Mark S. Wilson, Ph.D.
Teaching Philosophy and Goals:
I believe that effective teaching is an ongoing experiment. Quality teaching needs to be a dynamic, interactive process in which the teacher learns from and responds to students. To be a successful teacher, I need to continually challenge myself to understand why students are learning and why they aren't learning, to make material interesting and relevant to diverse individuals, and to communicate my fascination and passion for biology and the scientific process. Quality teaching inspires in the student a love for knowledge and learning that is a way of life.
I believe that the most successful students are those who work hard at teaching themselves, and that I need to instill my students with a desire for self-teaching. With some students this can be accomplished with genuine enthusiasm and energy in the classroom. With other students, I believe that directed but student-controlled projects foster interest in ways that classroom teaching can not. When students need to design experiments to test hypotheses of their own formulation, or develop presentations on topics of their choice, they become involved in their education in a way that is very different than showing up for lecture. Independent projects can dramatically change the way that a student perceives their role in education. This can be done in ways that capture the students' imagination and stimulate their creativity--an excellent example is the student-conceived and created Microweb site at http://instruct1.cit.cornell.edu/Courses/biomi290/. In the sciences, there is a necessary emphasis on covering a large amount of material in the limited time available, and student-controlled projects are often minimized as a consequence. I believe that involving students in their own education is not only compatible with science teaching but a necessity if the majority of students are going to be served.
Since each of us learns differently, effective teaching requires the use of many different approaches. Lectures, assigned and recommended readings, experiments, graphic visual displays, and the power of the Internet all need to be brought to bear in communicating material, and it is particularly important that the contemporary relevance of material is stressed. Students should be tested on their ability to integrate information and not just memorize facts. Each of us also have different barriers to overcome. I believe that it is important for a teacher to be approachable, so that students can and do discuss the problems that they are having. In addition to office hours, this involves reaching out to shy or intimidated students, or students who are having difficulties. Because some students won’t initiate interaction with a teacher, it is frequently necessary for the teacher to seek out the student. Early communication can prevent larger problems from developing. Of course, sometimes it is necessary to let unmotivated students fail. Teachers need to be flexible and tailor their approaches to the students.
I am a firm believer in the value of multidisciplinary education. Science, and indeed the whole world, is becoming more interconnected and interdependent than ever before. Contemporary microbiology and genetics require the integration of biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, analytical and organic chemistry, soil science, limnology, geology, mathematical taxonomy, ecology, and environmental science. It is important to emphasize the interconnectedness of fields, and the value of breadth of education as well as depth, in encouraging students in their pursuit of a variety of studies. And of course, science is only one part of an undergraduate education.
This is the Golden Age of Genetics and Microbiology. The exponential explosion of new approaches and understanding is revolutionizing our world, and I am excited about bringing this new world to my students.
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