Teaching Philosophy

I have three broad goals for the students who take my courses, whether introductory or upper division. I aim to prepare my students to

1) think like a scientist

2) understand the scientific process and its importance

3) collaborate effectively and respectfully

Thinking Like a Scientist

I define thinking as a scientist as thinking critically, considering multiple hypotheses, and coming to conclusions based on evidence. Thinking critically requires considering the source of information and how it is supported or refuted by other information. Considering multiple possibilities is difficult for students who expect one right answer but is necessary because there may be several biological reasons for a phenomenon or past experiments with inconsistent results. Coming to conclusions based on evidence requires students to understand what constitutes reliable evidence, identify the conclusions of a scientific study, and combine evidence from multiple sources. In an introductory course, I focus more on the basic components of these skills, such as reading scientific papers and writing hypotheses. In an upper division course, I would ask students to apply biological concepts to research.

To help students reach this goal:

I include active learning exercises in each class period to give students opportunities to engage with the material. I use strategies that encourage the skills listed above, such as problem recognition and solving tasks, concept maps, and application cards.
I work to tie theoretical material to real life applications, particularly to applications that will be of interest to students in my class.

To assess if students have met my goal of thinking like a scientist:

I use exam or essay questions that show student thinking and forward-looking assignments.
- Forward-looking assignments in an introductory class include graphing results and writing a figure caption, designing an experiment, or presenting an experiment.
- In upper division classes, I include assignments more similar to what students might do in a job after graduation, such as writing a scientific article, creating a conference-style poster, or designing a management plan.

Understanding the Scientific Process

I want students to know what the scientific process is, how it is used, and why it matters. In an introductory course, it is important for students to know how scientists make discoveries. In an upper division course this also includes critiques of the process.

I give students opportunities to use the scientific process by making an observation or identifying a problem, considering what prior knowledge they can apply to the problem, creating a hypothesis and prediction, designing an experiment, collecting data, interpreting data, and coming to conclusions.

I assess this goal by asking students exam questions about the basics of the scientific process and through assignments that require them to put their knowledge into practice.

This goal is also applicable to the work my students do in the lab portions of their course, where I have worked to create labs that are similar to authentic research experiences and give students the agency to make research decisions and answer novel or applicable questions.

Collaborating Effectively and Respectfully

No matter what educational and career path students take, they must be able to work well in a team. This requires

Clear communication
A willingness to consider the perspectives of others
The ability to combine ideas to find the best solution.

To achieve this goal, I involve collaboration in class activities. Collaborative activities occur in a mixture of methods (writing, discussion) and formats (pairs, small group, whole class) in order to accommodate students with different comfort levels.

My class participation policy reflects students’ collaboration skills in addition to their preparation and engagement. To assess how students have met this goal, I ask students to complete a self-assessment halfway through the semester and at the end of the course. I also evaluate students at this time and will average the two scores. When students work in groups for an extended period, I ask them to assess their group mates' collaboration. It is important to me to assess this goal from multiple perspectives so that I avoid being subjective and privileging students with communication styles more similar to mine.

My Role as a College Teacher

One of my roles in helping students achieve my goals for the course is to provide an environment for growth and learning. It is imperative to me that each of my students feels valued in my class and has the opportunity to succeed. To work towards this goal, I implement strategies for inclusive teaching and Universal Design Learning. Specific strategies include:

Sending students a pre-semester survey to learn about them
Connecting course material to students’ interests
Using varied examples in class materials
Giving clear instructions that do not assume prior knowledge
Discussing classroom climate and expectations with students.
Implementing activities and assessments that give students different options to learn and to demonstrate their learning

I recognize that teaching is an ongoing learning experience and am continuously working to improve my teaching. During my graduate degree, I took the opportunity to enroll in a Graduate Certificate in College Teaching program because I recognized that teaching effectively requires time, effort, and practice. I’ve also taken opportunities to increase my experiences in curriculum design, including designing an introductory biology lab module. On a day-to-day basis within my teaching, I implement reflective teaching practices, including keeping a log of strategies used, successes, and ideas for improvements the next time I teach the lesson. I also include frequent formative assessment activities in my lessons, such as one-sentence summary, defining features matrix, practice quiz questions, documented problem solving, and focused listing. Reviewing these assessments helps me to better plan future lessons and adapt to students’ needs throughout the semester and throughout the years.

My role as a college teacher is to guide students, introduce them to the course material, provide a welcoming environment, adapt to needs, help students work towards goals, and assess if students have met those goals. I aim to teach in a way that helps students leave the course as biologists, able to think critically, communicate, collaborate, and use the scientific process. Beyond preparing students for careers in biology, this also develops skills that are useful in any career or path of life.