Teaching

John Dewey wrote “I believe that education, therefore, is a process of living and not a preparation for future living”. I take such an approach, one which transcends the classroom proper. I am especially interested in developing critical thinking abilities in students, specifically with regard to practical environmental concerns of our time.

My experiences as a teacher and mentor began as a teaching assistant at the University of Virginia, and have expanded in many directions since. I especially have enjoyed developing new curricula that draws not only on interdisciplinary research among scientists, but also from other academic fields. I developed a course at Texas A&M University dealing with current philosophical problems in science, in which students and professors from 6 academic departments participated, including the philosophy department. As a Fulbright Scholar in Venezuela, I taught two short courses for graduate students and professors at the University of the Western Llanos (courses taught in Spanish), one concerning current topics in ecological research and the second on biomonitoring. Another interest of mine is developing hands-on field courses. Albrey Arrington (Perry Institute for Marine Science) and I teach a joint field course between The College of the Bahamas and the University of Alabama at the Bahamas Environmental Research Center on Andros Island. We have designed the class around estuary conservation and restoration, which has lead to specific ecosystem restoration projects. Such activities provide valuable experience for students with regard to real-world environmental problems.

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