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Statement
of Teaching Philosophy Christopher
S. Lassiter
I see teaching biology as a way to
instill passion about the living world in the minds of both majors and
non-majors. At some time in a student’s life, he or she was curious about the
living world. For many students, this spark of interest has faded by the time
they reach college. As a teacher, my goal is to rekindle and renew that
curiosity in all my students. I want my students to come away from my courses
with an appreciation for science. More specifically, I want them to apply
knowledge from the course in daily life, whether that involves reading about
science in the news or performing a laboratory experiment. A good teacher is a good storyteller;
both must be passionate and excited about the subject matter. And by
captivating the audience, the teacher can rekindle the curiosity lost in so
many students and renew that feeling of excitement in those who share a
passion for science. Whether that story involves the massive scale of
ecological studies or the intricacies of DNA replication, a biology teacher
must create an environment conducive to learning. In such an environment,
students should be able to see how the subject matter is important not just
for the next quiz or test, but in daily life. In an upper level Developmental
Biology class that I taught at Roanoke College, I used a combination of
interactive lecture, laboratory, and discussion groups on ethical issues to
keep students engaged throughout the class period and the course. Having a
variety of activities not only keeps the interest of students, but also
caters to the multiple learning styles found among students. While teaching
an introductory lab in biodiversity, I implemented the use of PowerPoint
projects as a way for students to organize digitally captured photos of the
various organisms presented during the semester. This project allowed visual
learners to excel. Teaching is also one of the best methods of learning, and
I include oral presentations as a component in many of my courses. As I
continue to develop and improve courses, I plan to have students practice
peer review in the context of lab reports and peer interaction in study
groups. Another important factor in implementing
my teaching philosophy is to keep the different learning styles of students
in mind during assessment. I have used traditional tests, short papers,
homework assignments, lab reports, oral presentations, and peer review to
give a broad range of assessment. Students often are better at one type of
assessment over another, so a broad range is necessary to gauge comprehension.
In one upper level course, I was able to guide a class of sixteen students in
designing oral presentations of research. I learned that even within a small
class, large disparities exist in how well students communicate in written
and spoken words. I encourage both written and oral presentations since
students with a liberal arts education should excel in both written and
verbal communication to succeed in science and in life. The development of
critical thinking skills is also important in science and participating in a
peer review process will help develop this area. Throughout all of this work,
student feedback will be critical; teaching is not a static field. To grow as
an instructor, I will learn from my students and from my peers. Students really blossom when given the
chance to craft an independent study with proper guidance. The general
biology courses and labs give a backbone of common knowledge and laboratory
technique. However, creativity and learning become vibrant when a student
actually delves into the process of science. In most upper-level courses, I
expect students to design and carry out small-scale independent projects,
often in the last two to three weeks of the course. In a non-laboratory
course, such as a History of Life course that I developed, the assignment
consisted of a term paper on a topic in paleobiology.
These assignments reflect my belief that students should be familiar with
both experimental design and literature reviews. Also, I have worked with
students during the summer and school year on longer-term independent studies
in my research area. As a teacher, I’ve found this to be a very rewarding
experience. During my time at Roanoke College, I have worked with three
undergraduates as independent study students, with one student going on to
present data at an undergraduate research conference. I am encouraged by the
progress each made as a student and as a scientist. Too often we give
students answers, rather than encouraging them to ask questions. Throughout my career in biology, I have
taken and taught a range of courses across the biological sciences. In my
education, these run from molecular genetics to a tropical ecology course in
Costa Rica and Ecuador. As a professor, I have taught courses ranging from
Advanced Cell Biology to the History of Life and I have attended a teaching
conference, excited to implement new pedagogical techniques upon my return.
However, one of the most important courses in my career was a Seminar on
Teaching College Biology that I took while at Duke University. I was able to
interact with professors from small liberal arts colleges and large research
universities in a setting dedicated to the teaching profession. I was able to
design course material with peer feedback and debate teaching methodologies.
The course both inspired and renewed my commitment to a career in teaching.
As a teacher, I aim to instruct my students in the process of science
throughout all the courses I teach, from introductory biology to upper-level
seminars. And in teaching, I hope to instill a passion for biology in them,
and constantly renew my own passion for the wonderful complexity that is the
study of life. |