Awards and Recognition
Graduate Teaching Assistant Awards
2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003
2006-2007 GTA Winners
Teaching Philosphies
Michael Napolitano
January 2007
In my roles as teaching assistant and head TA for CHM 2045L, I interact with both my graduate-student peers and my undergraduate students and must tailor my approach accordingly. Therefore, my philosophies of both constant adaptation and independent learning must be balanced with diplomacy and authority in an effort to effectively communicate with these varying audiences. That is, when working with two very different levels of students, one must be mindful of the necessary change in delivery method and be flexible enough to ensure successful education for everyone involved.
As such, when speaking to graduate students, my teaching style must adapt to this peer group with a forgiving and diplomatic spirit to avoid condescension. Yet, I always try to instill in them, via exemplary action, the same philosophy of adaptation and independent learning which I believe is so crucial to the learning experience. More importantly, though, my opportunity to work with many freshman undergraduate students offers the opportunity to shape the development of their college career. Therefore, my teaching philosophy is one that upholds the flexibility necessary for effective communication to a varied audience.
In the capacity as a teaching assistant for CHM 2045L, not only do I have the opportunity to demonstrate to freshman students the connection between lecture and laboratory, but there often lies the opportunity to shape their scholarly development as they become accustomed to the demands of college-level work. In this role, a more authoritative, yet nurturing, approach must sometimes be adopted to ease their transition from the close supervision of secondary school to the independent nature of college. I strive to build up their confidence by allowing them to follow their natural inquisitiveness and attempt different paths for an experiment, regardless of whether I know that the outcome will be futile. The result they obtain is subordinate to the satisfaction they gain by their independent learning. It is the fulfillment of helping these students to succeed both in chemistry lab and in college that has motivated me to stay with this course for so long.
