Teaching is something that has always felt quite natural to me. My love for teaching began before I recognized it for what it is. As an instructor in anatomy instructor, I have felt that teaching not only allows me to help students learn the content, but also to help them learn how to learn anatomy and interconnect topics as we move through various body systems. Looking back, there are many people who inspired the way that I teach. I know that as I continue these experiences, I will continue to adopt techniques and remove tendencies that will further improve myself as an instructor. 

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In my own teaching, I aim to help my students develop skills that can be used both within and beyond the context of the course. I believe that a comprehensive understanding of anatomy is absolutely imperative for any medical profession. If one does not understand normative anatomy and its nuances, then one cannot understand pathology or clinical applications within the human body. To facilitate this, I use a student-centered learning approach. I believe that a collaborative and problem-based approach incredibly useful. I find that this empowers students to take responsibility for their own learning and not simply memorize the content, but rather critically consider the concepts presented and develop the skills necessary to communicate their ideas. For instance, I frequently use clinical case studies to facilitate my lessons and provide contextual relevance. I hope for my students to appreciate the interrelation of anatomical structures and systems, and to be able to use their knowledge to infer unknown structures.
 

Though helping my students learn content is a dominant goal in my teaching, I also strive to spark a genuine interest in the intricacies and complexities of the human body. In these contexts, I often apply active learning strategies and encourage students to explore and discover answers for themselves. Rather than simply giving students the answer, I prefer to provide resources to help them understand. I encourage my students to participate even if they are not self-assured in their understanding. I aim to promote a comfortable environment that fosters a sense of confidence, allowing for students to learn in a low-risk context where they can be comfortable with being wrong. For instance, I prefer laboratory sessions to not be graded, allowing students to make mistakes and learn from them without consequence. 

 

As an instructor, I aim to always be available for my students if needed. I actively encourage emails with any questions or concerns and urge my students to approach me if they may be struggling. In return, I trust that my students will be comfortable approaching me with any apprehensions they may have. In the past, I have supplemented this with weekly office hours, review sessions, and provision of additional materials to help with learning.

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I constantly work to improve my abilities as an instructor. I found many of my decisions and teaching techniques in the feedback I receive from my students, as they ultimately know which strategies are effective for them; doing so allows me to tailor my teaching to each group I work with.  Since beginning my graduate career, I have created a standardized feedback form for my students, however I also group feedback by class, as some strategies may work best for one class and not another. I also include a “Stop-Start-Continue” feedback survey at the end of all my lessons to permit continuous feedback and subsequently, continuous improvement in my teaching. I prefer my assessments to reflect the critical thinking and application I use in my teaching, utilizing cadavers and clinical cases to determine understanding rather than memorization of facts.

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Ultimately, if my students enjoy their learning experience while being challenged and developing an understanding and appreciation for human anatomy, then I consider myself successful as an instructor.

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