Candidate's Statement on Teaching - Lee College

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$Teaching Portfolio Jim Dobberstine Math, Engineering ... - Lee College$

Teaching Philosophy The key to effective teaching at the college level lies in creating an environment which allows an open exchange of knowledge and active participation by students. Because so much time and effort is put into teaching, instructors develop a sense of ownership about their courses. This mentality can give the unintended impression that knowledge itself is owned and that instructors are merely information vendors. To counteract this, my teaching mentors always stressed that instructors should not promote themselves as infallible, but as mediators of information, as accessible sources of knowledge and experience. Instructors must encourage students to move away from rote memorization towards active thought and comprehension. Developing a relaxed, respectful rapport with students is critical to these goals. Many undergraduates find it easier to be passive in the classroom. This can be overcome somewhat by engaging students with questions and drawing out their interests and perspectives. Because different students learn in different ways, diverse teaching and evaluation methods should be used to reach the auditory, visual, and kinestetic learners. Powerpoint presentations, the internet and other technology can create frameworks for classroom discussions. For example, because there is a wealth of information (including images and video) about diseases and medical advances, the internet is particularly useful when discussing pathological states. Students should be encouraged to fill in this framework with pertinent, productive and informative tangential discussions. Because creativity and humor are powerful ways to spark such discussions, humorous presentations on subject matter can help to introduce concepts and terminology most courses. Active learning exercises, where students have the opportunity to get up and move around (sometimes moving outside of the classroom) can stimulate thought and discussion. Laboratory exercises can be particularly useful, as they can help overcome student passivity and aid in connecting science to everyday life, an important motivation for many students. In any academic setting, students must be challenged to do more than they think themselves capable. In offering this challenge, instructors must be willing to go the extra mile to assist students who accept it. Most importantly, giving students a voice in their education and the freedom to pursue their individual academic interests eventually leads to students who, like their instructors, develop an ownership mentality towards their classes that maximizes their educational experience.
Section I: Example Syllabus Microbiology Biology 2421 Class numbers 11219 and 11221 Summer Semester 2009 Class will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays: M11: 9:10A to 1:20P M12: 5:45P to 9:55P Instructor Dr. Scott Nunez Office SB227 and SB228 Office hours Tuesdays and Thursdays 2:00-5:00P or by appointment Phone 832-556-4510 Email bnunez@lee.edu Division Chair: Tom O’Kuma (281-425-6522; SB 215) Division Secretary: Janice Martin (281-425-6332; SB 219) Course overview: Biol 2421 provides a broad overview of the general biology of microorganisms. While special attention will be paid to medical microbiology, this course is designed to introduce you to the world of microbiology as a whole, and will therefore also examine ecological and environmental aspects of microbiology. Required text: Foundations in Microbiology, Kathleen Park Talaro, 7 th Edition, McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2009 Required lab manual: Microbiology Laboratory: Theory & Application: Brief Edition Michael J. Leboffe and Burton E. Pierce, Morton Publishing, 2008. Lab jacket and closed-toed shoes are REQUIRED! No jacket, no shoes, no lab. Additional References and Resources: A Photographic Atlas for the Microbiology Laboratory, Michael J. Leboffe and Burton E. Pierce, Morton Publishers Microbiology Laboratory Exercises, Short Version, Margaret Barnett, W.C. Brown Publishers Journal Watch Infectious Diseases, Massachusetts Medical Society. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: www.cdc.gov World Health Organization: http://www.who.int/en/ Information will be posted on Blackboard, check it early, check it often. A note about the Blackboard discussion board: The discussion board is a great way to have conversations about microbiology, but the anonymity of the computer may remove many inhibitions and lead to off-topic and/or impolite discussions. The board will be kept civil by force, I will remove any personal attacks and uncivil posts. Please report abuse to me; I am the only authority on this board and there should be no other policemen. Individuals may lose Blackboard privileges if a persistent problem develops. Course requirements Attendance
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Candidate's Statement on Teaching - Lee College

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