My goal: to teach relevant content and foster skills for a successful and gratifying career in biology. The developmental theories of Chickering and Reisser (1993) and Perry (1970) and the backwards design approach of Wiggins and McTighe (2005) are guiding principles.

In the context of the scholarship of teaching, developmental theory, and backwards design, I try to enable student learning by:

1. •Having students work with the scientific method through inquiry-based learning experiences, 
   

2. •Teaching critical thinking and problem solving skills, 
   

3. •Making the subject matter relevant to students' lives, 
   

4. •Emphasizing the interdisciplinary nature of the liberal arts, and 
   

5. •Suggesting that “right-brained” activities (e.g., writing and composing music) allow for creative thinking, which is fundamental to success in science.