Teaching

My teaching style focuses on inquiry-based learning and an interactive classroom, with lesson plans designed to promote students understanding and their taking ownership over their own learning process.  

I use proximity in the classroom to encourage students to ask questions and seek help. In all my teaching experiences, I've noticed that many students would not raise their hands and ask questions, even as they're struggling with a problem. Some will not even ask for help when they are completely stuck. But students will ask me questions if I'm nearby because the barrier is lower - they don't have to seek me out or stand out by raising their hands. My Columbia lab students have often expressed their appreciation for this practice, because being able to ask me more questions means their understanding increases. I have realized the importance of reaching out to each of the students in my classroom and not just the ones who ask for my help or volunteer answers during class discussions.

As a graduate lab teaching assistant at Columbia, I focused on designing lessons that allow students to guide their own learning process and wrestle with concepts on their own terms. My lesson plans included scaffolding that allows students to move through the concepts as difficulty and complexity increases, and a conclusions section to help students consolidate their thoughts and check their understanding at the end of the lab. Participating in the Institute for Scientist and Engineer Educators (ISEE) 2015 Professional Development Program (PDP) gave me the opportunity to further develop my skills in lesson design and student interaction.


 

Teaching Experience

Professional Development

Contact

Email: StephanieTDouglas [At] gmail [DoT] com

Twitter: @stephtdouglas

Tumblr: @spotsandloops

Github: stephtdouglas

FigShare: stephtdouglas