Teaching Philosophy

As an instructor, I hope to provide students with a learning environment that will make a positive impact on those students who are excited about science as well as those who are taking the class to simply satisfy a requirement. I want to give my students an atmosphere that will support and promote their own academic success. It is my personal experience that encouraging students to get excited about the material can result in better performance and understanding in the course. In order to achieve this atmosphere, I feel that it is important to understand who your students are and recognize their different needs in both an academic and a group setting.  It is also important that students feel comfortable asking questions and efforts should be made to recognize students on an individual level. Knowing names, majors, goals, and interests can help bridge the gap between students and instructors.

I plan to meet the learning needs of these diverse students by having a lesson plan that is both rigid and adaptive. Through the use of different activities and exercises, I plan to satisfy the different ways in which a student can best learn a topic. Too many times instructors are stuck on their traditional lecture style and are unable to reach the students who require other modes of instruction.  If a student can sit through every lecture without saying a word, there’s a good chance that they aren’t getting all they can out of the course. “Just showing up” will not be an option in my class. Getting students involved in the lecture can increase attention, understanding, accountability, and performance, especially in larger classes. The use of visual aids, technology, in-class activities, and mediated student-to-student discussions can enable an instructor to reach more students and they can have a lesson plan that is somewhat tailored to them.

 

At the undergraduate level, it’s important that students learn to hold themselves accountable and they should be encouraged to take ownership of their own learning. By enforcing deadlines and having challenging course work, I want to help bring my students to a higher level of learning. In order to achieve this, it’s equally important that these students are taught the skills and behaviors that will enable them to build solid study habits and will instill in them the importance of academic success in their own future. Laying down that framework early on in their college career will allow for an easier transition into higher level courses, graduate school, or even their ultimate profession.  I will stress the importance of these habits at the beginning of every term and give guidance throughout the semester.

The job of a teacher isn’t only to effectively convey the required material; it is also to set students up for their future success. I hope to challenge and guide my students into a mindset that will benefit them long after my course is finished.