Another phrase I heard was, "Whether you learn anything or not, I will get paid."  I decided to use that phrase as a basis for my teaching philosophy, albeit with an unusual interpretation:  since I am getting what I supposedly came for out of the course, I can focus my full efforts on seeing that the students get what they came for: an education.  This does not imply spoon-feeding, but it does imply:

       Concern for students as individuals with sometimes unique needs;

Recognizing people as individuals and encouraging open dialogue among students and faculty are the basis I use to interact with persons of diverse backgrounds.  When needed, I can also rely on my lingustic abilities in working specifically with hispanics.  In addition, my own experiences as a resident in Latin America, and a student of various cultures around the world has aided in reaching out to diverse audiences.  In the classroom, I attempt to teach using real-life examples that relate directly to the students.  I use examples from my background in environmental studies for broad interest, but then tailor specific examples to the particular class.  An example of a specific example was last quarter when I had a young black male in male in my class.  I made a particular point during the discussion of proteomics (the study of protein structure) to not only discuss Mad Cow Disease, which was of general interest, but also Sickle Cell Anemia, which is a disease restricted primarily to black males.

Since Chemistry and Mathematics are disciplines which build on themselves, in determining learning outcomes, I tend to analyze the classroom demographics at the beginning of each quarter, especially concerning the majors of my students.  I then use this information to gear some of my learning objectives basically so that my students will gain the knowledge for them to be successful in their chosen careers.  For example, at the University of Washington, my class would generally be made up of pre-engineering and pre-medical students.  Although the basic principles taught would be the same, if pre-medical students were predominate, I would focus on applications in biochemistry, engineering students would receive more information on materials science and industrial chemistry.

In all my work, I try to use what I call the "directed discovery process".  This entails more active learning, in that I introduce basic information and then encourage the students to ferret out the overlying concepts.  In my most recent, evaluation at the Evergreen State College, the dean said that I really never did have a lecture, because, even when I was presenting new material, the interaction and discussion level with the students was so high that the presentation was not really just "lecture".  I also try to gear the presentation and discussion to topics that interest the students.

Finally, to enhance communication and the teaching environment outside the classroom, I maintain a web-site for myself and the courses I teach.  This site contains the syllabus, assignments, and tip sheets.  I also try to use interactive computer software, such as "Math Blaster" in personal tutoring.

In general, I try to find the most effective and appropriate ways to facilitate the learning process in my students.

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