Teaching Philosophy
I firmly believe that the most effective teaching tool is enthusiasm. Anyone who has spent time in a classroom, lecture hall, or general presentation, knows the value of an enthusiastic presenter. People learn best when they are engaged, excited, and invested, and the passion of an educator is the best way to facilitate such engagement. My teaching philosophy stems from this belief. My goal as an educator is to provide a learning environment that yields excitement for a topic, and the first step I take is demonstrating my own enthusiasm as a model. I have always been avid student and life-long learner. This enthusiasm for knowledge makes me eager to share my passion for learning with all students and puts me in a position to be a personable, approachable, and effective educator.
Even with enthusiasm, I recognize that learning can be a challenging process. A student’s excitement can be hindered by struggles in comprehension, with the potential for negative classroom experiences. To overcome such challenges, I approach education as an inquisitorial, investigative, and problem-based process, a process where challenge, failure, and struggle are necessary for discovery. By treating a classroom as a space for students to both ask and answer questions, to identify problems and develop solutions, it alleviates the pressure to always be “right.” It teaches students that being wrong is necessary for discovering what’s right. Through this process students learn on their own and are reminded that understanding why an answer is wrong is just as important as knowing why an answer is right. Such a learning environment increases engagement and excitement and minimizes disappointment. I see my role in this process as a guide. I lead students on this path to discovery, providing direction and feedback when needed, and encouragement and enthusiasm along the way.
To accomplish this, I take advantage of a broad range of teaching techniques, including field trips and field-based exploration, discussion and debate, role-playing and presentations, and hands-on experimentation and exploration of case studies. As an introduction to species interactions and wildlife ecology, I assigned students to explore specific examples of species removal and reintroduction across the world. In small groups, they analyzed each case study and discussed the overall goals, impacts, and unintended consequences of management decisions. They then presented this to the class and described how they would manage such species interactions given their understandings of population ecology. This assignment was designed to provide an opportunity for self-guided learning to analyze and assess real-world examples of science in action. Following the assignment, the students expressed an increased awareness of the challenges associated with wildlife management and appreciation for the value of ecological research in informing policy. These types of investigative assignments put students in charge of their education and empower them to solve problems.
By creating a learning environment where students are enthusiastic, engaged, and serving as managers of their own learning, they are also becoming critical thinkers. My primary goal is to equip students with the skills necessary to view the world around them with a critical eye; to develop the skills to ask novel questions, create novel solutions, and become life-long leaders. In so doing, the impacts of education reach far beyond the classroom, to the betterment of our world. Preparing students to think critically also involves providing a space to explore issues of diversity and equity, particularly as our global society becomes increasingly interconnected. As a woman of color, I recognize the value of interdisciplinary education that incorporates a diversity of demographic backgrounds and broader worldviews. Diversity is a powerful tool to facilitate education and discovery, one that should be included in all classrooms. I aim to bolsters students’ ability to think critically by challenging them to examine an issue across disciplines, experiences, and contexts, thus improving their ability to approach unique problems that arise in the future.
Teaching is an absolute joy and an incredible honor to me. It is an opportunity to share my passions with eager minds and inspire them to explore and discover passions of their own. I always offer myself as a resource for students to talk about their future careers or academic paths, or to put them in touch with someone who has more insights than I. Every course (and student interaction, more broadly) is also an opportunity for me to improve as an educator and grow as a person. I encourage students to provide feedback during the course and at its completion. Improving my communication, methodologies, and content is hugely important to me, and while I have consistently received positive feedback, I continuously aim to improve my ability to facilitate student learning.
Even with enthusiasm, I recognize that learning can be a challenging process. A student’s excitement can be hindered by struggles in comprehension, with the potential for negative classroom experiences. To overcome such challenges, I approach education as an inquisitorial, investigative, and problem-based process, a process where challenge, failure, and struggle are necessary for discovery. By treating a classroom as a space for students to both ask and answer questions, to identify problems and develop solutions, it alleviates the pressure to always be “right.” It teaches students that being wrong is necessary for discovering what’s right. Through this process students learn on their own and are reminded that understanding why an answer is wrong is just as important as knowing why an answer is right. Such a learning environment increases engagement and excitement and minimizes disappointment. I see my role in this process as a guide. I lead students on this path to discovery, providing direction and feedback when needed, and encouragement and enthusiasm along the way.
To accomplish this, I take advantage of a broad range of teaching techniques, including field trips and field-based exploration, discussion and debate, role-playing and presentations, and hands-on experimentation and exploration of case studies. As an introduction to species interactions and wildlife ecology, I assigned students to explore specific examples of species removal and reintroduction across the world. In small groups, they analyzed each case study and discussed the overall goals, impacts, and unintended consequences of management decisions. They then presented this to the class and described how they would manage such species interactions given their understandings of population ecology. This assignment was designed to provide an opportunity for self-guided learning to analyze and assess real-world examples of science in action. Following the assignment, the students expressed an increased awareness of the challenges associated with wildlife management and appreciation for the value of ecological research in informing policy. These types of investigative assignments put students in charge of their education and empower them to solve problems.
By creating a learning environment where students are enthusiastic, engaged, and serving as managers of their own learning, they are also becoming critical thinkers. My primary goal is to equip students with the skills necessary to view the world around them with a critical eye; to develop the skills to ask novel questions, create novel solutions, and become life-long leaders. In so doing, the impacts of education reach far beyond the classroom, to the betterment of our world. Preparing students to think critically also involves providing a space to explore issues of diversity and equity, particularly as our global society becomes increasingly interconnected. As a woman of color, I recognize the value of interdisciplinary education that incorporates a diversity of demographic backgrounds and broader worldviews. Diversity is a powerful tool to facilitate education and discovery, one that should be included in all classrooms. I aim to bolsters students’ ability to think critically by challenging them to examine an issue across disciplines, experiences, and contexts, thus improving their ability to approach unique problems that arise in the future.
Teaching is an absolute joy and an incredible honor to me. It is an opportunity to share my passions with eager minds and inspire them to explore and discover passions of their own. I always offer myself as a resource for students to talk about their future careers or academic paths, or to put them in touch with someone who has more insights than I. Every course (and student interaction, more broadly) is also an opportunity for me to improve as an educator and grow as a person. I encourage students to provide feedback during the course and at its completion. Improving my communication, methodologies, and content is hugely important to me, and while I have consistently received positive feedback, I continuously aim to improve my ability to facilitate student learning.