Kristen C Nelson

My goal as a teacher is to communicate a body of theory and practical knowledge to cause students to become active learners—to sit up and take notice. My classroom practice is grounded in an appreciation of the diversity of the learning processes. Each student has a different optimal learning style, and therefore each student’s approach to environmental material will be different. To respond to these differences, I create a diversity of learning modules and styles in a single classroom experience and throughout the semester. Some students approach a concept by asking, “Why is this important?” Such people-oriented learners want to know the philosophical implications of new material and how it will affect society. For these students, I may host a discussion about the sociopolitical debate over water quality regulation or begin a class by asking the students to think about values stakeholders express in extreme environmental conflicts. Other learners excel at the detailed, analytical approach to the material. They want to know, “What is this concept all about?” They feel very comfortable in a traditional science classroom; they want to define, measure and analyze data. For students who excel in this approach, I create lectures that synthesize sociocultural theory or planning field labs that produce data that will help answer a social science question.

Still, other learners want to know the practical implications of a concept. They want to see demonstrated use of the material. For these students, I incorporate role-plays and specific problem-solving exercises that use the information and concepts they have been learning in lecture and the readings. Finally, some students often focus on the future. They ask, “What next?” or “What if we did this?” They want to move beyond the immediate material and forge a new understanding. I design exercises for these students that ask them to critique and improve on our current social science or environmental policy. I ask them to use their skeptical style to help us move out of complacency toward an appreciation that all environmental issues and ideas are dynamic—open to their new observations and creativity.