Patty Anderson's
Teaching Philosophy
I have had superior science teachers throughout my educational career. I honor these teachers by passing along their enthusiasm for the sciences to my students. Students learn more from an instructor who has passion for the subject being taught.
People learn in many different ways, which is why I use a verity of methods. My personal favorite is what I call the “thought experiment.” I have the students do three-dimensional modeling (such as the ocean's tides) in their mind and take it through time. Another technique is to pose a problem to which we have not yet found a solution. I challenge them to come up with an idea and to support their argument as to why this might work. At first I don’t tell them that there is no right answer. I like to see what they come up with. After the assignment is complete I let them know there is no right or wrong answer, I just wanted them to learn how to think critically and scientifically.
My classes are designed to encourage student to do extra credit work where they can apply the skills and knowledge from the class directly into their surrounding environment.
