B.Sc. (Hons., Dalhousie), M.A., Ph.D. (Toronto)
I am a University Teaching Fellow in the Department of Biology, as well as a Faculty Associate (Science) for the Centre for Learning and Teaching at Dalhousie. In Biology, I usually teach in the first-year labs and help to coordinate the Introductory Biology courses. My academic background in the history of science includes work in the history of marine sciences and the history of chemistry. Since 2015, I have taught the History of the Marine Sciences (originated by Dr. Eric Mills) for King’s as a spring term course that combines seminar, lab, lecture, and workshop elements.
Many of my interests in science education relate to the roles of history and philosophy of science and technology in the education of university and secondary school science students, including topics specific to biology as well as more general topics like explanation, instrumentation, and the nature of science. I contribute to faculty professional development by presenting workshops as well as organizing two interest groups, the Biology Education Working Group and the Science Accessibility Reading Group.
Recent workshops:
“A Place for the Genuine”: A Workshop on Writing Your Teaching Statement. Half-Day workshop presented with Isabelle Aube, Nancy McAllister-Irwin, and Jennifer Van Dommelen. Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, February 2020.
I Can Explain: Strategies for Helping Students Develop Their Explanation-Building Skills. Dalhousie Conference on University Teaching and Learning, Halifax, NS, May 2019; a longer version of the workshop developed for secondary school science teachers was presented at the Atlantic Science Teachers Conference, October 2019.
Science Teaching Workshop: Making Space for Questioning. Full-day workshop presented (twice) with Anne Marie Ryan. Dalhousie University, Spring 2019
Topics in Science Teaching: Through the Visualization Lens. Studio Course for the Centre for Learning and Teaching, developed with Anne Marie Ryan and presented at Halifax and Truro campuses, Dalhousie University, Spring/Summer 2018.
Building a Toolkit for Teaching Nature of Science and Scientific Reasoning. Workshop for Atlantic Science Teachers Conference, Halifax, NS, October 2018.
