Teaching

Courses

Experience

In the Spring semesters of 2004 and 2005 I taught the course of "Atmospheric Dynamics I" at the University of Miami. We followed Holton's book: Introduction to Dynamic Meteorology. We basically covered the first four chapters of Holton. We also went through the fourth chapter of K.J Devlin's book: The Millennium Problems: The Seven Greatest Unsolved Mathematical Puzzles of Our Time for a very readable exposition of the Navier-Stokes equations.

I was a TA for Introduction to Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for the Spring and Fall semesters of 2002. My responsibilities included leading a discussion session once a week in a group of 25-30 students. In the classroom, I taught new material and I oversaw the successful completion of active learning activities. I also compiled homework and in-class exercises, advised students, and wrote a part of the class notes.

In the Spring 2002 semester, the course was taught with the idea of active learning at its core. We had one to two active learning activities every week. On the day of the week that I taught the class, the emphasis was on the activity. In the Fall of 2002, the class shifted its focus toward more quantitative instruction. We used simple java applications designed to expose the students to basic meteorological principles. The hands-on activities that we did in class ranged from contouring to identification of fronts, and from growing corn (!) to jet-stream dynamics.

Training

I went through a rigorous orientation program for teaching assistants after I came to the University of Wyoming, in the summer of 1995. During this program, I was introduced to the American higher educational system. I also wrote sample teaching material (exercises, tests, quizzes, etc.). Finally, I was videotaped during a micro-teaching session. I also attended the orientation program for TA's at the University of Illinois.

One of the most beneficial trainings that I had, was the course I took at my department: Teaching in Atmospheric Sciences. In this course, we explored various teaching techniques, with particular emphasis on active learning. During the course, I compiled my teaching portfolio, complete with a teaching philosophy statement, sample syllabus for a new class, sample course material (quizzes, homeworks, tests, etc.) and a videotape of a micro-teaching session.

Teaching Philosophy

I firmly believe that to be a good teacher one should:

• Have a thorough knowledge of the subject area.
  You cannot teach something that you have not spent a lot of time studying. An extensive knowledge of atmospheric science enables one to make connections between seemingly diverse concepts and present them to the students.

• Make the subject interesting for students.
  You must engage your students in the teaching subject. The best way to do so is to communicate your love for your science. True enthusiasm can keep the students interested and involved.

• Be well-prepared.
  Clearly stating the course objectives in the syllabus is essential. Lectures should also be prepared with clarity and transparent structure. Nevertheless, a good teacher should be flexible enough to entertain ideas or questions which arise during the course of the class.

• Make the classroom a friendly, non-threatening learning environment.
  The teacher should make it clear form the first day that asking questions is not only welcome, but also necessary to the learning process. For real learning to occur, a friendly, non-threatening classroom is the ideal environment. A supportive learning environment is one where office visits are encouraged, and a personal relationship is attempted with every student.

• Make learning an active experience.
  Students need to be active participants in the learning process. Discovery type problems are an effective means toward active learning. In class discussions and question-answer sessions should also be encouraged.