Michael C. Holcomb

Adaptable Teaching

Good teaching is an intricate art which requires devotion and the willingness to be critical of oneself. There is no easy, simplistic formula for effective teaching. Flexibility in teaching strategies is essential for success as an educator; the approach that works well for an instructor in one setting may easily become disastrous in another. For this reason, an instructor must be open to changing their approach, both reactively and proactively, to ensure they excel under whatever circumstances are presented to them. For example, an instructor's approach to an upper-level physics course does, and undoubtedly should, differ greatly from their approach to a freshman seminar. An effective instructor must be able to assess the needs of their students in various scenarios and deliver solutions that work in each instance.

My teaching strategy is very flexible and adaptive, readily allowing for adjustments while retaining the integrity of a high standard. For traditional lectures, I prepare detailed lecture notes that are tailored to the general audience taking the course; however, I vary my delivery depending on each class' particular dynamic. This variance could simply be a shifting of factoid focus to emphasize field-specific relevance or a more substantial adjustment to the prominence of certain topics. Every class is different. I tend to prefer giving a few more complex example problems per chapter, but sometimes a class will have a better grasp of the material if I give them several simple example problems instead. I have high expectations for my students, but also help support them in meeting those expectations by working closely with them to help them gain mastery of the subject matter.

Student Centered Mentorship

A large part of my strategy centers on the removal of artificial academic formalities that can and do create barriers to learning. For example, I exercise as close to an open-door policy as I can and do my best to create a trusting environment in which my students feel that they can come to me with questions or concerns. Students seeking my help are never turned away and I encourage them to pose well considered, relevant questions. I tailor my explanations to each individual student and endeavor to be there as a knowledgeable helping hand rather than a judge that they need to impress. My particular style of teaching was inspired by the faculty and staff of Austin College. The atmosphere they created was extremely beneficial to my development, and I owe who I am as an instructor largely to the hands-on mentoring I experienced as an undergraduate student.

I seek to foster a similar environment for my students where they feel that I am working with them rather than against them, a quality often noted by students in my teaching evaluations. This includes encouraging my students to be the driving force behind their own academic and personal developments. Students need to be active participants in their education. I encourage this through high expectations, guided explorations of their understanding, and my own willingness to be both a mentor and a teacher. There are many facets to being a mentor; however, one thing that has a profound effect is helping a student fundamentally reexamine how they view graded work. Reviewing graded work by looking for one's mistakes rather than looking for what the instructor took off is a huge paradigm shift for many students, but it is also a huge step towards viewing instructors as guides to a wealth of knowledge rather than gatekeepers of a good grade.

Continued Development

Education is inherently a collaborative effort and I have found that there is much that can be gained by working with other educators as a team. This can come in the form of coordinating while teaching parallel sections or discussing ways to improve student engagement at a brown bag lunch, but the key component is being open to learning from each other’s experiences. When I first started lecturing I had the good fortune of teaching in parallel to a senior faculty member who was willing to take me under his wing. We would meet weekly to touch base on how much material we each had covered and discuss how things were going. I learned a lot from him; however, the thing that impacted me the most was that this experienced educator was open and able to learn things from me as well.

I am confident in instructing a classroom; however, I recognize that I will always be learning and endeavor to keep myself open to further development. In an effort to ensure continued refinement, I welcome student comments and solicit peer critiques. It is very important to me that my students finish out the course with an appreciation for the subject matter and a sense of satisfaction towards their experience. The mentality and backgrounds of students change yearly, and there is a continual emergence of new teaching methods and technologies to implement in the class room. The continued improvement of my proficiency as an educator is the only way that I can ensure I reach and motivate my students as I would like to. In the end, my goal is to see students leave my classroom with the knowledge, confidence, and critical thinking ability that will help them reach their goals.