Competency 1 focuses on exploring pedagogical techniques within a specific discipline, with my focus being astronomy and astrophysics. This competency emphasizes understanding how students learn within a particular field and developing effective teaching strategies tailored to a given discipline and audience.
In Spring 2025, I took ISE 870: Teaching College Science to fulfill the course work requirement for this certification. ISE 870 is a course taught at Michigan State University that focuses on teaching strategies specifically for science educators at the college level. I have included the syllabus for this course to highlight the topics we discussed and activities we completed during this class.
In ISE 870, we explored a variety of research-based approaches to teaching and lesson planning, including modeling, inquiry-based learning, backwards design, and other evidence-based pedagogical strategies. We discussed the benefits and drawbacks of these approaches in depth, often drawing on classmates' firsthand experiences implementing them in their own classrooms. Outside of class, we collaborated in small groups to design lessons and learning activities. During class, we participated in mock teaching demonstrations and received constructive feedback from both our peers and the instructor on how to refine our implementation of these instructional strategies. Beyond teaching pedagogy, we also examined broader topics in higher education, such as the challenges of teaching large classes and engaging students with varying levels of prior knowledge. Overall, this course encouraged me to think critically about how to structure lessons and learning activities to best support student learning.
The final few weeks of the course were dedicated to developing our capstone project. Working with a partner from the same scientific discipline, we designed a semester-long course from the ground up. Because many astronomy programs do not offer a dedicated introductory astronomy course for first-year majors, we used this project as an opportunity to envision what such a course could look like and how it could effectively engage students early in their academic careers. My partner and I created an introductory astronomy course that emphasized hands-on learning and discussion-based activities. We developed a mock syllabus and applied backwards design to create a week-by-week course plan with clearly defined learning objectives. In addition, we designed a detailed lesson centered on a spectroscopy lab, outlining its learning goals, instructional activities, and assessments. I have chosen to highlight the final presentation from this project because it provides a concise overview of both the course we designed and the spectroscopy lesson that exemplifies our instructional approach.
ISE 870 provided a valuable opportunity to reflect on and critically examine a variety of pedagogical practices. The discussion-based format allowed me to hear diverse perspectives on teaching strategies and learn from classmates who had firsthand experience implementing them in their classrooms. More broadly, this course reinforced the importance of flexibility in my teaching approach. I have come to appreciate the need to tailor instructional methods to both the subject matter and the backgrounds and needs of my students. As an educator, I should remain open to feedback and willing to adapt my teaching practices to better support student learning.