Hugo Collantes
Teaching Philosophy

Academic Background: B.S. in Biology, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (Perú). Currently a graduate student at the Institute of Ecology, College of the Environment and Design, and at the Department of Economics, Terry School of Business, University of Georgia.
Research Interest: Conservation ecology and sustainable urban development. Study of cities as ecosystems. Analysis of the environmental impacts and economic drivers of urban growth.

Human knowledge, as well as the skills society requires of its citizens, is in a permanent state of flux. Thus, more than deliver content my goal is to empower students to acquire new knowledge on their own. Concept maps, short essays, group discussions, and even casual conversations during class are instruments I use to probe my students’ background, peek at their thinking process, assess their progress, and gradually discover their learning styles.

In selecting instructional techniques I follow a constructivist approach, favoring those that build upon students’ own experience. Thus, inquiry-based techniques, in which students are encouraged to test their preconceived ideas as well as their newly formed hypotheses, are among my favorites. One of these techniques is the Science Writing Heuristic method, in essence a re-creation of the process of preparing a research article for publication. I have been using this method to motivate my students to test their ideas, to find solid ground before making an argument, and to confidently compare their findings and opinions to those of others in academic journals.

Writing also provides an opportunity for students to become aware of their own learning. I recently started having my students put together Learning Portfolios, in which they keep track of their progress by organizing their research notes, sketches, news clips, pictures, post-it notes, and any other material they used while working on their writing assignments. I then allow them to use their portfolios in taking a test designed to assess both their knowledge and their cognitive skills. Following this test I conduct a discussion session in which students reflect on their strengths and weaknesses, as well as on which of their learning strategies proved to be more effective.

Another important tool for students to become aware of their learning is their teacher’s feedback. It is my belief that grading constitutes the best opportunity to provide this feedback. Rather than thinking of grading as a burdensome duty I like to think of it as writing a letter to another colleague who has asked for advice. In grading I reward accuracy and skillfulness, but most importantly, improvement. This approach -manifested in thorough, personalized, and constructive comments- is the type of feedback that motivates students to constantly give their best. In turn, to keep on giving my best as a teacher I also provide opportunities for my students to comment on my performance.

I believe that teaching must be approached with the same rigor as scientific research, using instructional techniques proven to be effective in promoting learning among diverse students rather than teaching with methods supported only by tradition. Furthermore, I approach teaching with a desire for innovation, developing new instructional techniques and experimenting with them in the classroom. Recently I developed a method in which students create an instructional game on a particular topic. A preliminary assessment shows this method to be very effective in helping students integrate rather than memorize concepts, and presents none of the stress associated with conventional tests.

The first time I walked into a classroom as a teacher I thought teaching consisted solely of delivering content, I focused on my teaching style rather than my students’ learning styles, and it never occurred to me to look for more effective methods of instruction -let alone develop new instructional techniques. Today I intent to stay engaged in this developing process both for the benefit of my students who will continually be exposed to more refined teaching, and for the benefit of myself as I become the best teacher I can be.