A Teaching Philosophy

Many of the lectures that I have attended in my academic career have consisted of one teacher delivering concepts through a lecture to many students. This style of teaching provides very little feedback from the students, and almost no interaction between students. Although this method of teaching can sometimes be effective, as lecture sizes grow the student-teacher interactions that are vital to effective learning drastically diminish. I believe that it is possible to increase these one-on-one interactions, not by hiring more teachers, but by expanding the traditional scope of who the teachers are.

Peer-to-peer¶

When I have struggled in the past to understand an abstract concept, it is often not the teacher at the front of the room who finally gets through to me. Instead, I make the biggest breakthroughs when being taught by my peers, as they have just recently learned the concept themselves and can more easily explain away the misconceptions. These types of peer-peer interactions are never one-sided, as teaching a concept requires a deeper understanding of the phenomenon and often the act of explaining a concept sheds light on the holes in your own knowledge. Providing an environment that stimulates peer-peer interaction and teaching allows for students to engage in the concept, have more interactions, and have personalized feedback. There are many methods that I believe teachers can use to enhance these interactions, and improve transmission of academic ideas.

Self-discovery¶

Another model that I believe is very important to learning is self-discovery of concepts. Leading students to the ‘ah-ha’ moment allows them to feel ownership over the idea, and with ownership comes a greater investment in the learning as a whole. Experimenting with ideas in an educational environment such as a laboratory can foster these moments of self-discovery. Technology can also allow for students to play with and visualize concepts. I do not think that the technology alone can teach a learner, but used properly with the right amount of guidance, these tools can allow students to become more invested in their own education.

Strategies¶

I have been quite involved with creating web-based visualization technologies for geoscience classrooms. I believe that the immersive environment that I have created through my website allows students to investigate concepts and ideas that would not be possible in a paper-based assignments or labs. Geology is an extremely visual science, and the three-dimensional visualization and manipulation skills that are often assumed by teachers are often lacking in students. Allowing students to manipulate, create, and interact with geologic block models increases visualization skills as well as interactivity and engagement. I believe that these technological tools must be complemented with clear goals that a teacher sets to the students. Without goals and guidelines, students can often get lost in the details without seeing the bigger picture. However, if a clear path is marked, the student is able to travel along that path and make discoveries along the way.