Eleanor Pardini
Teaching Philosophy

I am a PhD student in the department of Plant Biology at the University of Georgia. I study the evolutionary ecology of invasive plants. I teach a variety of lab and discussion courses at UGA. Check it out here.

As a life-long learner who has always been fascinated with the natural world, I am dedicated to the learning, teaching, and study of biology. I find there is a gap in science education, such that by the time students reach my classes in college, they think that science is hard, boring, and out of reach. Students often come in thinking they are “not good at science” and that they “can’t think scientifically.” As someone who is committed to better teaching and learning of science in higher education, I see my role as addressing this gap. I strive to teach basic biological principles, but also to train students to think critically and to discover they can think critically about scientific issues in their lives.

The scientific process involves making careful observations, asking questions, thinking of reasonable predictions, and considering ways the question could be solved or approached. It is in essence a way of thinking logically. I believe that this way of thinking is accessible to all people and is important as we confront issues such as human disease, antibiotic resistance, and natural resource use. People familiar with the scientific way of thinking will be able to make informed decisions about these kinds of issues. I feel it is important that my students have a basic understanding of how the scientific process works and recognize their ability to use it to make biological connections about the world in which they live.

To best teach these skills, I employ a wide variety of active-learning techniques in my classes. Because biological concepts can be very concrete and practical in nature, I include inquiry-based, hands-on activities that allow students to make their own discoveries and connections. I encourage an open learning environment in which students feel comfortable sharing their ideas and working collaboratively to make discoveries. I often use class discussions that involve posing problems and asking questions to help students draw out the take-home concepts learned in class or lab. When teaching new learning strategies, I verbally describe the strategy, model it using an overhead visual, allow students to practice and walk around to answer questions, and follow-up with small group and class discussions.

It is important that methods of evaluation are clearly explained and appropriately designed for the way the content material is taught. One of the most important things I teach is critical thinking. Many students that leave my classroom will likely forget the details of mitosis and photosynthesis, but if they have learned to ask questions and problem solve, they will be able to critically approach biological issues in the future. Because I place heavy emphasis on conceptual thinking and problem solving, rather than memorizing, I design evaluations of student performance accordingly. Thus, I use a combination of fact-recall and higher-level concept questions on graded assignments and exams. I often pose a biological problem and ask students to form hypotheses, make predictions, and design an experiment they could use to test their ideas about the issue. Often students design their own experiments with materials on hand, but the thinking exercise is equally important.

To stay in touch with student needs and to improve the effectiveness of my instruction, I use several forms of student evaluation. After class, I often ask students to write down things they learned, want to learn or still don’t understand on index cards. This provides me with immediate information about misconceptions and questions that I should address. I use anonymous midterm evaluations to identify activities that enhance student learning. In turn, I can adjust my syllabus and techniques to improve both teaching and learning of science.