As an educator, I thrive when engaging students and helping them connect with complex scientific concepts through learning techniques that inspire discovery and cultivate curiosity. All of us remember some point in our childhood where the thrill of discovery and our innate curiosity made us insatiable learners. For me it was dinosaurs, birds, seashells, rocks, and fossils – I absorbed information like a sponge and found immense pleasure in collecting and disseminating it, much to my parents’ chagrin. Later, as a science education specialist in elementary schools in Tacoma, Washington, I witnessed this same childhood passion for knowledge in nearly one hundred classrooms and over a thousand students. These experiences have led me to believe that learning is most rewarding and effective when it is driven by internal motivation instead of external rewards. To this day I maintain that our curiosity and the satisfaction that comes from independent discovery is what inspires the pursuit of new information for learners of all ages. Now, as a university instructor, I continue to embrace a pedagogy that derives from constructivist and experiential learning theory – one that focuses on student-centered lessons that encourage sustainable, independent inquiry. I do this through active and collaborative learning exercises, flipped classrooms, and transparent, backwards-designed curricula.

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Ultimately, I seek to ensure that each of my students succeeds and feels validated by the work they have put into our class. I design all of my curriculum with inclusivity in mind – whether through an intentional and enhanced representation of research by female scientists or scientists of color, or through discussions of how race, gender, sexual orientation, or society have impacted scientific research and discoveries. My own experiences in the LGBT community have improved my awareness and appreciation of these topics, even in a science classroom. Every student has a unique background and I always strive to ensure that no one feels excluded from the culture and process of science and science education.

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My pedagogical training and professional development have taught me how to craft effective learning experiences that encourage sustainable independent inquiry. These peer-reviewed practices promote student success by cultivating curiosity and deep learning through discovery, and by validating diverse student backgrounds through an antiracist, inclusive, and accessible curriculum. Feel free to contact me to learn more about my curriculum design and philosophy.