Brian K Law, Ph.D.

Courses Taught

Teaching Philosophy

TEACHING PHILOSOPHY STATEMENT Brian K. Law, Ph.D. A mind is a fire to be kindled, not a vessel to be filled. -Plutarch The purpose of a science course is to teach fundamental scientific principles and to bring the student to the realization that the application of basic scientific principles, when used according to the scientific method, allows the scientist to investigate any research problem in a logical and productive manner. The responsibilities of the teacher are several-fold. The teacher should present the empirical data that led to the formulation of individual principles so that the student realizes that scientific laws are not abstract principles, but rather have their basis in the very properties of nature itself. Once the student has grasped the fundamental principles, the teacher must demonstrate how these ideas can be used to pose and answer new and significant questions using the scientific method. As a teacher I use all the tools at my disposal to insure that each student has every opportunity to develop a strong foundation in scientific knowledge and its applications to allow the student to achieve his or her career goals. Lectures will be designed using a large number of examples and demonstrations such that the students themselves will come to the same conclusions reached by the great scientists of the past. Laboratory classes will be used to reinforce the lectures, as well as to give the students exposure to the science and the art of experimental design. I will hold flexible office hours so that students will be able to ask any questions or address any concerns. Office hours and “help sessions” will also allow me to determine which material proves particularly difficult to the students and should be covered more thoroughly in the lecture and laboratory classes. Students in graduate, undergraduate, and professional courses will be thoroughly exposed to the current literature in order to develop critical thinking skills. Critical thinking skills will be developed by critiquing journal articles in terms of (1) the significance or relevance of the scientific question addressed in the article, (2) the appropriateness of the experimental methods and controls used by the authors, (3) whether or not the experimental results obtained support the conclusions reached by the authors, and (4) whether alternate conclusions could be reached from the same experimental results. Since communication skills are critical to the success of future scientists, learners will be asked to present journal articles or solve problems in a team-based format in front of their peers and be critiqued by their peers. These experiences will demonstrate to the student in a dramatic way what makes up an effective presentation and how they can improve their communication and critical thinking skills. As a teacher at UF I have had the opportunity to instruct and guide a wide array of learners including medical students, dental students, graduate (Ph.D. and M.S.) students, and undergraduate research volunteers. If am familiar with multiple teaching modalities including didactic lecturing, flipped-classroom, and team-based learning approaches. I feel that these experiences have given me a wide array of educational skills that can be brought to bear in the classroom.

Areas of Interest

• Cancer
• Cell Cycle Regulation
• Drug discovery

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