I believe that learning occurs most effectively
when students instead of simply memorizing a given text book are challenged to
understand and criticize the inner works and processes that brought a given
idea or theory in the first place. This
is easier said than done. Learning
is a process in stages; the classroom is a place where students can find
themselves as learners, however is even more important for them to see
themselves as generators of ideas. In my
opinion the classroom is a place where demystification of the academic world
takes place. By revealing the inner workings of the origin of ideas in ecology,
their evolution and paradigms, a class can learn as a community of creative learners
that can push themselves outside traditional approaches.
I was lucky to have a very broad education in
which I was exposed to different cultures and teaching philosophies. My most
memorable teachers where the ones that engaged the class by creating
discussions, that gave the students responsibility for their own education, and
that made me realize that I needed to stop thinking as an student but that I
needed to engage the problems in my discipline as a professional.
This
particular style marked me as a teacher, my job is to facilitate each student’s
own learning process; I consider myself as a bridge between student ideas and
academic conventions that so often feel daunting. In this role, my desire is to
encourage, looking for patterns, to help students access resources, to provide
tools, and to assist students in recognizing their own learning issues and
goals.
One of the most rewarding aspects of teaching is the opportunity to learn from the students. It is most unfortunate if an instructor overlooks the fact that among the hundreds of faces he sees every day is a world of knowledge and experience totaling far more than his own. I learn from students through their questions, observations, and challenges, just as they learn from me through my lectures and assignments I prompt them to question at every stage: “why?..how?” and satisfy their curiosity, instead of assuming the instructor is always right. In the best of all possible Universities, the faculty should grow as fast as the students do.
Landscape
ecology is an applied field where students constantly apply the fundamental
concepts and ecological theory learned in the classroom. My main goal is to
encourage independent thinking and analytical reasoning to augment their
problem solving skills, thus encouraging them to not just memorize. Working as an
ecologist also involves a significant amount of teamwork. Several agencies and
institutions where students find employment emphasize the need for a “team
player with good interpersonal skills”. For this purpose, I strongly advocate
design projects involving student groups, which provide students with vital
opportunities to effectively work as a team. These projects are useful learning
tools where the students assimilate and implement all the concepts they have
learned in the classroom to bring the project to fruition, write a report and
make a presentation. In my opinion a
good teacher should not be qualified by the number of papers and grants that he
has, but by the success of his academic sons and grandsons
In
addition, a good teacher needs to personalize the needs and problems of the
students. This is observed in case of a few of the weaker, shy or some
international students who need additional help and but hesitate to ask for it.
In my opinion, identifying the students by their full names and knowing some
background information (like state, city, and country) is very beneficial. I
obtain most of this information subtly through my numerous interactions with
them during office hours.
Finally,
I believe that the role of a teacher is that of a leader where you have to show
the path, motivate, encourage, and lead by example.
