Teaching

Teaching Philosophy

My primary academic goal for my students is that they understand the core concepts in science and ecology. This enables the students to broaden how they think about the world, to draw connections between all living and non-living things on earth, and to be able to think about our human experience in the context of the whole planet. Ecology is a discipline concerned with how living things connect with each other and with their environment. For better or worse, humans are also a part of this system. I hope to shift the anthropocentric view that many students carry with them as a result of socialization and to replace that view with a more holistic, planet-centered view. Another primary goal is that my students come away from my lessons with a respect for all life, regardless of its utility to humans. Lastly, I want my students to delight in nature – to enjoy its intrinsic beauty and to harbor a deep appreciation for the environment. I believe that these concepts, skills, and attitudes will prepare my students for the future, where the environment will be our next big crisis. These goals will help my students to have the perspectives and the skills for tackling big problems and for planning for the future – not just searching for the next quick fix. An understanding of ecology will aid not just scientists, but politicians, economists, businessmen, lawyers, and the common voter. A paradigm shift away from anthropocentrism will help all citizens of planet earth to make better decisions about our future.

Much like my subject matter, my teaching philosophy is holistic. My approach would best be described as “whole-student-centered” teaching. Human beings are exceedingly complex, and there is so much more to a student than the mind, which is the traditional target of teaching. I want my students to lead meaningful lives and to build other cognitive, social, and introspective capacities beyond the course material. Each student is also an individual. They will connect with the subject in different ways and at different rates. This is something I respect for each individual learner, and that I try to accommodate as much as possible in my teaching. I recognize that there are different learning styles present in every classroom, and I try to cater to as many as I can during my lessons. Many of the active learning approaches that I employ naturally draw on these different learning styles, and allow the students to showcase their individual strengths. I am a strong proponent of group learning, as it helps to develop the communication skills that are core capacities in life, as well as useful abilities in all careers. My students will come from many different socio-economic backgrounds, and many may not have had the kinds of opportunities that more affluent students had to be exposed to this material. This will present a challenge to design activities that will keep everyone engaged, and will give all students a fair chance at success. By incorporating a variety of teaching methods, activities, and assessments, all of my students should be able to explore their talents and learn the material in the way that is most effective for them.

I really want my students to connect to the course material that I am teaching them. Unfortunately, deep connection rarely happens when one is just presented with a list of facts. I have a duty to teach creatively, and to engage my students. To do this, I incorporate many active learning approaches into my teaching style. Experiential education has made the largest impact on my personal learning, and I implement hands-on, field-based learning whenever I can. Ecology is naturally a field-based discipline. I draw from many different schools of environmental pedagogy, including traditional environmental education, natural resource interpretation, place-based learning, and nature connectedness. These methods put students face-to-face with local ecology, in ways that peak their curiosity and stir their emotions.

Teaching Experience and Outreach

In Fall 2015, I was the Teaching Assistant for BIO341L: Plant Communities of North Carolina. I helped to lead weekly field trips into plant communities across NC, primarily concentrated in the Piedmont, but with extended trips to the Mountains and the Coast. I taught tree and plant identification in the field, and I coached students on how to look beyond the individual plant and see ecological connections.

I served as a Teaching Assistant and Lab Section Instructor for BIO201L: Introduction to Molecular Biology in Spring 2016. I independently taught a two and a half hour laboratory section in microbiology. I covered both conceptual and practical laboratory knowledge, and taught basic laboratory skills. Teaching methodologies included lectures, active learning activities, and one-on-one interactions with students.

In Fall 2016, I was the Teaching Assistant for BIO209D: Ecology of Human Health. I met regularly with students one-on-one and in small groups to discuss primary literature in ecology and human health. I coached students on how to lead effective discussions, building on the pedagogical strategies that I have encountered in my coursework and practical experience. This course was a relatively new listing for the Biology department, and, with the instructors and other teaching assistants, I helped to plan and develop parts of the course.

In addition to long-term courses, I have also participated in shorter outreach programs and projects. In the past three years, I have educated students on environmental topics both locally and abroad.

In Spring 2013, I participated in scientific outreach at a high school in Bologna, Italy. I taught ecology and evolution (in English), to non-native English speakers. This required me to think creatively about how to present the material effectively, and to engage the students in another language. My presentation had to be clear and concise, without any scientific jargon.

In Spring 2015, I taught 8th graders about Evolution and the Galapagos Islands through the NC Science Festival’s “Invite-A-Scientist” program. I shared my research experiences and my path to becoming a scientist.

In Fall 2015, I led a service-learning outreach activity with a 5th grade class in Durham, NC. I designed and presented a lesson and activity about pollinators and resource use at Duke Gardens. In this interactive learning experience, the students role-played as bees, divided into different hives. Some students were required to gather resources, while others decided how to allocate them to feed or protect the hive. Half-way through, the students switched roles.

I have also worked with Wake County Public School teachers to integrate North Carolina specific topics into the Earth and Environmental Science course curriculum for their classes.

In Spring 2017, I worked as a Nature Instructor with the City of Raleigh Department of Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources. I presented engaging and interactive lessons both in the field and in classrooms.

I served as the the Off-Site and Adult Education Program Coordinator at the Piedmont Wildlife Center in Durham, NC from 2017-2018. I coordinated, designed curriculum for, and managed all of our off-site programs, as well as our adult environmental education classes.

Student Learning

I evaluate my students with formative and summative assessments, primarily in the form of individual activities, group projects, presentations, and short writing assignments. I believe in using a variety of assessments, because some learners may be more naturally gifted at certain types of evaluations of their skills. An introverted learner may not excel at presentations, but he or she may really shine in a writing assignment. I believe in using many low-stakes assessments throughout a course, since test anxiety doesn’t help anyone to succeed. I also want to focus on higher order thinking skills in Bloom’s Taxonomy, which are readily measured in active projects such as role-playing or problem-solving scenarios. These assessments allow students to incorporate the skills they have learned in practical, creative, and engaging ways. The formative assessments also allow me to gauge where my strengths and weaknesses have been in presenting the material, and offer insight for how I may improve my teaching for the remainder of the course. By modifying my teaching during the course, or even during a lesson, I am more accurately meeting the needs of the students and increasing their learning and retention. Assessments would always have an ecological focus, and would involve synthesis of several concepts covered in the course.

Professional Development

I have taken a number of classes on education and communication, including:

BIOETHIC 702: Communication for Scientists

ENVIRON 737: Environmental Education and Interpretation (which included the curriculum for the National Association of Interpretation’s Certified Interpretive Guide program)

ENVIRON 593: Independent Study in Adult Environmental Education

BIOLOGY 705S: Seminar in Teaching Biology

In Spring 2016, I participated in a teaching observation program known as Teaching Triangles. I was partnered with two other graduate students in different fields of study, and we observed each other’s classes over the course of the semester. Our feedback consisted of written and verbal evaluations. I found it immensely helpful to receive feedback on my teaching from a outside observer, and observing other classes inspired me to teach with new methods and in new ways.

As part of my professional development, I am currently enrolled in the North Carolina Environmental Education Certification Program.

I participated in the Diversity and Equity in Environmental Programs (DEEP) Meeting in November 2017, as well as two diversity workshops sponsored by DEEP in February and April of 2018. DEEP is an initiative sponsored by the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University. The original meeting of environmental professionals gathered in Durham to discuss diversity and inclusion in STEM education, holes in the K-12 pipeline and beyond, and how to tackle these issues. The two workshops included training to examine implicit bias, differing cultural narratives, and epistemologies in diverse learners; and a hands-on examination and collaborative effort with environmental professionals to plan out-of-the- box solutions to inequity in education.

I attended Heart-Based Environmental Educator Training at the Eco-Institute at Pickards Mountain in June 2018. This training focused on cultural mentoring, meeting students where they are, encouraging curiosity, developing naturalist skills, deep listening, and honoring each individual’s story.