"What we learn with pleasure, we never forget."
Alfred Mercier
In my experience as a student, a teaching assistant, and an instructor of record, I have found that learning happens most readily when an educator helps a student connect with their curiosity. We teach with the desire that our students will learn, but the act of learning requires not just effective instruction, but for students to meet that instruction with interest and attention, engaging thoughtfully with new ideas. I believe that every student who enrolls in a course comes to class with some curious spark, and if I can successfully nurture that spark through my pedagogy, learning starts to come naturally.
Alfred Mercier provided one of my guiding principles for facilitating an effective learning environment: ‘what we learn with pleasure, we never forget.’ My approach to pedagogy places particular focus on the actions I can take and behaviors I can model to make my classroom a place where students want to be. I believe that a warm, supportive space where students feel welcome, heard, and appreciated is the necessary foundation to every evidence-based strategy we employ in our classrooms.
I start getting to know my students before the first class begins by sending them a welcome survey; this establishes early initial contact, inviting them to connect by sharing about themselves (see Other Resources). These surveys pair excellently with photo rosters, as I start class already knowing their preferred nickname, their pronouns, or perhaps the major they are considering but have not yet declared. Further, as I ask what they are most excited to learn, I also can ask – in a private, low-stakes format – where they may need additional support from me to succeed. I want my students to feel at ease participating in class, asking questions, and coming to office hours; I see establishing rapport and taking a genuine interest in them as an investment in their learning. The data I gather can be used to organize discussion groups and to inform my approach to the unique individuals I’ll work with that semester.
I strive to organize both the classroom and the time spent in class to support connection. When possible, I rearrange the classroom seating so that students can see one another more clearly; this both encourages interaction and creates a sense of accountability to be mentally “present” in class. I move around the room to keep the space dynamic, especially during pair/group activities. I use – and encourage students to use – one another’s names whenever possible, so they know both their presence and participation are noticed and appreciated. Even in traditional lecture formats, I give students ample opportunities to pause and reflect with minute papers they will turn in for review, to check their understanding by explaining concepts to one another or drawing concept maps, and to connect with their neighbors through activities like think-pair-share. Varying active learning strategies promotes concept retention and allows me to accommodate a range of learning styles. By keeping students engaged throughout class, I can also better promote attention and provide them space to consider the questions they might have (and then ask them).
When choosing course activities and materials, I determine which approach to a particular topic is best suited to engage with the information or skills I want them to assimilate. As I prefer courses to have both proximate and ultimate learning goals, I find there is often a creative way to connect the assimilation of discipline-specific knowledge with a broadly applicable skill. In the integrated lab/lecture I taught at Elon University, students surveyed a nearby pond to compare biodiversity metrics and used online databases to explore key topics in environmental health. They also conducted their own small-scale research and data analysis to see the effects of climate change in their own local environment. In Duke’s ENV 102, students engaged in a “debate” each semester on a contentious environmental question. Being assigned a side to defend required them to gain a thoughtful understanding of the complex issue at hand while exercising intellectual humility, thinking critically, and working together to form well-evidenced arguments. Aligning my method of teaching to how students can best connect to that topic (and what else they can learn in the process) means that students don’t just learn more effectively, they learn more, overall. These principles shaped the development of my sample syllabus for an Intro Environmental Science course (Other Resources), where the first-year STEM major and the junior finance major alike are encouraged to take an interest in the natural world and take key skills with them wherever they go next.
Outside of classtime, I practice "open office hours," where students are encouraged to come and work on assignments (alone or in small groups) regardless of whether they have questions. Lowering the threshold of attendance at office hours increased office hours attendance significantly in both Applied Data Analysis and over multiple semesters of Forest Ecosystems. Students not only learned a great deal from one other, but nearly always ended up asking questions of me. This provided more “face time” to get to know students and gave me a clearer sense of concept comprehension. Here, I could also attend readily to common points of confusion, so I could stay connected with how the students were thinking and make changes for future semesters when needed. These actions all support the creation of a classroom community, where students can inspire and empower one another to be active, present participants.
As a member of that classroom community myself, I work to make sure students feel respected and heard. My students know from the beginning of the class that I have high expectations for their work and participation, but I also make sure students know what they can expect from me. On the course syllabus (and in the first class), I emphasize our shared responsibility to support the environment we are creating together. I also encourage students to provide honest and constructive feedback to me throughout the course and as a course concludes. As a TA in a larger lecture course, when I found that specific feedback was not collected for individual sections, I took the initiative to begin writing my own end-of-course surveys to gather information on how I could best support my students. Even as I work to use literature-backed best practices in my pedagogy, I am a student of my own students in equal measure. Being willing to recognize when a strategy needs to be adapted to meet student needs is a skill in itself, one I take care to practice in every class I teach, no matter how many times I’ve taught it.
A key aspect of supporting student learning is ensuring that my students receive constructive feedback that supports their growth and positive feedback that promotes confidence and a sense of capability. My approach to grading always highlights what students do well, and I take care to address mistakes and incorrect approaches with patience and care. The rubrics I develop – available before the assignment is due – keep grading fair and transparent and help students understand my expectations and feedback more clearly. I also create opportunities for students to receive positive peer feedback. In my discussion sections, we ended class with each student’s answering: “What was said today that resonated most with you?” Not only did this allow them to reflect on their learning, it gave them an opportunity to recognize classmates by name. This was a favored element of the class by many students – the format encouraged them to contribute thoughtfully to discussion and to pay closer attention to one another’s contributions.
Finally, I always encourage students to be creative and play to their strengths as they dive deepest into key topics. Where an assignment allows freedom of format or subject matter, I allow students to explore their interests through an approach that highlights their unique talents. I advocated for an open-concept final project as a TA for ENV 102, where students proposed both a relevant topic and the medium for a final project. Over the years, the amount of effort and exceptional work put into the papers, infographics, podcasts, policy briefs, and presentations that resulted spoke for itself. As an educator, I work to ensure that students end each semester with not only solid concept mastery, but an enduring, ignited curiosity. This is my primary motivator, and I am committed to never stop learning how to do it better.