Autbiography
Autobiography
Teacher
I am a teacher who loves to learn and to bring my own learning into the classroom. My learning style is kinesthetic and very much hands on. I am a spatial learner and love to solve problems involving physical space. I think this is why I am involved in Science. I love to take things apart. Not only do I love to piece together a micromanipulator to inject DNA into an oocyte, but I also like to play with ideas in a spatial way. When I teach I deconstruct an idea or concept and then put it back together again for the kids. I really enjoy giving my students an opportunity to complete hands on activities and to explore the physical properties of nature and man-made objects. I also often have my students think in this way. They have the opportunity to manipulate ideas, concepts, facts, and figures. I try to teach them to not only remember things but understand how they work. If my students can take an idea and work with it in order to understand it fully and completely so they can apply that idea to some new situation, then my job is well done.
Reflective Teacher
While I am teaching I am constantly reflecting. I learn from feedback. The students in high school can be very vocal. They often tell me outright what I’m doing well and what I need to improve on. They don’t hesitate! However, one must filter this barrage of criticism, both positive and negative. I have had a student tell me I am the greatest teacher right after I said their homework was no longer due. Motivation tells a story. Much of what the students tell me during and after class is very useful feedback and supplies me with an opportunity to change and improve my teaching
Learning Moments
I am triggered by epiphanies. I sometimes have aha! Moments that give me a big shift in pedagogy. These moments strike me when a student comes up with a profound comment or when I am inspired by a competent colleague. These moments often result in a change in the way I teach. Changes in practical teaching methodologies have varying results. Some things work and some things don’t. Continual reflection on changing teaching practices is essential for building a teaching style that works; not only for me, but for my students. I know when I have learned something because I see a change in my own behaviour and often in the learning of my students. Sometimes positive and sometimes negative. I respond accordingly and this is how my teaching style and strategies are shaped.
