From the beginning of my exposure to chemistry in the high school setting, I was enchanted – holding fire, hollowing out pennies, and creating mirrored glass were all incredible to me. I now know that enchantment was facilitated by my teacher. Without her, I may have never known the magic of chemistry. These experiments were fun – but they were also instrumental in helping me see that science didn’t have to be intimidating. It could also be fascinating, useful and constructive. My teacher ensured that I was able to approach chemistry with interest and excitement rather than fear. However, as I moved through the world of chemistry in higher education, I realized that few people share that sentiment. When I asked questions, I consistently found that those people who had not enjoyed chemistry were often plagued by a series of teachers that did not seem interested in fostering their love of science.
These experiences more than any other have shaped my teaching philosophy and goals. As a chemistry educator, my mission is to make learning chemistry fun, interesting, and useful for learners of all ages, genders, races, and socioeconomic statuses, inside and outside of formal education settings. With that as my mission, I have worked to develop my teaching and science communicationskills.
In the classroom I rely on data-based teaching methods that challenge students to move beyond rote memorize-and-regurgitate methods. I want to my students to think critically and solve problems, something that will stay with them much longer than the rote memorization of (for example) the organic chemistry nomenclature system. In order to do this, I keep up with the education literature and attempt to employ techniques that are known to be useful in the classroom, such as active learning, and using context-based examples. Both of these have been shown to improve student interest in the course, especially for those students historically most at risk for dropping, failure, or withdraw.
However, in the age of COVID-19, achieving this has not been easy. The pandemic has taught me a new lesson about teaching: my number one tool in being an effective educator is empathy. Students are going through so much, including things that we may not know about. If I can see them for who they are and meet them where they are at, I can help them make progress in the classroom as well as in their lives. With this attitude, I have been able to foster a safe learning environment for my students- they know that I care about them, not just their testing scores. This has been central to me in current times, as I think a feeling of safety is necessary for every student in any classroom to learn, grown, and achieve their goals.
I know, however, that not everyone has the privilege of experiencing formal chemistry education. That is why it is also very important to me to foster educational experiences for learners outside of the classroom setting. To do this, I (along with my co-host) have built a science communication platform in the form of the second highest ranked chemistry podcast in the United States – Chemistry for your Life. I use this platform as an open access tool to empower anyone who has the internet to educate themselves on the applications of chemistry in everyday life. This experience has taught me the incredible rewarding nature of science education outside the classroom. I’ve heard from many people who use this show as a resource – including high school teachers, people currently studying chemistry, and people who just think it is interesting.
Venturing into informal science education has been rewarding in so many ways, but most importantly it has reminded me of why I began to love chemistry in the first place– chemistry is so cool! It has applications everywhere! It has also reminded me of the joy facilitating learning experiences can bring. Creating this podcast has made me a better educator by reminding me of another lesson I’ve learned about teaching: it is important to take time to remember why I’m doing what I’m doing. With my passion and excitement for chemistry and education restored, I can continue to live out my mission statement with renewed vigor, even when facing down a global pandemic.