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Sarah Schoonraad is a fourth year PhD student studying Materials Science and Engineering. Her research focuses on tissue engineering with an aim to develop materials that can be incorporated into the human body to replace tissue that has been damaged and promote regeneration. Sarah was recently awarded a Teaching Excellence Award based on her teaching philosophy and dedication to her students. We asked Sarah a few questions to learn more about her as a teacher and get to know her better. Read more below!

What is your favorite part about teaching?

Helping students discover their ability to work through and understand content that they felt was out of their reach.

Please tell us a little bit about your pedagogical philosophy.

There are 3 philosophies that guide my work with students:

1. It is a process of learning not knowing - students enter the classroom not to prove that they already know the material, but to be given the opportunity to learn it. This means that none of the content should be taken for granted and an environment that invites and supports questions should be fostered.
2. Students are whole people and not simply brains to be filled - I picture my students walking into the classroom carrying huge bags on their shoulders. These bags, stuffed with unique lives, go everywhere with them. So often we are told to shut off the outside world and learn. There is a need for students to focus, but there is also a need to recognize that your student is not just depositing their brains into the seats, they are bringing in their whole person and that should affect the ways that we choose to teach.
3.  Students are active participants and not just observers - students should not be talked at, but engaged with and given the opportunity to participate in their learning and the development of their knowledge/understanding.

Do you have any recommendations for continuing or increasing student advocacy and engagement?

It is incredibly important to get to know your students as people and not just names on a roster. This allows for a capacity to differentiate instruction and position yourself as an accessible resource. I think when students recognize that they are being taught by someone who sees them, it provides a pathway for them to reach out when they need help and for the instructor to identify needs. I think it is important to note that much of this advocacy and ability for authentic engagement is best developed in a smaller classroom setting.

Do you have a favorite teaching resource you would like to share with other graduate teachers?

My favorite resource is actually YouTube.  I have been able to use it as a means to create video tutorials for my students in general and organic chemistry.  It's easy to start a channel and seems to go a long way in helping students in their studies.

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Tell us a fun fact about you that is not related to your teaching and research.

I took a long gap between my undergraduate and graduate degrees (nine years!) and I have two elementary aged kids.