As a graduate student I served as a teaching assistant for a wide variety of undergraduate and graduate courses. Teaching was one of the most rewarding aspects of my graduate experience,
and a realm where I felt I could apply my passion, creativity, humor and empathy to engage students with the material at hand. To complement my research interests, I joined Chapman University as a Grand Challenges Initiative postdoctoral teaching fellow in 2019 to add pedagogical theory and technique to my teaching enthusiasm, and learn how to be a better instructor and mentor.
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As a current teaching fellow, I continue to pursue my research projects while teaching 3 - 4 classes per semester and participating in a variety of teaching workshops and mentorship training.
As an educator and mentor in ecology, my philosophy is to:
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* nurture skills in scientific literacy, critical thinking, and problem solving that prepare students for success in both the classroom and in life.
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* create learning objectives that reflect course goals, by explicitly mapping how every assignment relates to a desired course outcome and allows for measurable proficiency in that outcome.
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* practice equitable and inclusive teaching practices that provide equally accessible learning opportunities, constantly strive to improve the DEI components of my teaching through training, reading, and learning, and invest my time and energy in securing grants or support that help logistically support these initiatives.
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* use inquiry-based teaching to engage and empower students to express their own curiosity and interests, and use group discussions to build community and facilitate peer-to-peer learning.
* frame science as a narrative, believing that all of my students are intellectually curious about the natural world and that this curiosity can be nurtured through stories, anecdotes, and examples that diversity and demystify science.
* evaluate my own effectiveness as a teacher via evaluations, student feedback. and self-reflection exercises.