Teaching Philosophy

​

As a university teacher I aim to enable student exploration and curiosity in ways that prompts students to creatively problem solve, and respectively challenge. To this end, my approach to university pedagogy revolves around three key elements: experiential education, unexpected formats, and student-teacher rapport.

~~~

Experiential education   Whoever is doing the talking is doing the learning. -Proverb

I believe experiential education – real world involvement with the curriculum – enriches the student experience across all Kolb learning styles. I have worked with diverse students ranging from teens to Navy SEALs for more than 700 field days as a teacher with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). From this I know that hands-on environmental field experience facilitates and focuses learning and environmental observations. Part and parcel of experiential learning is a collaborative approach among students and teachers, providing numerous and varied peer-teaching opportunities, and student empowerment.  In transitioning to University of Colorado (CU) from a purely experiential education framework at NOLS, I felt strongly about incorporating the unique benefits of experiential learning to my academic interests at CU. 

​

The result of this transition was an upper level undergraduate hydrology course I proposed, designed and twice taught that utilizes research-quality field data collection as a conduit for learning about hydrologic processes and addressing real-world research questions (Geography 4001: Hydrologic Field Methods and Research Design).  During this course I aim for a no greater than 1:2 ratio of lecture:experiential learning.  Real world involvement with the curriculum takes many forms and gives students transferable skills: an afternoon field technique practice session, group-design of research plans, round tabling on current events with water scientists, interacting with land managers, and working as a team on data analysis and visualization techniques, to name a few.  The capstone of this course is a 3-day field data collection campaign that students designed responding to a current water resource-related topic, such as snow-melt water supply changes or groundwater contamination from intensifying hydraulic fracturing gas development. The full process requires developing and testing hypotheses, holistic system-wide thinking about critical variables, problem solving, teamwork and peer leadership.  It culminates in the final data analysis project addressing the research question. Student outcomes reflect the efficacy of my overall approach, regularly receiving feedback identifying it as the “best course offered at CU.”

~~~

Utilize unexpected teaching platforms  If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. -Proverb

I look for teaching opportunities in unexpected places.  For example, I capitalize on the ubiquitous role and addictive nature of social media and screens in students’ lives. Learning from my own formal teaching-as-research (TAR) experiments funded by the Teaching Institute for Graduate Education Research (TIGER), I found that students spend more time on Facebook than on homework, and that using social media as a curriculum reinforcement tool improves student grasp of image-based curriculum (e.g., mapping, interpretation of remote sensing images). For visual-oriented topics, I integrate social media postings as part of required assignments that are shared to all of the students’ profiles.  This approach yields iterative, student-generated curriculum reinforcement where they least expect it.

 

I also deliberately integrate non-screen classroom teaching techniques because I believe it has magnified value because it is not the norm.  Most simply this means I do not rely heavily on powerpoints in lectures, and instead I use chalkboards to slow down the delivery of important concepts. I have been trained specifically in this approach as an instructor for the Wilderness Medicine Institute, where the ‘art of teaching’ precludes powerpoint and instead organized, clear boardwork is a specific skill expectation of all instructors.

~~~

Student-teacher rapport   “Rapport is not a thing I build, it’s a tool I use.” –K. Redmon

Student-teacher rapport is foundational to my teaching philosophy. It yields trust, accountability, self-value and engagement by creating a safe and respectful learning environment. Rapport is my initial investment in students, and it does not happen overnight. It starts from the words I use in the first 30 seconds of every class, the energy I bring, the relate-ability of the things I say, and how I show up every day.  These things make me accessible (or not), take me off a pedestal (or not) and show I care (or don’t).  I consistently hear on student evaluations that “her positivity is contagious” and “she is invested in me” so I know these basic tone-setters matter.  This is true even in larger lecture classes where students can disassociate more easily or where it is impractical to build relationships with each individual. If I’ve done this well, I can use rapport to hold students accountable at pivotal moments, including requiring accountability and higher standards to make the classroom a safe space across diverse student groups. 

 

Rapport is an essential tool for working effectively with challenging students, but it is valuable across student success spectrums. Rapport is built during office hours, passing in a hall, on field trips, and at the beginning and end of classes.  Office hours are an important teaching tool for me because I can coach in conversation that builds connection in a less formal environment than the classroom. As a teaching assistant for Remote Sensing at University of Colorado (CU), my office hours were often full with students who struggled to manage technical or complex topics. Student evaluations from this course reflect appreciation for my openness and genuine interactions to help them manage frustration on problem sets and nerves around exam periods.  Sharing humanizing anecdotes, owning mistakes, and being patient goes a long way.  

~~~

By utilizing meaningful experiential education opportunities, unexpected formats and student-teach rapport my goal is to promote student engagement and facilitate meaningful steps that clarify students’ interests and strengths to help them find their path in the world.