Teaching Philosophy
Science education is extremely important. As someone who is passionate about science, I often find myself dismayed by the apparent inadequate understanding of, and sometimes, disdain toward, science in the US today. Thus, I teach science because I like to think that I am helping more people understand the world around them (and inside of them). It's not that I believe that every college student should be able to explain the theory of relativity or memorize the periodic table of elements. Rather, what I think is so valuable about a strong educational background in science is the critical thinking that comes with it. We expect critical thinking from our students, but it is not uncommon to find an undergraduate science course where classroom time is spent solely with the instructor lecturing, and then students go home and study their notes and read the textbook, and are assessed on concepts and definitions in a multiple choice midterm and final exam. It is easy to see how we are not reaching the majority of our students with a model like this. I do not want to perpetuate this problem. To learn more about how to help students learn, I completed a college teaching certification program, have taken a class about instructional methods in teaching college science, worked on a mentored teaching project, continually attend university workshops about effective teaching, and even sit in on classrooms that use different teaching styles.
My role as a new instructor
I will illustrate to you how I approach teaching, but, I think my philosophy and methods can be boiled down to a few points. As an instructor, I will (1) create learning objectives that align with both the important concepts for the field and the assessments I use to judge student learning and my teaching effectiveness, (2) use frequent, formative assessment techniques (“Clicker” questions, one-minute papers, small group activities) to ensure that students are actively engaging and making the right connections while I am instructing (and not hoping to learn by diffusion), and, (3) create a classroom that is not intimidating, so students feel welcome to share their thoughts or voice their questions and uncertainties.
Backward design
A common student complaint is that we teach in one way, and then expect students to perform at a higher level on the exam. While it is desirable to see our students pull information together and make connections, all while expressing their ideas coherently, it is not practical to expect them to be able to do this without ever having had practice thinking this way in the first place. There is no better way to realign instructor-student expectations than to use Backward Design. Using this method, I first have to think about what it is I really want my students to get out of the class. Bloom's and Fink's Taxonomies help me get away from saying that I want students to "know" or "understand" concepts, to much more meaningful behaviors. Would a fifth grader be satisfied if my college student told them that a prototypical neuron has an axon? Would I really care if they remembered the name axon, but then didn't know what it did and couldn't point it out on an image? No. My objective would be that my students are able to communicate how the structure of a neuron relates to its function, and my assessment should be just that. Though we may not have the opportunity to test out the answers on actual fifth graders (though that would be interesting!), I would gauge whether the students go beyond memorizing terms and instead, can describe the parts of a prototypical neuron in language that anyone would be able to understand. Now that I know what my students should be able to do and how they would show it, I can work on my class materials, making sure I present students with the tools they will need to achieve the objective.
Guided learning
When I first began TAing, I was frustrated when I was met by blank faces after using what I thought was a clever and well thought out explanation. Did my explanation really miss the mark, or are they just too busy taking notes to engage with me? I am learning to use formative assessment to pause and gauge what the students are learning and how effective my methods are, and get everyone back on track if necessary. The apprenticeship model is one way of doing this. Let me use the example of teaching students about synaptic transmission. For the most part, students understand that cells, including neurons, need to communicate with each other, and that this is achieved with electrical signals (even if they don't understand the make-up of the signal). If you explain to them that in chemical synapses there is a physical gap between the two cells that the electrical signal cannot cross, they understand that there is a problem. Instead of explaining to them how neurons overcome this problem, I have them work up a solution on their own, while I guide them through it. First, instead of neurons, I ask them to imagine students sitting in a library. Two students are sitting next to each other, and they want to chat. When I ask my class how they can achieve this, it’s easy, they say the two students can simply whisper to each other directly. Then I tell them that there is another student a few desks away- how might he or she talk with one of these other students? After some thought, reliably, a student will say, simple, they could write down what they wanted to say, and toss a note or paper airplane over. What they have done, without realizing, is perfectly model what a chemical synapse achieves. Now that they are interested and have a good foundation, I can fill in the details- what structure is the paper airplane, what are the hands to grab the note- with diagrams and photos. To really ensure their mastery, the last step is for the students to explain this without my guidance. For this final assessment, I might ask students to describe how the chemical synapse differs from the electrical synapse, or to draw a chemical synapse complete with a figure legend describing all the parts and their functions. This is just one example of how I engage my students in active learning and assess their learning along the way.
Creating an effective and inclusive classroom
Having a classroom where students feel welcome is integral to using active learning techniques. It is important, then, to not alienate shy students. Having been a shy student myself, I can attest that not raising one's hand does not mean that the student isn't following along. How, then, to differentiate between the student who is quiet because they are lost and the student who is quiet because they prefer not to talk? I do not think forcing students to speak is the way to go. This works for many instructors, but I know that if I were in a class like that, I would be so stressed by the classroom experience, I would dread going, and perhaps choose to not go, just to avoid the embarrassment of speaking in class. Instead, I like letting students talk among themselves to come up with an answer. I can walk around the room to make sure everyone is participating, and cut them off before they get too off topic. Then, when I solicit the class for an answer, the student in the group who isn't shy can answer for the group. I find this is a good way to get everyone engaged without being too intimidating. And slowly, maybe that shy student will raise their hand, too.
A learning process for the instructor, too
Thanks to my experiences in the Certification of College Teaching Program and as a Fellow of Preparing Future Faculty in the Assessment of Student Learning at Michigan State University, I am developing in terms of how to achieve my three points addressed above. I have been inspired by great group activities and demonstrations from experienced instructors, and encouraged by engaged students. I know I am growing as an instructor; I look forward to continually learning from my peers and my students.
My role as a new instructor
I will illustrate to you how I approach teaching, but, I think my philosophy and methods can be boiled down to a few points. As an instructor, I will (1) create learning objectives that align with both the important concepts for the field and the assessments I use to judge student learning and my teaching effectiveness, (2) use frequent, formative assessment techniques (“Clicker” questions, one-minute papers, small group activities) to ensure that students are actively engaging and making the right connections while I am instructing (and not hoping to learn by diffusion), and, (3) create a classroom that is not intimidating, so students feel welcome to share their thoughts or voice their questions and uncertainties.
Backward design
A common student complaint is that we teach in one way, and then expect students to perform at a higher level on the exam. While it is desirable to see our students pull information together and make connections, all while expressing their ideas coherently, it is not practical to expect them to be able to do this without ever having had practice thinking this way in the first place. There is no better way to realign instructor-student expectations than to use Backward Design. Using this method, I first have to think about what it is I really want my students to get out of the class. Bloom's and Fink's Taxonomies help me get away from saying that I want students to "know" or "understand" concepts, to much more meaningful behaviors. Would a fifth grader be satisfied if my college student told them that a prototypical neuron has an axon? Would I really care if they remembered the name axon, but then didn't know what it did and couldn't point it out on an image? No. My objective would be that my students are able to communicate how the structure of a neuron relates to its function, and my assessment should be just that. Though we may not have the opportunity to test out the answers on actual fifth graders (though that would be interesting!), I would gauge whether the students go beyond memorizing terms and instead, can describe the parts of a prototypical neuron in language that anyone would be able to understand. Now that I know what my students should be able to do and how they would show it, I can work on my class materials, making sure I present students with the tools they will need to achieve the objective.
Guided learning
When I first began TAing, I was frustrated when I was met by blank faces after using what I thought was a clever and well thought out explanation. Did my explanation really miss the mark, or are they just too busy taking notes to engage with me? I am learning to use formative assessment to pause and gauge what the students are learning and how effective my methods are, and get everyone back on track if necessary. The apprenticeship model is one way of doing this. Let me use the example of teaching students about synaptic transmission. For the most part, students understand that cells, including neurons, need to communicate with each other, and that this is achieved with electrical signals (even if they don't understand the make-up of the signal). If you explain to them that in chemical synapses there is a physical gap between the two cells that the electrical signal cannot cross, they understand that there is a problem. Instead of explaining to them how neurons overcome this problem, I have them work up a solution on their own, while I guide them through it. First, instead of neurons, I ask them to imagine students sitting in a library. Two students are sitting next to each other, and they want to chat. When I ask my class how they can achieve this, it’s easy, they say the two students can simply whisper to each other directly. Then I tell them that there is another student a few desks away- how might he or she talk with one of these other students? After some thought, reliably, a student will say, simple, they could write down what they wanted to say, and toss a note or paper airplane over. What they have done, without realizing, is perfectly model what a chemical synapse achieves. Now that they are interested and have a good foundation, I can fill in the details- what structure is the paper airplane, what are the hands to grab the note- with diagrams and photos. To really ensure their mastery, the last step is for the students to explain this without my guidance. For this final assessment, I might ask students to describe how the chemical synapse differs from the electrical synapse, or to draw a chemical synapse complete with a figure legend describing all the parts and their functions. This is just one example of how I engage my students in active learning and assess their learning along the way.
Creating an effective and inclusive classroom
Having a classroom where students feel welcome is integral to using active learning techniques. It is important, then, to not alienate shy students. Having been a shy student myself, I can attest that not raising one's hand does not mean that the student isn't following along. How, then, to differentiate between the student who is quiet because they are lost and the student who is quiet because they prefer not to talk? I do not think forcing students to speak is the way to go. This works for many instructors, but I know that if I were in a class like that, I would be so stressed by the classroom experience, I would dread going, and perhaps choose to not go, just to avoid the embarrassment of speaking in class. Instead, I like letting students talk among themselves to come up with an answer. I can walk around the room to make sure everyone is participating, and cut them off before they get too off topic. Then, when I solicit the class for an answer, the student in the group who isn't shy can answer for the group. I find this is a good way to get everyone engaged without being too intimidating. And slowly, maybe that shy student will raise their hand, too.
A learning process for the instructor, too
Thanks to my experiences in the Certification of College Teaching Program and as a Fellow of Preparing Future Faculty in the Assessment of Student Learning at Michigan State University, I am developing in terms of how to achieve my three points addressed above. I have been inspired by great group activities and demonstrations from experienced instructors, and encouraged by engaged students. I know I am growing as an instructor; I look forward to continually learning from my peers and my students.