Overall rating of instructor
4.78
2021
Excellent to Good
4.78
2021
Excellent to Good
I love teaching. As a faculty member in the Geology Department at SUNY Potsdam, I have had the opportunity to develop and teach Physical Geology, Earth Systems, Field Methods in Geology, Geology of National Parks, Structural Geology, and Applied Geophysics. This summary of teaching includes courses taught, number of students, and overall evaluations for each semester. In this portfolio, I am focusing on the courses I have taught since the last reappointment: Physical Geology, Earth Systems, and Field Methods in Geology.
My teaching philosophy is based on experiences as a field geologist and an educator where I have learned that enthusiasm and passion for geology and the Earth are most contagious when students are actively learning (preferably in the field). Therefore, I make every effort to incorporate active and applied learning in both introductory and advanced courses. Fortunately, at SUNY Potsdam, I have the opportunity to teach courses that lend themselves to applied learning. Field Methods in Geology, Structural Geology, and Applied Geophysics are courses that are founded on applied learning. For example, in Field Methods in Geology, students learn how to construct a topographic map, create a graphic column, and make a geologic map.
As a science educator, I hope to encourage curiosity and foster a positive environment in which students can inquire, discover, observe, experiment, analyze, and reflect to more fully understand the world around us. I am passionate about scientific literacy and enjoy teaching introductory geology courses to non-scientists. In 2021, I had the opportunity to teach both Physical Geology and Earth Systems. In Physical Geology, there are a few Geology majors, but most of the students come from a variety of backgrounds and majors, from dance to psychology to marketing. In this course, it is essential to find, demonstrate, and explain the relevance of geology to all of us as inhabitants of this planet. For example, when beginning the section on minerals, instead of beginning with definitions and classification, it is more engaging to lead a discussion about what's in a smart phone and the effects of extracting those resources to produce those materials.
In Earth Systems, I also stress the relevance of geology, and I connect the content they learn to the topics they will be teaching in their future classrooms based on the New York Science Learning Standards. Over the course of seven semesters, I have been able to develop and improve the course such that students are mastering the content, appreciating the relevance of the content to their lives, and modifying the content into lesson plans for their future classes.
In both courses during spring 2021, teaching face-to-face (F2F) and virtual students simultaneously was a challenge that was overcome largely through the use of technology. In addition to using Zoom and Moodle, I took advantage of the OWL, a device purchased by the school that enabled virtual students to be more 'present' in the classroom. It was equipped with a microphone which enabled me to wander around the classroom freely and for students to hear one another. It also had a rotating 360° camera that showed the blackboard as well as the students in the classroom.
An excellent addition to all the courses I teach is use of the Geoscience Garden to convey geology concepts and practice geological skills. Introductory (Physical Geology and Earth Systems) students practice identifying rocks and minerals, using a stratigraphic column to determine the ages, and applying the stratigraphic principles to understand the age relationships between outcrops. This activity is a perfect transition between learning about rocks and minerals to learning about geologic time. In Field Methods, in the beginning of the semester, students practice making detailed observations of rocks and recording those in their field book, and learning to use a Brunton compass to measure strike and dip of bedding (how a rock is oriented in space). At the end of the semester, Field Methods students complete a final project making a geologic map of the Geoscience Garden using multiple skills. Student performance on this activity serves as a departmental assessment tool for the Student Learning Objective focused on mastery of geological skills.
Syllabi, evaluations, and sample student work for each of the courses I taught in 2021 are on individual course pages. Please click on the links below or under the TEACHING tab at the top of the page.
My teaching philosophy is based on experiences as a field geologist and an educator where I have learned that enthusiasm and passion for geology and the Earth are most contagious when students are actively learning (preferably in the field). Therefore, I make every effort to incorporate active and applied learning in both introductory and advanced courses. Fortunately, at SUNY Potsdam, I have the opportunity to teach courses that lend themselves to applied learning. Field Methods in Geology, Structural Geology, and Applied Geophysics are courses that are founded on applied learning. For example, in Field Methods in Geology, students learn how to construct a topographic map, create a graphic column, and make a geologic map.
As a science educator, I hope to encourage curiosity and foster a positive environment in which students can inquire, discover, observe, experiment, analyze, and reflect to more fully understand the world around us. I am passionate about scientific literacy and enjoy teaching introductory geology courses to non-scientists. In 2021, I had the opportunity to teach both Physical Geology and Earth Systems. In Physical Geology, there are a few Geology majors, but most of the students come from a variety of backgrounds and majors, from dance to psychology to marketing. In this course, it is essential to find, demonstrate, and explain the relevance of geology to all of us as inhabitants of this planet. For example, when beginning the section on minerals, instead of beginning with definitions and classification, it is more engaging to lead a discussion about what's in a smart phone and the effects of extracting those resources to produce those materials.
In Earth Systems, I also stress the relevance of geology, and I connect the content they learn to the topics they will be teaching in their future classrooms based on the New York Science Learning Standards. Over the course of seven semesters, I have been able to develop and improve the course such that students are mastering the content, appreciating the relevance of the content to their lives, and modifying the content into lesson plans for their future classes.
In both courses during spring 2021, teaching face-to-face (F2F) and virtual students simultaneously was a challenge that was overcome largely through the use of technology. In addition to using Zoom and Moodle, I took advantage of the OWL, a device purchased by the school that enabled virtual students to be more 'present' in the classroom. It was equipped with a microphone which enabled me to wander around the classroom freely and for students to hear one another. It also had a rotating 360° camera that showed the blackboard as well as the students in the classroom.
An excellent addition to all the courses I teach is use of the Geoscience Garden to convey geology concepts and practice geological skills. Introductory (Physical Geology and Earth Systems) students practice identifying rocks and minerals, using a stratigraphic column to determine the ages, and applying the stratigraphic principles to understand the age relationships between outcrops. This activity is a perfect transition between learning about rocks and minerals to learning about geologic time. In Field Methods, in the beginning of the semester, students practice making detailed observations of rocks and recording those in their field book, and learning to use a Brunton compass to measure strike and dip of bedding (how a rock is oriented in space). At the end of the semester, Field Methods students complete a final project making a geologic map of the Geoscience Garden using multiple skills. Student performance on this activity serves as a departmental assessment tool for the Student Learning Objective focused on mastery of geological skills.
Syllabi, evaluations, and sample student work for each of the courses I taught in 2021 are on individual course pages. Please click on the links below or under the TEACHING tab at the top of the page.
Reflection on Advising
During 2021, I had 18 advisees, majors, minors, and specializations. I advise the Early Childhood Education majors specializing in Geology largely because I know them from teaching Geology 125. I am the designated advisor for this cohort of students since I am familiar with the Education curriculum as well as the Geology requirements. During my first meeting with an advisee, we make a map for their time at Potsdam, determining which courses he or she will take each semester. In future meetings, the advisee and I refer to this 'map' to determine if the student is on track or needs to modify plans. For advising meetings each semester, I used Navigate and more recently, Starfish to send out campaigns, schedule appointments, etc. I have consistently been able to reach all of my advisees and have ~90% attendance at advising meetings.