Updated: 12 April 2012

Teaching Theory & Practice *

Inquiry: teaching science as science is done.

Science can be learned, and
the ability to teach science can be learned.

More on my teaching philosophy...

Research Advisor

Discussion Leader, MIT Department of Physics Diversity & Inclusion Luncheon series, December 2012

Program description: Ed Bertschinger, chair of the physics department, organizes a monthly luncheon and discussion series on issues of diversity and equity in the sciences. I organized and led the December 2012 discussion on impostor syndrome (the feeling that one does not deserve her/his current position but arrived there by luck) and how best to disseminate information and help students suffering from I.S. (see report). For this discussion, I was nominated for and received the MIT School of Science 2012 Infinite Kilometer Award.

MIT 8.02t: Physics II Section Leader 2011

Program description: All MIT undergraduates must take and pass "8.02: Introductory Electricity & Magnetism." The majority enroll in 8.02t—the technology enabled active learning (TEAL) format (available since 2003). In the TEAL course, students work and learn in small groups, where they complete in-class problems and experiments or simply discuss concept questions. The TEAL classroom is designed against the traditional lecture format. It is comprised of many round tables that see 3 groups of 3 students each; all walls are covered with whiteboards, and many host projection screens. A typical two-hour session is filled with several short mini-lectures interspersed with concept questions (clicker system), demonstrations, and group problem solving time. I taught one of eight sections in the spring of 2011 (≈50 students). TEAL would not work without a high instructor-to-student ratio, and I led a team of one graduate TA, three undergraduate TAs, and one technical instructor for our section.

UCSC Summer Session I Instructor 2008

Program description: AY5: "Introductory Astronomy−The Formation and Evolution of the Universe" is an introductory astronomy course for non-majors that satisfies the quantitative (Q) and introduction to natural science (IN) general requirements. Instructor "playbook" available (PDF).

COSMOS 2004−2007

Program description: California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science is a month-long residential camp for high school students that takes place at four UC campuses, including UC Santa Cruz. The Cluster 7 astronomy course is described in "The CfAO's Astronomy Course in COSMOS: Curriculum Design, Rationale, and Application" (PDF; Cooksey et al., Learning from Inquiry in Practice, 2010, ASP Conf. Ser., 436, 395).

Lead Astronomy Instructor, Stars and Cells 2007 (incomplete instructor "playbook" PDF)

Lead Astronomy Instructor, Stars, Sight and Science 2005, 2006

Variable Stars Project Advisor, Stars, Sight and Science 2004

Professional Development Program 2004−2008

Program description: Center for Adaptive Optics PDP is a comprehensive science education program, whereby professionals from a variety of fields and professions learn about education theory and techniques at a workshop, then implement this education into a variety of programs, and, often, cycle back through the workshop to improve upon their practice. The formal description of the PDP is given in "Cultivating Scientist- and Engineer-Educators: The CfAO Professional Development Program" (Hunter, L., Metevier, A., Seagroves, S., Porter, J., Raschke, L., Kluger-Bell, B., Brown, C., Jonsson, P., & Ash, D. 2008). My personal narrative of my experience with the PDP and teaching is available here.

Design Team Leader and Design Consultant 2008

Design Consultant 2007

Discussion Leader 2006

Facilitator 2005

Participant 2004

Maui Community College

Program description: special lab for Mark Hoffman's physics/engineering course at Maui Community College

Co-facilitator, Color and Light inquiry, December 2004, 2005

Teaching Assistant

AY16: "Life in the Universe", fall 2003

* My teaching training, experience, and style comes predominately from the CfAO Professional Development Program, described in this article (PDF).