Teaching Philosophy
Teaching Non-Scientists
Through my experience both teaching undergraduate courses at OWU and UC Davis, and as an interpretive park ranger with the National Park Service, I have developed a passion for teaching earth science to audiences of non-scientists. These types of settings provide an opportunity to teach not only earth science, but also the worldview of scientists, based upon evidence-based reasoning and hypothesis testing. Helping students and audiences of diverse backgrounds learn and forge a connection with the subject matter is an exciting and rewarding challenge. I participated in pedagogy workshops at the Earth Educators' Rendezvous (summer 2016), and I work to incorporate the techniques and skills I learned there into my teaching. I am particularly interested in developing techniques for teaching a quantitative approach to problem-solving.
Teaching Science Majors
I believe that geology, like many scientific fields, is fundamentally multidisciplinary and collaborative, and upper-division classes offer an opportunity to expose students to the diversity of approaches to scientific problem solving.
My particular passion in upper division courses is teaching field-based geology, where students have the opportunity to apply their knowledge to a new, multidisciplinary problem that cannot be solved with only one type of observation.
Incorporating Research and Teaching
As an undergraduate student at Whitman College, I was exposed to scientific research projects very early in my geoscience education. I believe that my exposure, even as an introductory geology student, to lab exercises that incorporated a reasearch-based component (for example, hypothesis development and testing, and working with real rather than manufactured data) helped me become the scientist today. In my teaching, I hope to provide undergraduate students with similar opportunities, both within courses and in the form of research opportunities and senior thesis projects.
Through my experience both teaching undergraduate courses at OWU and UC Davis, and as an interpretive park ranger with the National Park Service, I have developed a passion for teaching earth science to audiences of non-scientists. These types of settings provide an opportunity to teach not only earth science, but also the worldview of scientists, based upon evidence-based reasoning and hypothesis testing. Helping students and audiences of diverse backgrounds learn and forge a connection with the subject matter is an exciting and rewarding challenge. I participated in pedagogy workshops at the Earth Educators' Rendezvous (summer 2016), and I work to incorporate the techniques and skills I learned there into my teaching. I am particularly interested in developing techniques for teaching a quantitative approach to problem-solving.
Teaching Science Majors
I believe that geology, like many scientific fields, is fundamentally multidisciplinary and collaborative, and upper-division classes offer an opportunity to expose students to the diversity of approaches to scientific problem solving.
My particular passion in upper division courses is teaching field-based geology, where students have the opportunity to apply their knowledge to a new, multidisciplinary problem that cannot be solved with only one type of observation.
Incorporating Research and Teaching
As an undergraduate student at Whitman College, I was exposed to scientific research projects very early in my geoscience education. I believe that my exposure, even as an introductory geology student, to lab exercises that incorporated a reasearch-based component (for example, hypothesis development and testing, and working with real rather than manufactured data) helped me become the scientist today. In my teaching, I hope to provide undergraduate students with similar opportunities, both within courses and in the form of research opportunities and senior thesis projects.
UC Davis field camp students in the field near Deep Springs, CA (Trexler, 2014)
Courses Taught
Earthquakes and Natural Hazards (UC Davis, GEL 17)
Introduction of Physical and Environmental Geology (Ohio Wesleyan University, GEOL 110)
Tectonics: Earthquakes & Mountain Belts (Ohio Wesleyan University, GEOL 285)
- included a 4-day field trip to central PA
Active Tectonics and Natural Hazards (Ohio Wesleyan University, GEOL 300.2)
- included a one week field trip to Death Valley National Park, CA
Structural Geology (Ohio Wesleyan University, GEOL 340)
Geological Techniques: Field Geology & Technical Writing (Ohio Wesleyan University, GEOL 345)
- included a 4-day field trip to eastern WV
Introduction of Physical and Environmental Geology (Ohio Wesleyan University, GEOL 110)
Tectonics: Earthquakes & Mountain Belts (Ohio Wesleyan University, GEOL 285)
- included a 4-day field trip to central PA
Active Tectonics and Natural Hazards (Ohio Wesleyan University, GEOL 300.2)
- included a one week field trip to Death Valley National Park, CA
Structural Geology (Ohio Wesleyan University, GEOL 340)
Geological Techniques: Field Geology & Technical Writing (Ohio Wesleyan University, GEOL 345)
- included a 4-day field trip to eastern WV
Example Exercises
Lab exercise for UC Davis GEL 50 (introductory geology for majors): Reading and interpreting topographic maps
This exercise was developed with the help and feedback from teaching assistants for UC Davis's Geology 50 lab course, and from students in the course. Pages 3 & 4 were modified from a previous version of the same lab exercise. Pages 1 & 2 are based on techniques learned in workshops on teaching spatial skills at the Earth Educators' Rendezvous (2016).
This exercise was developed with the help and feedback from teaching assistants for UC Davis's Geology 50 lab course, and from students in the course. Pages 3 & 4 were modified from a previous version of the same lab exercise. Pages 1 & 2 are based on techniques learned in workshops on teaching spatial skills at the Earth Educators' Rendezvous (2016).
f2016_50l_lab6.pdf | |
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