Teaching

My approach to teaching draws from many sources, but is strongly influenced by my international background. Born in Zimbabwe, I lived just outside of Hwange National Park, one of the wildest areas in Africa. I completed my schooling at Maru-a-Pula (Gaborone, Botswana), which has a strong tradition of service and rigorous academic programming. My educational path was thus inspired by direct observation of biological processes and wild nature and the African philosophy “ubuntu”: the importance of humanity towards all people. My outlook and approach to life is highly influenced by participating in academic science (reading, publishing, reviewing, conferences, seminars) and my friends, who are on average, first-generation international immigrants.

On Diversity:

I connect with all my students on an individual level, treating them with dignity and respect. I am empathetic to the needs of diverse students, in the many forms diversity takes, including race and ethnicity, disability, educational background, religion, identity and orientation, or age. My responsibility is to identify my own implicit biases and mitigate them, by regularly having outside observers who can help identify areas of improvement, feedback from students, and by cultivating a learning environment that is inclusive of all my students. When diversity is embraced and supported, students are able to focus on having a more productive academic experience.

Examples of ways I support diversity in my class: I include my pronouns when providing my name, normalizing the process for others. When using examples of researchers or photographs of humans, making sure to actively feature a full range of diversity, which allows students to see “someone like them” as role models. I provide students with advanced notice on topics, as well as ground rules for challenging discussions. I create opportunities for students to learn about diversity within the context of the course, for example in Intro Bio we learn about the evolution of pigmentation differences in humans, that there are opposing selective forces for increasing vitamin D and minimizing the loss of folate from UV exposure.

On staying current:

Science moves quickly, and Biology ever so. While core principles remain, class content needs regular updates to allow students to have the best education. It is not uncommon for my lecture to be modified hours before, to include a new article that is hot off the press. I encourage students to participate in finding the latest research, which engages them directly with active research and current topics.

How I teach is informed by the best principles from current research in SOTL (scholarship of teaching and learning). This requires an open mind about what I think works and what I am used to doing. By trying different pedagogical techniques, I can adapt easily to different challenges - from Universal Design (which supports diverse learners) to adapting content and approaches for different modalities (lecture/lab/online) or scales (small group dynamics versus large lecture halls).

Coursework has multiple functions - at its core we teach students critical thinking and the ability to learn. Subject specific content is a top priority for majors students who need to take MCAT, DAT, or PCAT. Critical thinking, problem solving, and computer skills are important for general education students. I prepare students for success in an increasingly rich technological work environment by regularly analyzing the job market’s desired skill sets, and weaving these skills into student’s experiences.

On Pedagogical Approaches:

I teach both in person, online (asynchronous), and online (sync) classes, that range in size from 24 students to 300 students. These differences guide which sorts of approaches I take with students. I provide clear (written) objectives, learning outcomes, and grading rubrics for student lessons and assignments, providing students with confidence in the value of their learning and the fairness of their grades. A combination of low stakes formative assessments followed by higher stakes summative assessments provides students an environment where they can practice and gain proficiency.

I use a flipped approach for my MCC students, where the students complete readings and some video lectures at home, to allow students to identify topics that are tricky, and to provide time for active learning and engaging relevant conversations that broaden students’ knowledge in a self-directed manner. I do adapt this strategy when needed, because for some key topics, students need to have a structured introduction to material.

On Levity:

A dry lecture can give a student facts, a fun lecture engages all the senses. Each class has a different “personality”, and I find ways to connect using light humor, engaging examples, and hands-on experiments.