TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
I can still remember the moment, during my Topics in Research course at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, when I realized I wanted to be a scientist. The lecturer, who would become my undergraduate research mentor, presented on his research and talked about not just what is known in his field, but what is unknown. His experience making it to the edge of human knowledge and pushing into the frontiers of humankind's ignorance, inspired me to pursue a career of science, learning, and teaching. My teaching philosophy centers around creating moments like these for the students I teach.
Throughout my career, I have been involved with teaching at multiple levels and in a variety of environments and styles. I have been a teaching assistant for lab courses in biochemistry and fluorescence microscopy; I also assisted in teaching a wide variety of courses aimed at diverse students including an introductory biology class for biostatisticians and programmers, a graduate level virology course, and a methods course for first year graduate students. Through these opportunities, I gained the appreciation that students have diverse backgrounds and experiences resulting in individual learning styles. My goal as an instructor is to give students adaptable instruction utilizing multiple teaching styles to ensure that they have every opportunity to successfully understand and appreciate the material as well as instill in them a lifelong love of learning. Adaptive teaching is one such style that will allow me to teach a diverse group of students while ensuring that I am an effective lecturer. I was able to put this into practice while teaching at Rhodes College, an elite Liberal Arts College in Memphis, this Spring. Throughout the course, I used Google Forms to collect real time formative assessments to evaluate my teaching strategy. At the end of each class session, I used the same platform to ask students ‘what was the most interesting thing they learned in that day’s session’ and ‘what was the hardest concept to grasp’. This allowed me to perform real time pedagogical adjustments to “meet the students where they are” and made sure all students were being taught effectively. In a full semester course, these on-the-fly formative assessments will be complemented by formal, mid-term teaching evaluations. While end-of-term teaching evaluations are incredibly valuable for students taking future iterations of the course, these mid-term evaluations of my teaching and methods allow me to better teach, not just future students, but the students taking the course now.
This type of adaptive teaching requires the use of multiple teaching styles to ensure that each students’ distinct preferred learning method is identified and utilized. I use traditional lectures, immersion in primary and secondary scientific literature, current events, knowledge application activities, class-wide discussions, and visual learning aids to effectively present course material. By incorporating adaptive learning with these multiple teaching styles, I’m best be able to instill the students with the desired knowledge and skills.
Another critical component of my teaching philosophy is that scientific thinking isn’t limited to scientists. Science is an iterative and self-correcting process that must be incorporated into any course. Early engagement with the scientific process, not just scientific principles and facts, is crucial for the development of critical thinkers. One component of the course I designed at Rhodes College was an activity where students were divided into two teams and used primary literature to support opposing hypotheses at the forefront of COVID-19 research. In addition to teaching them how to review primary literature, this exercise immersed them in the scientific process and taught them how to think critically beyond their textbooks and what they hear in the news or through social media.
Effective teaching that motivates students to learn, not just what is being presented in the classroom, but beyond, requires passion for teaching. To be the most effective, motivating, and challenging teacher I can be, I need to demonstrate passion for the subject matter, the students, and teaching itself. Virology has taught me to appreciate many aspects of science including genetics, molecular biology, biochemistry, biophysical chemistry, structural biology, chemistry, organic chemistry, and microbiology, making me a passionate advocate for all of these fields of study. As a teacher, I will always strive to learn more about effective teaching and better myself as an educator. I attended the American Society for Microbiology’s Best Practices in Curriculum Design, Teaching and Assessment online course, and upon completion, began serving as a reviewer for the Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education. In this role, I have been exposed to cutting edge pedagogical research which I have been incorporating into my own course designs. However, such passion for science and teaching are useless without passion for the students as individual learners. I will have dedicated availability for students to discuss any questions or concerns about the course or their academic careers. Outside these hours, I will have an open-door policy and welcome student interactions while walking across campus or in line for coffee. I will take a proactive role with students dealing with issues affecting their learning. In addition to formal teaching, mentoring students both in research and as they progress in their academic programs is critical for student learning and growth. Teaching doesn’t end at the semester; it ends on graduation day or even later. I will take an active role in ensuring students in my courses and in my lab have everything they need to succeed at College and beyond. I prefer a hands-on approach with students as they begin in the lab, but I think that as students gain more skills and confidence they should be given more independence, even as undergraduates, to design their own experiments and to make (and learn from) mistakes. My open door policy will extend to students I am mentoring in the lab, which, combined with weekly one-on-one meetings with research mentees, ensures that everyone will receive the right combination of direct, hand-on mentorship and independence they need to thrive as a scientist.