Teaching Portfolio |
Teaching Philosophy
My primary goal in teaching is to focus on the students’ needs to facilitate an inclusive, engaging, and applicable biology classroom. I strive to continuously improve my teaching practices through learning from student feedback along with keeping up to date on discipline-based educational research. It is my hope that every student who leaves my class appreciates the importance of biology to their day-to-day lives and is reflective of their career goals. Below, I provide examples of how I maintain my primary teaching goals and how I commit to lifelong learning and amendment of my teaching practices to center the students.
I take great care in developing an inclusive curriculum that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). It is increasingly obvious that STEM fields lack retention of marginalized students, with the field of biology being no exception. For this reason, when developing course content, methods for promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion are constantly on the back of my mind. I integrate culturally diverse and relevant topics. For example, I have students read or watch videos about scientists and their research from marginalized groups. Evidence has shown that exposing students to scientists that align with their identities increases their science identity and sense of belonging in the classroom. I believe that understanding who my students are and their needs best informs which practices promotes a sense of belonging for all students, including those from marginalized groups. At the start of each course, I use personal introduction mechanisms (e.g. note cards, surveys, etc.) that tell me more about who they are and if there is anything I should know to help them succeed. I use these student responses to learn students’ names along with adjusting material to their concerns or needs. For instance, I once had a nonbinary student who didn’t feel comfortable using the female or male bathrooms that the building had. For this reason, I schedule a ten-minute break in the course to allow for this student to walk over to the adjacent building which had nonbinary bathrooms.
I use a variety of active learning techniques to keep the material engaging along with fostering retention of fundamental concepts. I often use and provide multiple resources for key objectives which add repetition along with addressing differences in student preferences for learning style. For instance, when teaching students about blood types, I explain blood typing from the perspective of the antibody and antigen, address common misconceptions students form, and provide activities in which students practice blood typing and consider what blood types can be donated to others and why. Some active learning strategies I use throughout the course includes student led activities in which students complete worksheets, paired discussion in which students share their thoughts afterwards, or online Q&A discussion boards where every student is required to respond to another student’s question or comment. Using a variety of methods allows me to ensure that some aspects of the material are clear and useful for the student’s understanding.
Keeping material applicable to the students is important to help develop course content that will prepare them for their future career goals. Using the same personal introduction mechanisms previously discussed, I ask students about why they are taking this course and their future career goals. Understanding who my students are and why they are taking my biology course can allow me to cover topics that relate to their goals and interests. For example, many of my human anatomy and physiology students were interested in becoming personal trainers. For this reason, I provided examples in which students had to think about what movements an athlete could or could not do after a muscle injury. Applicable material to the students also allows me to ensure I am covering diverse topics for a diverse student body. One way I do this is to find examples of modern-day scientists from marginalized groups and have students explore their research. Seeing and hearing stories about scientists that look or have similar experiences as the students increases their science identity. This allows me to cover topics that are applicable to research being conducted today, along with addressing diversity in the biology field. Adjusting course content to include more material for students from marginalized groups can help broaden students' understanding of how biology is important to everyone.
To ensure that I am keeping up with my teaching goals, I implement ongoing assessment to guide the students learning. I use a mixture of formative and informative assessment. Formative assessments include high stakes midterms and finals, along with weekly quizzes in order to ensure students are reviewing material throughout the term. Informative assessments comprise of daily check-ins through clicker questions, online low-stakes practices quizzes, and signature questions in which students in groups must answer questions for me to receive participation points. I pay close attention to these informative assessments to know where students are struggling or doing well. If I see there are concepts that many of the students struggle with, I revisit this topic in the next class using a different active learning technique. To help students who struggle with performing well during formative assessments, I guide students on how to prepare for quizzes and exams through personal reflection. Before exams, I review material with students, making sure to keep questions that relate to similar concepts together. After each concept is covered, I ask students to score how well they did based on the percentage of material they got correct. At the end, I ask the students to reflect on which concepts they may have struggled with and make suggestions on how to divide their time wisely for studying. After quizzes and exams, I have students write reflections on what questions they got wrong and how to prepare for the next assessment. I also reach out to students who perform poorly on two or more quizzes in a row and have a discussion of how I can help them improve.
I take great care in developing an inclusive curriculum that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). It is increasingly obvious that STEM fields lack retention of marginalized students, with the field of biology being no exception. For this reason, when developing course content, methods for promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion are constantly on the back of my mind. I integrate culturally diverse and relevant topics. For example, I have students read or watch videos about scientists and their research from marginalized groups. Evidence has shown that exposing students to scientists that align with their identities increases their science identity and sense of belonging in the classroom. I believe that understanding who my students are and their needs best informs which practices promotes a sense of belonging for all students, including those from marginalized groups. At the start of each course, I use personal introduction mechanisms (e.g. note cards, surveys, etc.) that tell me more about who they are and if there is anything I should know to help them succeed. I use these student responses to learn students’ names along with adjusting material to their concerns or needs. For instance, I once had a nonbinary student who didn’t feel comfortable using the female or male bathrooms that the building had. For this reason, I schedule a ten-minute break in the course to allow for this student to walk over to the adjacent building which had nonbinary bathrooms.
I use a variety of active learning techniques to keep the material engaging along with fostering retention of fundamental concepts. I often use and provide multiple resources for key objectives which add repetition along with addressing differences in student preferences for learning style. For instance, when teaching students about blood types, I explain blood typing from the perspective of the antibody and antigen, address common misconceptions students form, and provide activities in which students practice blood typing and consider what blood types can be donated to others and why. Some active learning strategies I use throughout the course includes student led activities in which students complete worksheets, paired discussion in which students share their thoughts afterwards, or online Q&A discussion boards where every student is required to respond to another student’s question or comment. Using a variety of methods allows me to ensure that some aspects of the material are clear and useful for the student’s understanding.
Keeping material applicable to the students is important to help develop course content that will prepare them for their future career goals. Using the same personal introduction mechanisms previously discussed, I ask students about why they are taking this course and their future career goals. Understanding who my students are and why they are taking my biology course can allow me to cover topics that relate to their goals and interests. For example, many of my human anatomy and physiology students were interested in becoming personal trainers. For this reason, I provided examples in which students had to think about what movements an athlete could or could not do after a muscle injury. Applicable material to the students also allows me to ensure I am covering diverse topics for a diverse student body. One way I do this is to find examples of modern-day scientists from marginalized groups and have students explore their research. Seeing and hearing stories about scientists that look or have similar experiences as the students increases their science identity. This allows me to cover topics that are applicable to research being conducted today, along with addressing diversity in the biology field. Adjusting course content to include more material for students from marginalized groups can help broaden students' understanding of how biology is important to everyone.
To ensure that I am keeping up with my teaching goals, I implement ongoing assessment to guide the students learning. I use a mixture of formative and informative assessment. Formative assessments include high stakes midterms and finals, along with weekly quizzes in order to ensure students are reviewing material throughout the term. Informative assessments comprise of daily check-ins through clicker questions, online low-stakes practices quizzes, and signature questions in which students in groups must answer questions for me to receive participation points. I pay close attention to these informative assessments to know where students are struggling or doing well. If I see there are concepts that many of the students struggle with, I revisit this topic in the next class using a different active learning technique. To help students who struggle with performing well during formative assessments, I guide students on how to prepare for quizzes and exams through personal reflection. Before exams, I review material with students, making sure to keep questions that relate to similar concepts together. After each concept is covered, I ask students to score how well they did based on the percentage of material they got correct. At the end, I ask the students to reflect on which concepts they may have struggled with and make suggestions on how to divide their time wisely for studying. After quizzes and exams, I have students write reflections on what questions they got wrong and how to prepare for the next assessment. I also reach out to students who perform poorly on two or more quizzes in a row and have a discussion of how I can help them improve.
Teaching objectives and Strategies
My teaching objectives are to create an engaging and inclusive classroom that students feel comfortable in. In doing so, students are open to ask questions in order to better understand the material. Students often work in groups so that they can practice working with others on complex material, better preparing them for their future careers. By working in groups, students are able to create a learning environment that fits their style. In doing so, students leave the classroom with a better appreciation for the material.
I use a variety of teaching strategies to address the concepts being covered in class. This ranges from lectures to running an experiment. I use lectures to introduce concepts, while providing the basis for biological processes. This provides a clear resource for students with useful videos, diagrams, and outline of the content being covered. I use the rest of class time to facilitate active learning. Students work hands on with material that helps them understand the broader implications of concepts.
While the activities and materials I provide are useful for student understanding, I believe that creating a fun and engaging atmosphere best facilitates a positive learning environment. By establishing a strong rapport with my students, I am able to increase their interest in the course and in learning. I use personal stories related to concepts being covered and humor to make science fun.
In addition to making science fun, I aim to have my students understand how the material being covered relates to their lives. This is done through experiential learning, such as running an experiment, or through group discussion. In lab, I have discussion questions that I ask groups of 2-5 students. These questions apply the concepts they just learned to real world examples, such as predicting how the material covered that week relates to human disease, the local environment, or charismatic species.
It is my aim to provide students with materials to develop their understanding. These resources are used as study material that can help students improve their basic understanding of biological processes. In addition, I work with students to ask harder more applicable questions to make connections to what the broader implications of the content. All of this is fulfilled through fun activities to encourage enthusiasm and the motivation to love science.
Diversity Statement
As an instructor, I am committed to creating a safe learning space for all people to share, participate, collaborate, and learn. I encourage open dialogue with my students and colleagues, welcoming feedback to help me make my classrooms and curriculum more inclusive. Conducting disciplined based education research allows me to keep up to date on best teaching practices to address diversity, equity, and inclusion. For instance, our work in the Science Education Partnership and Assessment Lab (SEPAL) has found that having students exposed to scientists who come from a similar demographic background as them increases their self-identity as a scientist. I do my best to develop curriculum that experience, and evidence-based practices helps my diverse range of students succeed.
I recognize that my own privilege as middle-class white female has given me advantages that allowed me to be successful in the field of science. I engage in regular reflection about these aspects of my identity through continuing my own professional development on issues of diversity, equity, justice and inclusion. By attending conferences, workshops, participating in committees, I am constantly adjusting curriculum to address inequities in the classroom. One valuable strategy I use with students is sharing details about my own struggles with academia and becoming a scientist. For example, I am upfront with students that I had a 2.9 GPA in undergraduate school. For this reason, I tell students that I don’t think GPAs are an accurate measurement of one’s potential in the field of science. Rather, I encourage students by informing them there are many avenues they can take to succeed. For instance, I talk about how I joined the Peace Corps, which helped me when applying to graduate schools as I have a myriad of life experiences I could pull from. By sharing my story with students, I believe it lets the student know I care more about them as a person, not their grades.
When developing curriculum, I am constantly thinking about who my students are and what I can do to help them succeed. During my years of teaching, I have been fortunate to work with a diverse range of students. All my students have had their own unique interests, goals, proficiencies in biology, and challenges. To get to know my students, on the first day of class, I have students fill out notecards telling me more about them (e.g. “What are your preferred pronouns if you are comfortable sharing?” and “Is there anything else you would like me to know so I can better support you?”). Throughout the course, I check-in every few weeks with students by requesting feedback through short surveys. I proactively reach out to students who are struggling to understand what barriers may be attributed to those struggles and how we can address them together.
I believe that inclusion of a diverse group of voices in the classroom and in the field of science is not only the morally right thing to do, but also makes us better scientists. Having multiple perspectives and worldviews contributes to our understanding of the world and the role science must play in it. Students cannot become doctors without learning what eczema looks like in a black patient. Learning some sign language can be useful tool for communication while working underwater or when human saliva may contaminate mushroom cultures. A climate scientist better facilitates shifts in public perception if they discuss issues impacting local communities. Biology is the study of all life, including all the people that live across the globe and what roles they play in those ecosystems.
I recognize that my own privilege as middle-class white female has given me advantages that allowed me to be successful in the field of science. I engage in regular reflection about these aspects of my identity through continuing my own professional development on issues of diversity, equity, justice and inclusion. By attending conferences, workshops, participating in committees, I am constantly adjusting curriculum to address inequities in the classroom. One valuable strategy I use with students is sharing details about my own struggles with academia and becoming a scientist. For example, I am upfront with students that I had a 2.9 GPA in undergraduate school. For this reason, I tell students that I don’t think GPAs are an accurate measurement of one’s potential in the field of science. Rather, I encourage students by informing them there are many avenues they can take to succeed. For instance, I talk about how I joined the Peace Corps, which helped me when applying to graduate schools as I have a myriad of life experiences I could pull from. By sharing my story with students, I believe it lets the student know I care more about them as a person, not their grades.
When developing curriculum, I am constantly thinking about who my students are and what I can do to help them succeed. During my years of teaching, I have been fortunate to work with a diverse range of students. All my students have had their own unique interests, goals, proficiencies in biology, and challenges. To get to know my students, on the first day of class, I have students fill out notecards telling me more about them (e.g. “What are your preferred pronouns if you are comfortable sharing?” and “Is there anything else you would like me to know so I can better support you?”). Throughout the course, I check-in every few weeks with students by requesting feedback through short surveys. I proactively reach out to students who are struggling to understand what barriers may be attributed to those struggles and how we can address them together.
I believe that inclusion of a diverse group of voices in the classroom and in the field of science is not only the morally right thing to do, but also makes us better scientists. Having multiple perspectives and worldviews contributes to our understanding of the world and the role science must play in it. Students cannot become doctors without learning what eczema looks like in a black patient. Learning some sign language can be useful tool for communication while working underwater or when human saliva may contaminate mushroom cultures. A climate scientist better facilitates shifts in public perception if they discuss issues impacting local communities. Biology is the study of all life, including all the people that live across the globe and what roles they play in those ecosystems.
