Teaching Philosophy
Learning is more than passing information from a teacher to the students. Learning is an active process in which students construct new ideas based upon their current and past knowledge. In other words: we use present knowledge in order to create new knowledge.
Learning is a process of discovering new knowledge by motivated and active students.
Hence, the students should take an active role in the whole process, since the amount and type of student participation strongly influences (and enhances) the amount of learning. On the other hand, a learning process that concentrates only on objective tests or expository presentations will encourage short term memorization and results in a superficial (and transient) understanding.
The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains.The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.
William Arthur Ward
Teaching Goals
My teaching goal is not only providing information. Teaching should enhance the learning abilities of the students. Students have to be an active part of learning and scientific processes, which requires a variety of new skills and techniques. Goals of a successful teaching job are improvement of reading and analytical skills, the ability to see the context and to draw conclusions from any given fact, problem-solving and discussion skills, and to present scientific data and to defend hypotheses. Other important goals are communication skills and teamwork. Students should understand the need to master the whole spectrum of scientific work: setting a hypothesis, gaining information and evidence, discussing and drawing conclusions, drafting a prospectus and presenting and defending results.
Design and Implement
To achieve those goals, I want to stimulate an active role of the students in the learning process. Especially for undergraduates, the "traditional" lectures in the classroom nevertheless play an important role. Although new technologies (like computers) are important for teaching, certain subject matter (like reaction mechanisms) are meaningful and can be descriptively developed at the blackboard. Planned and structured board work is important as well as maintaining eye contact with the audience. A careful preparation of the lectures is critical to be accepted as a teaching authority. However, to give students an active role in the learning process, additional methods are necessary.
For example, the joint reading of a paper in any current chemistry journal, followed by a discussion, can improve the reading skills of the students. The students will learn to recognize the scope and the important content of a scientific publication and how scientific results materialize. The same goal can be achieved by the joint visit of lectures or conferences.
Short presentations of specific subject matter by the students followed by a discussion will improve their ability to extract information and to present and to defend their interpretation. In my experience, students feel sometimes uncomfortable with giving lectures or asking questions. In this case, the teacher plays the role of a moderator, who encourages the student to discuss. Those presentations also can be prepared and given by a group of students to advance team work skills.
Problem sets for homework can enhance the problem solving skills of the students. However, problem sets not only form the basis for an assessment. It is important to thoroughly discuss them afterwards in the classroom.
Ideally, specific lectures are accompanied by interplay between principle and practice. For example the Grignard reaction first can be developed in the classroom. A few days later, the students practice it in the laboratory. Afterwards, their experiences with that reaction can be discussed in the classroom again. In general, hands-on training is very important in a learning process. Ideally, the students are as early as possible involved in a research project. This forms the basis of gaining new knowledge based on their current knowledge.
However, other aspects of successful teaching are also important. Motivation of the students plays an important role. If students experience setbacks, those problems have to be addressed. If students should have success in a procedure, they deserve praise. I want to stay in contact with the students and actively encourage dialogue during office hours, by appointment or by email.
Refining my teaching skills
Of course, a teacher also has to learn. As learning, teaching is also a process that has to be developed and refined. It is important for me to review my own teaching job. I want to expand my teaching skills by discussion with peers, reading relevant journals (such as Chemical Educator or Journal of Chemical Education) and books, by joining further education and teaching seminars or visiting conferences. Seeking student feedback also is important. Through these evaluative and informative processes I want to continually refine my teaching practices and grow as a teacher or scholar.
Course taught in fall 2008
CHEM2633 - Techniques of Organic Chemistry
Wednesday 5:30-6.20 pm (Lecture)
Wednesday 6:30 - 11 pm (Laboratory B401)
Students see MyGateway for further information and course material.
Textbook for free!
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