Statement of Teaching Philosophy By Kimberly Jasmer

Teaching is about facilitating learning, not about providing information. Today,

information can be readily obtained simply by having access to an internet connection, but
the ability to critically evaluate that information, to apply it to decisions and new contexts,
to use it to synthesize new ideas and to communicate it to others are all skills that we as
educators can help our students obtain. As science teachers, our job is not to ensure that
every individual remembers how transcription works, but rather it is about educating a
national and global community of people to make better decisions. It is also about
empowering individuals by giving them the confidence to participate in discussions and
make decisions that require a scientific knowledge base. As undergraduate science
instructors, in addition to future scientists, we are educating future K-12 teachers,
legislators, parents, grant reviewers and countless others that will impact the future of our
society. It is important that everyone has a fundamental understanding of science so that
parents can make good decisions about the health of their families, legislators can make
educated decisions about environmental, health, and social policies, funding agencies can
allot money to areas of highest necessity and K-12 teachers can not only impart accurate
scientific knowledge, but teach the same inquiry-based, critical thinking skills to their own
students.

Learning is Biology
Biologically, learning is the creation of new synaptic connections, connecting new
dendrites to the existing neural network. Just five minutes after we hear something new, a
new dendrite begins budding and, if fostered and used, will create a connection with the
existing network of neurons in the brain. The more it is called upon, the better myelinated
the axon becomes and the faster and more reliable repeated firings wooill be. If it is unused,
it will be lost. The first time I heard learning described this way, I was at a breakout session
at a teaching conference. Im a biologist, so this depiction of learning as strictly a physical,
biological process resonated with me. It also clarified why teaching strategies such as
concept mapping, reflection and case study, which require students to identify the context
of the newly obtained knowledge within their current understanding, are so effective. To
foster learning, an instructor needs to provide ample opportunity for a variety of students
with vastly different backgrounds (existing neural networks) to identify context, to create
new connections and to strengthen them by use and application. Perhaps the greatest skill
we as educators may instill in our students is the ability to continue this process after they
have left us, to become life-long learners; able to utilize the knowledge of how our brains
work to obtain, contextualize and retain knowledge from all their formal and informal
learning experiences.
What happens when the new knowledge doesnt fit within the context of a students
current understanding? Often the new information is altered to align with their current
understanding or disregarded altogether. For this reason, it is important that I identify any
misconceptions that my students hold and gauge prior understanding. I can do this directly
with pretests or leading questions at the beginning of class or indirectly by consulting the
literature about common misconceptions on the subject. The most important aspect of this
process is to illustrate the need for a new explanation in order to elicit student desire in
finding the accurate explanation. I will show them a real life example that contradicts their
current inaccurate or incomplete understanding, allow them to look for a new explanation
by analyzing evidence, and then provide the proper explanation. A great example is the
concept of what causes the seasons. Many believe that the Earth is closer to the Sun in the
summer than in the winter, others believe it is the angle of the suns rays that cause the
change. By using a diagnostic pretest I can account for the most prevalent misconceptions.
During class I can show real images of the relative locations of the Earth and the Sun during
Statement of Teaching Philosophy By Kimberly Jasmer
different times of the year. The inadequacy of their current understanding to explain the
evidence will become obvious. By involving the students in acknowledging the
misconception and allowing them to create a new, accurate understanding for themselves,
the new understanding will have a better chance of replacing the prior misconception and
being retained long-term.

Teaching is About Creating Learning Experiences
As a young undergraduate student, I thought that learning was a passive process: I would
show up to class, listen to a lecture and assume that osmosis was sufficient to retain life-
long understanding. That didnt work out so well. I felt that I learned significantly more
during my graduate education, despite having fewer courses. This was because my
education was all inquiry-based; I had a question, recognizing where I lacked knowledge, I
then pursued the information and often used that knowledge to set up experiments,
formulate hypotheses, write reviews or communicate with my PI or fellow labmates. This is
how science works and its also how learning works. It is a process we can easily replicate in
the classroom. When the questions and motivation come from the students rather than the
instructor, the value of that learning experience increases exponentially and the likelihood
that it is integrated into their current understanding is much higher.
As a biology instructor, my learning outcomes for any course will obviously include some
content goals. However, the outcomes I feel are most beneficial to students are skills such
as identifying and using appropriate databases, critically evaluating sources, collaboration,
communication through a variety of platforms, using reflection to solidify learning and
using technology such as social media, blogs, wikis and video. As a student myself, I have
found that creating something is the best way to learn. Whether that be a website, blog
post, tweet, video, image, song, portfolio or a number of other products, it requires that the
student reflect on the knowledge, assess understanding, make connections and synthesize
new ideas from those connections. By the time youve thought about the content long
enough to create a product, youve fired that fresh synaptic connection multiple times,
strengthening that connection for long-term retention. For this reason, I will use a variety of
these products as outcomes. However, as no two students are identical, I believe it is
important to provide options through a homework menu. Allowing the students to feel
empowered and in charge of their education, when possible, is important. Giving them the
choice to produce a video, blog post, song or diagram to describe a concept will give
students the opportunity to choose what they enjoy or what they think works best for their
learning style, while still requiring the student to reflect and integrate knowledge.

Classroom Time Should Focus on Course Outcomes
Since the goals I have for my students are primarily active, higher-order thinking skills, it
would not make sense to spend class time simply listening to a lecture. During a teaching
internship, I was able to witness a flipped classroom and both the students and the
instructor appeared to enjoy and benefit from the class time more than a traditionally
structured course. In a flipped classroom most of the content is provided outside of class
often in the form of pre-recorded videos or assigned readings, leaving the actual class time
available for activities and discussion. As a teaching assistant for cell biology, I flipped my
discussion section with much success. I sent out the material in the form of a worksheet,
which they went through in advance with the lecture notes and textbook, reserving class
time for interactive activities and vibrant discussion on difficult topics. Everything we did
in class was first in small groups, as students tend to be more comfortable participating in
groups of 3 to 5 than they are in front of the entire classroom, and then as a whole class. For
example, when we covered a chapter on genetics, they reviewed the basic material from the
Statement of Teaching Philosophy By Kimberly Jasmer
book, guided by the worksheet, prior to class and then in class as small groups discussed
genetic testing for Alzheimers disease: why a person might/might not want to be tested, the
likelihood of the individual having the disease based on family history, what information the
test actually provides, what the implications and concerns might be, etc. This activity met
three outcomes: they were required to understand the content, communicate with one
another effectively and respectfully and apply the content to a novel context.

Assessment is a Learning Experience
I believe the purpose of assessment is more than determining how to award grades in a
course, but that good assessment should facilitate additional learning as well as informing
both the student and instructor as to what learning has occurred. I do not think that long
exams are the best way to assess learning in a biology course, as they do not contribute to
the learning process, are unduly stressful and often too long for the time frame. Assessment
must align with the goals of the course and as the goals I have for my students involve
applying, synthesizing, evaluating and communicating, assessments such as writing,
creating products such as video or blog post, editing a Wikipedia page, group discussions
and homework that demonstrate critical thinking skills are better suited for the goals I have
for my students. All of these assessments would contribute to further learning, rather than
just help to determine an appropriate grade. In addition, shorter, more frequent exams or
quizzes will allow for assessment of content understanding, both for me as the instructor
and the students. Since I want to facilitate a positive classroom environment where
students are comfortable collaborating with one another and form relationships, a curved
grading style would not be beneficial. Grading on a curve promotes competition, distrust or
dislike among classmates, while providing a well-communicated set of standards at the
beginning of the course allows students to dictate their own success and feel a sense of
ownership of their education. Feedback for the students is very important. I would like to
give feedback on all assessment, when possible, but depending on class size that may not be
possible. One way to make it easier is to do things electronically, as the logistics of handing
back hundreds of assignments with feedback is itself daunting. When work is done in
groups, giving feedback to the group as a whole also reduces the amount of time necessary
to provide feedback.

Life-Long Learner
I would like to receive regular feedback from my students as to how my teaching style
and the course activities are benefiting them. I would ask for their input at the beginning of
the course to identify the goals my students have for the course and their expectations of
me so that I understand what the student wants and how best I can address those needs.
This is a time where we can both lay out our goals, see where they align and consider
solutions for where they dont. During the term, Id like their feedback in an informal and
anonymous evaluation of my course, so that I can address student concerns. Id also like to
facilitate a classroom and a relationship with my students where they feel comfortable
approaching me with concerns about their learning, rather than waiting for more formal
evaluations. As a life-long learner myself, I intend to continue my education for teaching,
expanding my repertoire of teaching strategies, my understanding of neuroscience as it
pertains to learning and my skill and comfort as a learning facilitator. I will do this by
continuing to explore the research on teaching and learning, seek opportunities to learn
from others such as courses and seminars and receive feedback and critique from my fellow
educators.

Statement of Teaching Philosophy By Kimberly Jasmer
Learning is a biological process. Once the students understand this process, it can be
harnessed to produce rewarding learning experiences throughout their life. I will replicate
the scientific process in my courses by facilitating inquiry-based learning experiences.
I will guide students through an active learning environment that values their questions,
interests and learning styles by allowing freedom to choose among activities and
assessments, all while satisfying the outcomes of my course and facilitating actual learning,
rather than just thinking about material. I will use classroom time to address my course
outcomes, which include communication, collaboration, critical evaluation and synthesis. I
will use a mixture of formal and informal assessments to facilitate additional learning,
rather than to simply assess.