Dr. Laurence Coogan
Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences
2010-2011 Faculty of Sciences Teaching Excellence Award
1. Laurence, what do you like about teaching at UVic?
Seeing students "get it." This occurs most in my experience with field schools where students can draw on the concepts they have learned about in the classroom and use them to figure out for themselves how our planet works.
2. Who or what inspires your teaching (past/present)?
Trying to do a better job of helping students learn about our planet and think critically.
3. What is your favorite teaching tip?
"Learning is not a spectator sport" - i.e., students need to work with the material and not simply be told about it.
4. What is your philosophy towards teaching?
To try to help students to "think like scientists."
5. When you design a course/teach a class, what are the main goals you have for your students?
This varies with the course, but in general, the main goal would be for the students to learn how to apply a few key concepts to understand a broad range of processes.
6. What do you take away from the students you teach?
Firstly, I understand the material I've been teaching much better after teaching it than before. Also, I better understand which aspects I don't understand well. More rewarding, though, is when I've helped someone "get it".
Skip to Content
