My philosophy as a teacher, a mentor, and a leader
I believe that teaching chemistry is much more than just the dissemination of information from instructor to student; rather it is the method through which we can ignite and nurture the development of young scientists. Thomas Caruthers once said that “a teacher is one who makes himself progressively unnecessary,”- that is to say that for our students to truly excel beyond the classroom, we must equip them with the necessary tools to become life-long learners. These tools, which I tend to call the “Four C’s of Learning”, are critical thinking, courage, confidence, and creativity. Equipped with these tools, students are able to do much more than just master the material.
Critical ThinkingProviding students with the ability to think critically ensures that they can approach any problem with logic by evaluating the best course of action, carefully examining the results, and assessing the conclusions. I develop critical thinking in my students through the use of active learning techniques, guided inquiry in discussions and interactive problem-solving. Often, I begin class by asking the students what it is that we are doing today, allowing them to co-create the lesson plan with me while explaining to me what they already know. This approach not only encourages students to prepare for class but also motivates them to take responsibility and ownership for their own learning. To develop critical thinking through interactive problem-solving, I develop real life scenarios or problems chemists might encounter for the students to solve. Students then work in groups while employing outside resources, such as peer reviewed literature, texts, or even scientists themselves, to find the solution. For example, in the CH201 course (Research Methods in Chemistry) I developed at UAB, students were instructed how to derive their own spectroscopic and calorimetric experiments for the analysis of macromolecule-ligand interactions. This was a pretty daunting and intimidating task, especially for freshman; however, by the end of the semester, these students were able to develop, implement, and troubleshoot their own analytical methods. The critical thinking skills obtained through interactive problem solving and guided inquiry have enabled my students to become more independent, resourceful and thoughtful both in the classroom and in the laboratory.
|
Confidence and CourageStudents cannot become life-long learners if they do not have the confidence and courage to ask and seek answers to new questions. In order to build students’ confidence and courage, I promote improvement rather than grades, make as much time for my students outside of class as they need, never use sarcasm in the classroom, answer emails in a timely manner, and most importantly, remind my students that it is okay to be human; we do not have all the answers and we all make mistakes (mistakes that we should learn from). However, treating students with respect and patience is only part of my strategy for bolstering confidence and courage in these young scientists, instructors must also overcome the public stigma and fear associated with many of the hard sciences. On many occasions I have had numerous students tell me that they ‘just don’t get it, it’s too hard’. I overcome these obstacles through encouragement and by working one on one with the student. Through the use of encouragement and guided questions in these one on one sessions students begin to understand how to derive their own answers giving them self-confidence when before they had only doubt. Fostering courage and confidence in my students through patience, respect and encouragement allows my students to overcome the trepidation of learning and exploring chemistry, helping them to mature as students and scientists.
|
CreativityStudents often think of chemistry as sterile and routine, leaving little room for imagination and creativity. Instead, I try to show my students that the art of learning and practicing chemistry requires a great deal of creativity. For a student to understand the relationship between two atoms bonded to form a molecule, or to comprehend the balance between proton and electron, he or she must be able to use their imaginations because we cannot physically show them. In every aspect of science, we as students, practitioners, and instructors must use our imaginations and creativity to come up with the new questions that allow science to continually evolve and grow. I inspire creativity through teamwork and by encouraging the development of a wide knowledge base in multiple disciplines. By working in groups to solve problems, students draw from the diversity of their peers, observing and absorbing different perspectives, and soon what may have seemed like a difficult problem for one person progresses into a clear and reasonable solution derived from the group. By encouraging and instructing students how to apply what they learn from all aspects of their lives, we can equip them with the tools necessary for seeing what has yet to be seen and for asking what has yet to be asked.
|
All in all, my philosophy and methodologies for teaching are not just targeted for ensuring my students learn their material, but for preparing my students to become life-longer learners by equipping them with the tools they need to be successful in any field. These tools of critical thinking, courage, confidence and creativity will enable my students to continue learning and evolving well after my class.