Experience Summary
Attending a small liberal arts school sparked my desire to teach students in a small group setting. While my graduate course work in Biomolecular Chemistry developed my skills as a scientist, I chose to continue in a capstone program to enhance my teaching skills and gain a stronger understanding of the learning process. I have combined my science and research skills with my desire to teach in a variety of teaching and tutoring venues. During the last seven years, I have taught and tutored middle school, high school, and college students in chemical and biological sciences. I have designed and taught lab-intensive high school biology and chemistry courses for homeschooled teens. I have taught and tutored MCAT students at Kaplan test prep, where I also served as the lead MCAT teacher and trainer. I've also taught summer lab programs for high school students at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Teaching Style
Science is a process by which we learn, not simply a body of knowledge to memorize. My approach to teaching biological and chemical sciences is two-pronged: to help students acquire the knowledge base necessary for understanding science, and to instill critical thinking skills through the scientific method of inquiry. I love to help students see the big picture of how various aspects of science fit together and to make connections between what they are learning and their own lives. It is these connections that spark interest and memory. When possible I prefer to incorporate a variety of active learning exercises, which can be very helpful to solidify difficult concepts and work well with many learning styles.