Justin Revenaugh--Teaching Statement 2000-01
Associate Professor, Earth Sciences

My teaching style is ever evolving. With each new class and each new quarter, I incorporate what I've learned from past successes and mistakes, from my peers, and from the students. The overarching theme is one of cooperation and shared responsibility, of teaching and helping students to teach themselves. This begins with the drafting of the syllabus, the collection of topical real-world examples, development of Web pages, visuals, readers, etc. The goal here is to assemble a multidimensional, multimedia curriculum that can best help students develop the intellectual framework for new knowledge while they simultaneously digest that new knowledge. I approach this through the systematic progression of context, starting with analogy and metaphor to cast content in everyday terms and gradually shifting to the terms of the field. The earth sciences are rife with jargon. I work to limit the glossary, introducing only those terms that help students understand and characterize important geologic concepts.

The process continues with challenging, "real-world "problem sets featuring open-ended questions drawn from actual practice. The development of quantitative reasoning and logic skills is a major focus of my undergraduate courses (all carry the Q general education designation) and I work very hard to alleviate math phobia in all its various forms. The best methods that I've discovered are not especially profound: work with studentsÑdon't teach the material and walk awayÑand design questions that students want to answer. Having a genuine interest in the outcome emboldens students to exceed their own expectations. I work hard to develop exercises that push students and are an important part of the learning process and never solely a means of student assessment.

I sustain the process with abundant contact hours, humor, and camaraderie. Helping to tear down the veil between student and instructor, I find that in-class humor and openness make it clear that I am enjoying myself, that I'm there for the students, and that I want to interact. Students should enjoy learning and should view the instructor as an ally in the process. That's more likely when the instructor obviously enjoys teaching and is accessible, not just a conveyer of information but a colleague in the learning endeavor. I strive to be patient, to know that more isn't always better, and to adapt myself to the class and the individual students. Even in classes I have offered for ten years running, I still make the time to redesign and rewrite lectures for this year's student audience, not last year or the year before. This also keeps the material fresh for me.

I read closely the student evaluations of my courses, always looking for ways to improve my teaching. To this end, I have worked hard to incorporate additional electronic media, more student participation, and a greater diversity of presentation styles into my courses. My course Web pages are one example:
EART10: http://es.ucsc.edu/~jsr/EART10
EART111: http://es.ucsc.edu/~jsr/EART111

I have made the unusual choice of maintaining these pages on my own server. This allows me complete and unbridled access to their content and affords greater space for movies and other multimedia learning aids. I note that Mining.com (now About.com), a Web page referral service, chose the site for Earth Sciences 10, Geologic Principles, as one of two general geology reference pages.

Lastly, I try to provide multiple means and modes of student expression and assessment. For example, my large lower-division course (EART10) has group presentations that can range from slides shows to poetry; in section, we strive for open discourse rather than linear "questions and answers "format. My narrative evaluations reflect this diversity to the greatest extent possible. Each is hand written and intended to fully document student performance and provide end of quarter feedback to the student. As a member of CEP, I am taking an active role in improving and retaining narrative evaluations on this campus.