Sharon's Home Page

Department of Geography
University of Georgia
strotter@uga.edu

Geography as a discipline is often reduced to the study of maps. It is important to understand that the study of Geography is more than just knowing where a place is geographically oriented on a map, but in actuality, the realm of Geography actually encompasses (but is not limited to) such specifics as the study of cultures, populations, or climates of a given place or region. More specifically, Geography involves taking a subject of interest and studying it spatially (over space) or temporally (over time). Currently, my focus within Geography for both teaching and research is weather and climate.

I enjoy teaching weather and climate because of its presence in my everyday life. Weather dictates anything from what I am going to wear each morning to my activities throughout a given day. Because of this obvious connection with real life, weather and climate as a course subject is exciting and fun to teach because it explains the origins and processes involved in the formation of weather phenomenon that people see and feel on an everyday basis.

As a teacher of weather and climate lab courses, I am also challenged constantly to present the material so that students of all disciplines will relate and understand. Weather and climate as a field can be very abstract in nature because of the lack of tangential experiments to simulate atmospheric processes. Therefore, I believe that as a teacher I must create an environment that expands the student’s mind to understand the physical fundamentals of weather (i.e., rain or cloud formation) because they can not be visually observed. Students can only see the result of these atmospheric processes (i.e., raindrops).

Additionally, throughout the course the students learn to take measurements from weather instruments that are frequently used in meterological or climatological research. I believe these ‘hands-on’ labs aid tremendously in the learning experience because instead of passively listening they are actively participating in the learning process. These labs also allow the students to escape the usual classroom setting by getting outside a measuring real-time weather data, which furthers the connection between science and everyday life in a student’s mind.

Ultimately, through my teaching I aim to present the material in an organized but creative manner so that the students leave with a greater understanding of the processes and mechanics behind our ever-present and ever-changing weather.