I feel very lucky to have a job I truly enjoy – I get to teach. Luckier still, I get to teach structural engineering in Southern California where earthquakes make my field all the more interesting. Best of all, I get to interact with a diverse student body and do my small part in the development of future generations of civil engineers and researchers.
Through observation of my mentors and through my own teaching experience, I have learned it’s crucial to remember to tell the story. Connecting theory and practice in a clear and well thought out progression of ideas becomes even more impactful when supplemented with an active learning component. This combination supports a constructivist approach where students actively build their understanding on prior knowledge and experience. However, this goes beyond simply understanding the prerequisite course material. I strive to ensure students know exactly where we’re starting, with what trajectory, and why; even experts often need help remembering the basics. My goal while teaching is to help students construct a mental map of concepts and skills, not to add tools to a cluttered toolbox. Including an active component to my lectures, such as in-class group problem solving or iClicker-type interactive polls, provides students an opportunity to immediately use the lecture information and test their understanding.
In support of this overall approach, I plan to continuously develop my teaching skills by familiarizing myself with the latest research on teaching, regularly experimenting with new teaching tools or methods, documenting and sharing the results, and publicizing techniques I discover along the way.