Teaching Philosophy

I emphasize the importance of understanding the underlying chemical principles and promote guided, student-lead discussions

Throughout my years as both a student and educator, I have recognized the need to avoid a one size fits all approach to teaching. Students come from a variety social, economic, and educational backgrounds that lead to a diverse perspective on how to approach learning and problem solving. During the first class I make clear to the students that I do not condone acts of hate or shaming pertaining to areas such as (dis)ability, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, immigration status, national origin, religion, age, or politics. To make my classroom more inclusive I substitute phrases like “you guys” for “everyone”, using the preferred or correct pronouns and names, and am an active bystander when dealing with microaggressions. I also make myself available by various platforms, such as email, video calls, and Slack so that students are still able to connect when otherwise not possible due to circumstances outside of their control. Lastly, I actively participate in and seek DEI training to further my ability to cultivate an inclusive environment.

With a variety of backgrounds and experiences students face, I make no assumptions or judgements with respect to where a student’s knowledge is at for a topic. I recognize that each student’s experience in a class is unique. Therefore, I actively avoid phrases such as “this is straightforward based on X that we all should know”. Doing so gives students a sense of belonging and are more encouraged to seek help. For my students to succeed they all need to be at the same relative level, so I begin the semester going over expectations and laying the foundation for what is needed to be successful.

When needing to master a topic I emphasize the importance of understanding the underlying concepts. I believe that all observations and problems in chemistry can be traced back to simple chemical principles. I feel the best way to master chemistry is to provide students with practice questions that challenge them to rely on their understanding of the material rather than memorizing a few key concepts or equations to further strengthen their understanding of chemical principles. To achieve this, I utilize a cooperative learning model where students focus on problem solving during class time. By taking this approach, as students work together to solve problems and explain their answers, I can also more readily identify gaps in knowledge and actively seek to fill them. This also allows my teaching style to be more dynamic between classes, so that I can best suit the needs of the students.

When guiding discussions, I employ a student-centered approach that encourages them to lead the discussions of the underlying chemistry. This leads to the free exchange of ideas and perspectives on how to approach a problem. For example, when students are struggling, I will have them deconstruct the question one sentence at a time. I then have them identify any useful information pertaining to the overall question. When students are unable to come to a consensus on how to proceed, I will ask probing questions like “I like this, but let’s think of a simpler form so that everyone is on the same page”. Before moving on from a topic, I make sure that all students understand the logic behind the decisions.

Despite the experiences my students have before coming to my class, I seek to provide a welcoming environment. I actively encourage the mastering of the concepts behind the material, free exchange of ideas, and development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills.