Teaching Statement.
I first experienced the unexpected joy of teaching when I was a junior at the University of Tampa. The thought of chemistry could make students wilt and with every intention of getting a tutoring job in biology, I received my position as a general chemistry tutor. While slightly terrified of guiding reluctant students through the world of chemistry, I gathered my notes and started the journey that would eventually lead to me to pursue a career teaching.
OBJECTIVES:
My objective as a teacher in science (whether ecology, economics, or environmental science) is two-fold: 1) enhance a foundation of concepts, and 2) develop a student’s ability to interpret new information and think critically about it. Therefore, my courses are designed with Bloom’s Taxonomy at the foundation. Lectures, discussions, active-learning activities, and assignments are all specifically constructed to assist students in their gradual advancement on the pyramid. I use formative assessments (i.e. review sessions or Kahoot games) during class to evaluate how the students are developing. This, in turn, allows for adjustments to be made in my instruction and/or the student acquisition, improving the learning experience.
PHILOSOPHY:
My teaching philosophy can be described as student-centered. Each group of students bring different backgrounds and experiences to the course. By acknowledging these, I’m able to use their experiences as a catalyst to convey unfamiliar topics. For instance, I use partitioning of shower time among roommates as a link to explain resource partitioning or their devotion to specific Starburst flavors to explain utility curves. Student’s diversity, in all aspects, is harnessed through a peer-learning approach using discussions, peer-review, note-swaps, and peer-teaching. I first witnessed the benefits of peer-teaching when tutoring general chemistry. As new students joined the tutoring session, previous concepts were explained by their peers, solidifying the concept for both the new and “old” student.
APPLICATIONS & EXPERIENCE:
I place an emphasis on integrating technology within the learning process. Videos, simulations, podcasts, and access to computer software programs gives students an up-close and personal connection with the topic at hand with the added benefit of simultaneously addressing diverse learning-styles. I use technology to also capture the ‘ah-ah’ moments and aid in making connections to the real world. For example, in an introductory, non-majors course, students contribute to an Instagram account to document real-world examples of the environmental science topics discussed in class. Most of the student’s submissions are examples found within the boundaries of campus, while I provide additional domestic/international examples. Students are able to continue following the Instagram account after they have completed the course to nurture the connection with environmental science.
The familiar phrase “it takes a village” is also applied in my teaching strategy with the support of the local community. With an upper-level, for-majors course, I emphasize attractive skills in the job market, job-searching strategies, and arrange multiple guest speakers in the Gainesville Community to encourage networking. This strategy was effective, as when the students were asked “I feel like I have the skills to perform my dream job (1-not confident, 3-somewhat confident, 5-confident)”, scores increased from an average of 2.91 (± 0.19 SE) before the course to 3.52 (± 0.16 SE) (paired t test: p<0.05) at the end of the course. As of a result of this course, one student formed a networking contact to review job application material for their specific field and two students went on to intern with two of the organizations.
Of the teaching strategies mentioned above to reach my objective, my strongest are my passion for teaching and commitment to improvement. Infectious passion has the ability to captivate the most uninterested student but it is the wealth of strategies learned through continual professional development that enables me to reach my objective as a science educator.
OBJECTIVES:
My objective as a teacher in science (whether ecology, economics, or environmental science) is two-fold: 1) enhance a foundation of concepts, and 2) develop a student’s ability to interpret new information and think critically about it. Therefore, my courses are designed with Bloom’s Taxonomy at the foundation. Lectures, discussions, active-learning activities, and assignments are all specifically constructed to assist students in their gradual advancement on the pyramid. I use formative assessments (i.e. review sessions or Kahoot games) during class to evaluate how the students are developing. This, in turn, allows for adjustments to be made in my instruction and/or the student acquisition, improving the learning experience.
PHILOSOPHY:
My teaching philosophy can be described as student-centered. Each group of students bring different backgrounds and experiences to the course. By acknowledging these, I’m able to use their experiences as a catalyst to convey unfamiliar topics. For instance, I use partitioning of shower time among roommates as a link to explain resource partitioning or their devotion to specific Starburst flavors to explain utility curves. Student’s diversity, in all aspects, is harnessed through a peer-learning approach using discussions, peer-review, note-swaps, and peer-teaching. I first witnessed the benefits of peer-teaching when tutoring general chemistry. As new students joined the tutoring session, previous concepts were explained by their peers, solidifying the concept for both the new and “old” student.
APPLICATIONS & EXPERIENCE:
I place an emphasis on integrating technology within the learning process. Videos, simulations, podcasts, and access to computer software programs gives students an up-close and personal connection with the topic at hand with the added benefit of simultaneously addressing diverse learning-styles. I use technology to also capture the ‘ah-ah’ moments and aid in making connections to the real world. For example, in an introductory, non-majors course, students contribute to an Instagram account to document real-world examples of the environmental science topics discussed in class. Most of the student’s submissions are examples found within the boundaries of campus, while I provide additional domestic/international examples. Students are able to continue following the Instagram account after they have completed the course to nurture the connection with environmental science.
The familiar phrase “it takes a village” is also applied in my teaching strategy with the support of the local community. With an upper-level, for-majors course, I emphasize attractive skills in the job market, job-searching strategies, and arrange multiple guest speakers in the Gainesville Community to encourage networking. This strategy was effective, as when the students were asked “I feel like I have the skills to perform my dream job (1-not confident, 3-somewhat confident, 5-confident)”, scores increased from an average of 2.91 (± 0.19 SE) before the course to 3.52 (± 0.16 SE) (paired t test: p<0.05) at the end of the course. As of a result of this course, one student formed a networking contact to review job application material for their specific field and two students went on to intern with two of the organizations.
Of the teaching strategies mentioned above to reach my objective, my strongest are my passion for teaching and commitment to improvement. Infectious passion has the ability to captivate the most uninterested student but it is the wealth of strategies learned through continual professional development that enables me to reach my objective as a science educator.