests appropriately and better able to design testable hypotheses and experiments. By fostering the mindset that disciplines and concepts are connected, I strive to better serve my students by diversifying their learning experiences.
Another important aspect of my teaching philosophy is encouraging metacognition about the material. This is an essential part of their development as scientists, since examining the validity of assumptions is a large part of scientific thinking. I strive to help my students examine their own viewpoints and assess the viewpoints of others. To do this I challenge their views through Socratic discussion, present debates in the scientific literature, and foster in-class discussions about ill-structured problems.
When designing a course, I prioritize identifying learning outcomes and the assessments that I use to assess students’ progress towards those learning outcomes. My learning outcomes provide a guiding light as I develop curriculum for the course. They also serve as a self-assessment tool for material I want to cover. For any given concept, I can ask myself “how does this serve my learning outcomes?” By aligning curriculum to outcomes, I make my selection of material and activities coherent to the students, and conceptually cohesive. When reviewing my course as a whole, I look to these outcomes and assess whether or not I have met my learning outcomes. A class with a specific direction can also enhance student engagement, since they see a complete picture and not just an amalgam of activities and trivia they need to memorize. Aligning learning outcomes, assessments, and in-class activities, my aim is to provide students with a scaffold for success.
Assessing students’ progress towards open-ended goals, like scientific thinking, requires open-ended assessments. I use formative assessments throughout the term, like in-class worksheets and discussions, to monitor my students’ progress. Furthermore, I use summative assessments at pivotal points in the term to assess how students have achieved the goals I have set for them. These summative assessments include short-answer, concept-mapping, scientific writing, as well as some multiple-choice type questions. Careful reflection of how my students interpret more open-ended questions, as well as development of these questions from my learning outcomes, allow me to determine how well my assessments are aligned with my learning outcomes.
In my experience, the first step in learning material is being engaged by the material. As a facilitator, I strive to introduce students to new concepts and give them enough detail to empower them to find answers themselves. To do this effectively, I bring as much energy as I can into the classroom. If I am excited about the material, I facilitate my students becoming excited. I include a spectrum of learning strategies and avenues of explanation to facilitate student learning. I use videos, hands-on activities, individual and class level discussions, short lectures, and one-on-one explanations to drive student engagement. While I know that one-on-one interaction may not be possible for every student in class, I also host office hours and am available by email to offer more opportunities to interact with students. I have also piloted extra web-based office hours to allow students who may not be physically present to meet discuss the class. Through making the material engaging, and offering support for students along their journey, I enable students to not only be able to find their own answers, but to actively want to seek their own answers to scientific questions.
Diversity in our classrooms is a key part of developing an inclusive scientific community. I strive to support and expand initiatives to help raise diverse voices up and create a diverse scientific community. I aim to create an affirming climate for all students, including underrepresented and marginalized individuals and groups. I cultivate an atmosphere of mutual respect by respecting my students and asking that they respect me and each other. This mutual respect is codified in a classroom agreement where the class comes to a consensus about acceptable behavior, and I hold them to it. I showcase examples of diverse scientists working in the subjects we cover throughout my teaching. By creating this affirming climate, I expose students to a multiplicity of viewpoints and promote equity in the scientific community.
Though my teaching career is nascent, I am excited about its direction. I hope to continue to improve my methods and outcomes fostering thinking about the material critically and helping students have success in their educational and professional goals. I will continue to work towards driving student engagement in class which will lead to engagement in mathematics, biology and the other sciences. I also hope to expand my engagement in diversity outreach. I hope to promote multifaceted students who feel empowered to tackle problems they see in the world around them and contribute to their own communities.