Teaching Processes and Courses

Fostering an Effective Learning Environment.

To meet the challenges of effectively teaching core geoscience topics, I aim to foster a learning environment that deploys collaborative exercises alongside short lectures, as well as relevant textbook and literature-based reading assignments. The goals of this approach are to encourage critical assessment of our knowledge of a subject, to examine the gaps in knowledge, and to underscore the importance of ongoing research and the relevance to career options. I aim to prepare my students to meet future directions of geoscience while building conversation and collaboration between student groups. By integrating day-to-day applications of geology, career considerations, and academic research, students will be prepared to meet current needs of the industry while building critical thinking skills and fostering a collaborative mindset that is essential to student success in either industry or academic settings.

                  I strive to meet these objectives by splitting class meetings into short, relevant lectures designed to prime discussion and group-based activities with deliverables such as collaborative reports or simple models (e.g., carbon mass balances, resource consumption models). Lectures and active learning projects will build on relevant readings and guiding questions that serve to introduce students to core concepts and aid in navigating scientific literature. I approach instruction through a hybrid model, instructing from the role of both a facilitator and lecturer. I strive to facilitate discussion and peer-lead collaboration within small groups, but will supplement this with meaningful, content-driven lectures that introduce and reinforce key concepts beyond the scope of pre-class reading materials.