Philosophy of Teaching
Teaching energizes me. This energy is a stimulus for my teaching, mentoring and research. I believe that good teaching is a mutualism between intellectual theory, creativity and hands-on involvement. My goal is to challenge students with biology such that they may discover the intellectual excitement of the world around them and develop the habits of an independent thinker who asks “why?” and “how do we know?”
Student learning is a very personal process reflecting the individual learning styles of each student. Reaching a diverse and ever changing student body is a challenge, and is part of what makes teaching so exciting. Classes, even large lectures, need to be a deft orchestration of learning strategies and teaching techniques. Lectures are a good opportunity to model expert thinking, both by systematically assembling information and providing a global context. But nestled within the lecture students should also be actively engaged; for example, using think-pair-share to discuss “what is a species?” Tasks such as answering questions, or creating a quick concept map, can be used in both lectures and labs to create learning cycles that involve students in thinking, active learning and then reflecting.
I dislike the traditional distinction between lecture and laboratories in the sciences. My students may find themselves taking notes on a presentation while a black molly fish consumes dissolved oxygen in a beaker. It is just as likely that during “lecture time” my students may find themselves examining a tray of leaves. I might ask the students to break into small groups for three minutes and suggest reasons why the leaves picked from the top of the tree are generally smaller than those collected from the bottom, inner portion of the canopy of the same tree. When I teach I subdivide class time in whatever way best serves the material at hand.
While organization and clarity facilitate learning, it is dynamic teaching that stimulates it. Most “ah-hah!” moments occur not while acquiring new information, but during its application, when the information is integrated with a student’s existing knowledge. Students commonly call my classes “a lot of work.” This is a sign of active learning both in and out of the classroom, and is a marked contrast with the passive lecture style with which most students are too familiar.
Interesting assignments are a powerful teaching tool. Opportunities to solve real world problems are engaging and result in ownership of ideas and the building of long-term knowledge. Brilliant scientists, famous in their fields, are not just smart but are also creative. Students need to experience the creativity of science, while learning and applying the facts, concepts and language of biology.
As a student and a teacher I zealously support writing. Not only is writing the primary means of discourse in the sciences but writing is active learning and promotes higher-level thinking. I use a mixture of high and low stakes assignments and tests that guide students towards frequent active learning outside of class time. As an example, a student in my organismal biology class will work on assignments that connect current topics with previously learned cellular processes and apply their new understanding to current ecological concerns. When producing multiple drafts of a research article, articulating creative ideas in a research proposal, or answering an assignment, students need constructive feedback. My feedback tool bag includes coversheet style comments, rubrics and peer review. Students are often surprised to discover that they learn as much from thoughtful critique of their peers as from completing their own first draft. I believe that all assignments and assessments should provide students with an opportunity for metacognition followed by ways to improve in areas they find to be weak.
Excellence in teaching is of immeasurable importance. Baha’u’llah, in His book, Gleanings from the writings of Baha’u’llah (1976 U.S. Edition, CXSIII, p. 260), wrote:
Regard man as a mine rich in gems of inestimable value. Education can, alone, cause it to reveal its treasures, and enable mankind to benefit therefrom.
Education through truly outstanding teaching has the power to shape our collective future. Teaching occurs best when the teacher understands the value of their service and the value of the student. Every learner brings their own unique abilities and ideas to the classroom. As a teacher I am always a learner. My classes challenge us to grow as thinkers, scientists and individuals.