What is your teaching philosophy?

I believe a mentor of science education should be an individual who guides students through their learning. I will take on challenges to provide innovative approaches to elicit problem solving, critical thinking and creativity from students. The relationship between me and students will be one of collaboration. I will establish good rapport with students to ensure candor is the driving force of our relationship. I recognize that through a partnership with learners, both of us will grow in knowledge. I will embrace students’ ideas. While working with students, I will be cognizant of diversity. I will have flexibility in modifying learning experiences so that each learner has the opportunity to be challenged and experience growth. Thus, an essential responsibility of myself, as a mentor, is my ability to grow learners in becoming independent thinkers.

What might you do in a typical first session with a student?

In a first session, I will ask students questions about the topic under discussion. I want to discover what the underlying issue is with the learner. Once I identify the problem, I will typically start asking students information they know and then gradually build upon this knowledge in the direction of the question at hand. My style incorporates a lot of conversational aspects rather than me just working a problem. I want to investigate and deeply understand where the disconnect in the learning is occurring. Often, I find a concept is too abstract for a student. Therefore, I use analogies frequently and tie concepts into real life situations to make content material more relevant and applicable to students.