General Education Featured Faculty - October

Dr. Garett Yoder

Professor of Physics  

• What General Education course(s) are you teaching? In what Element?

I teach AST 135: Introductory Astronomy. In addition, I also teach PHY 131: College Physics I regularly. These courses are in Element 4: Natural Sciences

• Why do you enjoy teaching in our General Education program?

It’s interesting to teach students outside of my discipline; to get their perspective and introduce them to the different ways we view the world in physics and astronomy.  I want them to have a positive experience in my classes, so that they know the material is not only understandable and accessible for them, but also fun and exciting.

• As a faculty member, what is your role in teaching students in General Education courses?
  I want to facilitate their learning new skills in critical thinking, evaluating new ideas, and problem-solving.  I like to do a lot of activities where they are doing the work with their peers and I am moving around the room guiding and helping work through the ideas.  I strive to be more of a coach or mentor in the classroom rather than just presenting information at the front of the classroom.

• Do you have a favorite project or assignment from one of your General Education courses?
  One of the activities I do in all my General Education classes is called The Game of Science.  The students are given a game board and a list of moves that two unseen players are making.  By watching the game being played, their task is to figure out the rules of the game.  Answering questions like:  How does play begin? What are the allowed moves?  How do we know who wins the game?  In order to figure out answers to these questions they have to make observations, develop hypotheses, and see if those hypotheses hold up after “watching” more games.

They are fun puzzles, create good interactions with their peers, and develop a practical understanding of scientific investigation.

• What recommendations do you have for faculty teaching General Education courses at EKU? 

In a General Education class, the goal is much less about mastering content and more about introducing and developing academic skill in a particular discipline.  I encourage faculty to worry less about covering content and more about the process of gaining knowledge in their discipline and developing those discipline-specific skills.  

Choose a small number of content topics and have students dig deeper, and intentionally and transparently have students investigate the process of gaining and evaluating knowledge.  Emphasizing how critical thinking skills are used in your particular discipline while having students develop an appreciation for that content and those skills are the most important goals for General Education.

Published on October 06, 2021