“Tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I’ll understand.†~Chinese Proverb
Throughout college and even into graduate school, my goal wasn’t to work with undergraduates. I enjoyed learning and working with others, but until I had students of my own I hadn’t understood how fulfilling teaching is. I find I get out of bed a little happier when I know I’m getting to work with students either in the lab or classroom.
In addition to this growing interest in teaching, I’ve been introduced to many reformed teaching techniques that have helped me more deeply understand the quotation above. No matter how well I explain something or what demonstration I do, when it comes to learning nothing compares to a student trying it themselves. I think it is odd that cognitive psychologists and master teachers have been demonstrating for years the importance of active engagement in the classroom, and still most teaching at the college level is standard lecture format.
This section of the website is a repository of various teaching information, ideas, and practices I have found useful. Below is a poster I gave at ACS about learning both in research and in the classroom.
