Statement of Teaching Philosophy
Michael D. Behrens

Four goals govern my teaching and advising: I aim to foster intrinsic motivation in my students, promote critical thinking, emphasize student-centered learning, and continually develop my pedagogy. While each teaching situation (lecture, laboratory, discussion) has its own challenges and requires the adaptation of teaching methods, these four goals act as a guide in my teaching. The basic purpose of all teaching involves the imparting of facts upon others, but this is only where the teaching begins. By following these goals, I want students to begin to take control of their learning and develop into students who are not satisfied being told how the world operates, but rather begin to make their own judgments about the world. Instead of just recalling facts, they pursue learning where facts are integrated, evaluated and placed in a larger context. Each goal plays an integral part in the process of allowing students become independent thinkers, and is a central dogma of my teaching philosophy.

I believe most students enjoy learning as an activity, but the focus on external motivators, such as grades, leads to an attitude of "I only want to learn what is on the exam." This view is shortsighted and by tapping into students' intrinsic motivation we can better shape the learning experience. Reducing the motivational power of grades is never easy, but I attempt to limit their emphasis by encouraging intellectual successes and aggrandizing effort. Once extrinsic motivators have been reduced, we can begin to utilize other measures of intrinsic motivation theory. These can include mastery learning, where students are required to resubmit incomplete or hastily completed assignments until they are satisfactory. Additionally, experiential learning, where students are put into real life situations and allowed to simultaneously learn and apply concepts, can be very powerful forces for building future motivation. These motivational tools lead students to want to learn more than facts and then are more motivated to learn to think critically.

Critical thinking requires students to practice active inquiry skills to understand existing knowledge and competing viewpoints. However, this is just the basic requirement. For critical thinking to be fully explored and experienced, students must let this inquiry be driven by alternative hypotheses. Once facts have been introduced in the classroom, students must understand all hypotheses and evaluate information with the assumption that each hypothesis is true. This leads to the recognition of uncertainty within all hypotheses and the ability to make judgments about the opposing ideas with a fuller understanding of the strengths, weaknesses, and support for all sides. This sort of inquiry can be facilitated in the classroom in many ways. The reading and discussion of scientific literature in the classroom can be very useful, since nearly every scientific argument has a counter argument and data to support both sides. Group discussions, role-playing, and writing assignments requiring students to address an issue by evaluating the assumptions and support for both sides can also be very effective, especially when students play roles or support sides opposite to there own personal viewpoints. This sort of higher-level learning requires a safe environment where students feel free enough to express themselves. This can be achieved with some simple ground rules emphasizing that effort, and not outcome, is the key to success and criticism is replaced by logical discourse.

Critical thinking and other forms of deeper learning often require additional time and experiences, for students to catalyze their own learning. Such student-driven learning and development often takes place in the hours outside of official instructional activities. I feel that it is extremely important that the teacher is available to support these activities outside of class. This support includes both time for answering emerging questions, and supplying additional educational resources, such as web-based materials and guidance in obtaining appropriate literature. In the classroom, student-driven learning can begin with student led discussions, where the teacher relinquishes some control to allow students to learn from their peers. In my experience, once students begin to experience control of their education, they take ownership of it and maintain motivation.

All of a teacher's best goals and lesson plans may be wasted if they are not appropriate to the subject matter and the needs of the student. Therefore, I believe it is extremely important for continual self-assessment to develop my pedagogy. It is important to determine the success of my teaching practices in two ways. First, are students learning the material and skills that I feel are important? Since students tend to learn what we examine for, either through tests or other assignments, it is important to design examinations of knowledge and skills that match your objectives. The second method to determine the success in teaching is continuous evaluation of whether the students' needs are being met by my methods. For example, "have I developed an environment that is safe and conducive to exploring critical thinking activities?"

I feel the above goals lead to an educational experience where students are motivated and challenged to critically evaluate the world around them in all facets of their lives. Most teachers do not teach for the glory or the money, but rather for rewards that come with the hard work. For me, witnessing a student being challenged to re-examine their own views or develop an interest where they thought one did not exist are some of the meaningful rewards. I believe that all teachers are also students and teaching allows me to continue to learn and face the challenge of meeting the needs of each student. The approaches I use in teaching also stimulate other facets of my professional life, such as research and service.