Teaching and Learning Portfolio

" The essence of teaching is to make learning contagious, to have one idea spark another. "-Marva Collins Since the biological science community is a highly dynamic and collaborative environment, learning biology should not be a passive endeavor. Yet historically, biology classes have mostly consisted of memorization of facts with little active involvement on the part of the students. As an educator, I intend to instead involve my students in their learning in a way that fosters relationships, promotes the sharing of ideas and allows them to practice creative problem solving. My most poignant learning experiences were inspired by a strong sense of community that encouraged me to take ownership of my learning. I intend to draw upon these experiences with my students as I use enthusiasm to engage students in lectures, challenge students to reach outside their comfort level, and create authentic learning experiences that will last long past the course's conclusion. Enthusiasm in teaching There is no better example of an educator with a contagious love for teaching a subject than my college Forest Ecology professor, Dr. Burt Barnes. Burt, who insisted that " Dr. Barnes " was too formal, was an entertainer as well as an educator: his lectures often consisted of props, costumes, and stories that kept his students in the packed lecture hall engaged. The theatrics acted to complement the clarity and thoroughness with which he presented the material in each lecture and the resulting emotional connection made learning the difficult course material seem nearly effortless. His pure enthusiasm and high lecture standard of lecture presentation are characteristics that I will carry with me in my career. My goal is to help foster a community in which students in my lecture classes can get caught up in the excitement of learning as I did in college. Learning through challenges As a spinning (group cycling) instructor, I often coached my student to work just outside of their comfort zone to reap the maximum benefits; if you go too easy, you'll forfeit improvement. Conversely, push too hard and you risk burnout and injury. In the classroom, this principle is known as scaffolding in which students are challenged with skills just beyond their current capabilities in order to reach a higher level of learning. Challenges, combined with a positive environment, often create community in the classroom as students come together to complete a foreign task and share ideas. …