The quote at the bottom of my website, more than 50 years after its first publication, outlines the framework in which I attempt to convey all my teaching, not just in ecology, but in science in general. Processes in science, particularly the environmental sciences, are not occurring in isolation, and therefore they are best learned in a manner which stresses the interconnectedness of concepts. In all my teaching I strive to make clear to my students how topics they learn are connected to one another, how they contribute to explaining the things they see around them every day, and importantly, how the interrelated nature of the environment means human activities can result in unintended and sometimes surprising consequences. I believe emphasizing connections promotes deeper learning and understanding of concepts, empowering students to apply their learning to new contexts. I am most happy when students show me pictures they took outside of class that exemplify the topics we have covered in a course. I believe this deeper learning has the benefit of enhancing student engagement with the material they are learning, since they are better equipped to see its “real-world” relevance. I conceptualize my teaching philosophy as having two interlinked goals: (1) working with students to discover the interconnectedness of concepts by emphasizing the environment as “a system;” and (2) To help students understand, predict, and share the “consequences” of altering the system.
(1) Teaching connections. Grasping the interconnectedness of the diverse components and processes of an environmental system is not a straightforward process. It requires students first be exposed to material outlining the principles of the subject, in order to give them the foundational knowledge upon which deeper learning is based. Students must then be given the opportunity to apply the knowledge they learned in isolation to new contexts by helping them to understand how the concepts are interrelated. This is why I make all tests and exams at least partially cumulative, to highlight to students that material builds on previous material. The quizzes and tests I develop include questions that reinforce linkages, such as filling in diagrams that conceptualize how ecosystems function. We practice similar questions in lectures and labs, so that students gain practice viewing the material in this manner prior to being assessed on it. I have also come to rely increasingly on student presentations on synthesis topics as an assessment method, especially in upper-year courses. My reason for this is that I realize that I personally gain a more complete understanding of the concepts I teach through the process of building my own teaching materials. Having students prepare presentations to teach their classmates about their topics not only allows them to hone critical communication skills, but also helps them to strengthen their own understanding of concepts they’ve learned in the course within the context of their topics.
Incorporating a laboratory component into course designs presents invaluable opportunities for hands-on learning to reinforce the concepts covered in the course. Time spent conducting hands-on field work and lab analysis, or working with real-world data sets, is essential for helping students see the connection between topics in class and the world around them. This also allows students to practice specific skills that may be important for them in a work setting, enhancing connections between their academic studies and future employment.
(2) Understanding consequences to promote engaged citizenship. I want students to realize that classroom material has real-world relevance. I want them to understand why paving over a wetland can potentially lead to the flooding of their basement after a heavy rain event. I want them to understand what it means when they see a political poll’s margin of error, and why they should ask questions about how a sample was conducted in order to detect potential biases. I believe that students who have developed an understanding of the consequences of human activities will be more engaged in the classroom, and more engaged as citizens. To accomplish this, I attempt to include compelling, everyday examples as case studies to demonstrate the material I am teaching. In statistics, I’ve come to realize principles can be demonstrated on any manner of data. Environmentally-themed data on topics of ongoing discourse can link class to topics students see in the news and on social media. Unfortunately, there is no lack of examples of deleterious environmental change to be drawn from, and these are useful as cautionary tales. But it is equally important to celebrate positive examples of the consequences of human influence on ecology, and to encourage students with these.
The environment plays an incredibly important role in all aspects of human life, and I believe people, regardless of their educational background, have an inherent interest in topics related to the natural world. Individuals that understand the consequences of environmental changes on the complex interactions of ecosystems will be scientifically-literate, engaged citizens, a skillset we need to combat the complex environmental challenges faced by society.
(1) Teaching connections. Grasping the interconnectedness of the diverse components and processes of an environmental system is not a straightforward process. It requires students first be exposed to material outlining the principles of the subject, in order to give them the foundational knowledge upon which deeper learning is based. Students must then be given the opportunity to apply the knowledge they learned in isolation to new contexts by helping them to understand how the concepts are interrelated. This is why I make all tests and exams at least partially cumulative, to highlight to students that material builds on previous material. The quizzes and tests I develop include questions that reinforce linkages, such as filling in diagrams that conceptualize how ecosystems function. We practice similar questions in lectures and labs, so that students gain practice viewing the material in this manner prior to being assessed on it. I have also come to rely increasingly on student presentations on synthesis topics as an assessment method, especially in upper-year courses. My reason for this is that I realize that I personally gain a more complete understanding of the concepts I teach through the process of building my own teaching materials. Having students prepare presentations to teach their classmates about their topics not only allows them to hone critical communication skills, but also helps them to strengthen their own understanding of concepts they’ve learned in the course within the context of their topics.
Incorporating a laboratory component into course designs presents invaluable opportunities for hands-on learning to reinforce the concepts covered in the course. Time spent conducting hands-on field work and lab analysis, or working with real-world data sets, is essential for helping students see the connection between topics in class and the world around them. This also allows students to practice specific skills that may be important for them in a work setting, enhancing connections between their academic studies and future employment.
(2) Understanding consequences to promote engaged citizenship. I want students to realize that classroom material has real-world relevance. I want them to understand why paving over a wetland can potentially lead to the flooding of their basement after a heavy rain event. I want them to understand what it means when they see a political poll’s margin of error, and why they should ask questions about how a sample was conducted in order to detect potential biases. I believe that students who have developed an understanding of the consequences of human activities will be more engaged in the classroom, and more engaged as citizens. To accomplish this, I attempt to include compelling, everyday examples as case studies to demonstrate the material I am teaching. In statistics, I’ve come to realize principles can be demonstrated on any manner of data. Environmentally-themed data on topics of ongoing discourse can link class to topics students see in the news and on social media. Unfortunately, there is no lack of examples of deleterious environmental change to be drawn from, and these are useful as cautionary tales. But it is equally important to celebrate positive examples of the consequences of human influence on ecology, and to encourage students with these.
The environment plays an incredibly important role in all aspects of human life, and I believe people, regardless of their educational background, have an inherent interest in topics related to the natural world. Individuals that understand the consequences of environmental changes on the complex interactions of ecosystems will be scientifically-literate, engaged citizens, a skillset we need to combat the complex environmental challenges faced by society.