Me as a Teacher and Mentor:

My Teaching Philosophy

I believe teaching as a skill should be adaptive, and teaching strategies should be principally based on the needs of the students. What works for some classes/students are not always going to work for others – teaching should not have a one-shoe-fits-all approach. I therefore encourage regular assessments though quarterly feedback, and I also provide students with the opportunity to anonymously make recommendations or suggestions on how classes could be improved. In past courses that I have taught, this approach has been especially useful to gauge topics or activities with which students require additional help, but has also provided insights into activities that promote learning and engagement.  

I believe in setting clearly defined expectations, and keeping students to them. Defining expectations at the start of the course, and reiterating your expectations for each topic, provides a manageable curriculum to both instructors and students.

I believe that successful students are creative scientists. I gear my course outline and assignments to follow the principles of Bloom’s taxonomy. My lecture planning and assessments are set up to encourage students to achieve the desired level of teaching (from remembering, to understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and ultimately creatively thinking about science). For example, at the beginning of each class period, I’ll review previous lecture material through quick question discussions that bridges previous topics to the next lesson. This allows me to assess areas in the learning process where students might require additional support. My ultimate goal for individual topics, and for each course, is to achieve the pinnacle of Bloom’s taxonomy where students can design, assemble, construct, develop and investigate topics related to the class either through practical application in class or at home and in their future careers. Providing students with toolsets that allow them to creatively interpret topics in Biological Sciences is my ultimate goal. 

I believe in promoting inclusive, diverse learning environments. Now more than ever, there is a need to increase inclusivity and promote diversity in classrooms. My background as an international student and teacher has encouraged me to set up actionable practices that promote inclusivity and diversity. For example, I am part of a graduate and early career faculty group that has created teaching resources for diversifying and decolonizing syllabi in Life and Environmental Sciences (see my DEIA in STEM page). We have developed a list of college-level resources (articles, podcasts, videos, etc) that can be used as teaching tools in undergraduate classrooms. These resources may, for example, cover topics of racial justice, traditional ecological knowledge, environmental racism, and other related topics. In my classroom I work to develop awareness of current and historical injustices in science, and I am conscientious of different backgrounds and viewpoints that students may have. I promote a class culture that reflects the merits of my own prospective lab: be respectful, be honest, be supportive.