My interest in teaching stems from my desire to help students learn how to analyze facts and form their own opinions about the world around them.  It also comes from my desire to help students develop the skills they will need to be successful in their chosen career paths as well as thoughtful citizens that can contribute to better decision making in their communities. 

Disciplines in the area of environmental science/studies and sustainability are inherently interdisciplinary and problem based.  I bring an interdisciplinary perspective to my teaching as I help students focus on how to understand and critique complex environment-society interactions all while offering a positive perspective that emphasizes solutions.  This problem and solution based approach helps make the concept more tangible and realistic to students. 

I am acutely aware of diversity in my classroom.  Diversity comes in many forms, including the traditional categories of age, gender, race and socio-economic background.  However, each classroom of students has a diverse selection of learning styles.  My philosophy toward teaching and learning is largely based in working to accommodate those many styles.  I use a variety of teaching methods to maximize positive learning outcomes for the entire class.  This student centered approach often involves hands on in class projects and labs as well interactive discussions.  

It can be difficult to accommodate the many varied needs of each individual, however my reflexive and reflective approach in the classroom helps me to assess the effectiveness of my teaching and to gain valuable feedback from my students.  Specifically, I frequently conduct one-minute papers at the end of a class period in which I ask students to comment on one thing they learned, one thing that confused them, and any other comments/questions/concerns they might have.  I also always distribute an optional and anonymous mid semester evaluation so that students can comment on the course and my teaching methods prior to the end of the semester.  This feedback allows me to alter the course where possible so as to better accommodate the students in the current course rather than waiting until the course ends to hear feedback.  

Just as I ask for feedback from my students, I try to provide each student with clear information about my expectations as well as their performance in the course.  This includes clear directions on assignments and in class activities.  Rubrics are a great tool to specify how certain components of the course will be evaluated and I use them whenever possible in my teaching.  For example, in my environmental science and environment & society courses I ask students to write a comparative analysis paper about an environmental issue they are interested in.  Included with my description of the paper assignment is a rubric on how the paper will be graded.  Students know at the onset how their work will be evaluated, point-by-point.  Additionally, I meet with students in the third quarter of the semester to let students know where they stand in the class, give them the opportunity to discuss the class and their performance with me, and make plans for improvement going into the final quarter.  This allows students to take ownership and responsibility for their work. 

While it is challenging to meet the specific needs of each student all the time, I’ve found that the process of asking for and providing consistent feedback to students helps to establish communication that enhances learning.  In addition to written feedback, I attempt to establish personal lines of communication with each student in my class by learning their names and areas of interest as well as checking in with them during in class activities.  My goal in this effort is to make students feel comfortable in approaching me with academic related questions or concerns as well as to help each student feel as if they play an important role in the success of the course.