Dr. Sisneros-Kidd's Teaching Philosophy and Experience
My Experience
Collegiate
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In my position at University of Wyoming I teach several undergraduate courses in the Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Management Program:
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ORTM 3050 - Operations, Management, and Environmental Stewardship
ORTM 4970 - Internship
ORTM 4901 - Human Dimensions of ORTM
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I also have developed and taught the following graduate level courses:
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ENR 4890/5890 - Diversity and Systemic Racism in the Environment and Society
ENR 5100 - Foundations of ENRS
As a postdoctoral teaching fellow and throughout my career as a graduate student at Utah State University, I taught the following undergraduate level courses:
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Recreation Resource Management Courses:
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ENVS 3300* (Fall 2016-2018) - Fundamentals of Recreation Resource Management
*Taught using IVC distance broadcast format blended with an on-site classroom
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Parks and Recreation Courses:
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PRP 2500 (Fall 2015, Spring 2016) - Outdoor Recreation Management
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I've also served as Teaching Assistant for the following courses, where, in addition to grading, I led student field experiences, and taught several lectures each semester:
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ENVS 4600 (Fall 2017) - Natural Resource Interpretation
ENVS 3300 (Fall 2014) - Fundamentals of Recreation Resource Management
ENVS 4000 (Fall 2013) - Human Dimensions of Natural Resource Management
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Middle School and High School Science
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Before pursuing my Ph.D., I taught middle and high school science in Northern Illinois and Southeastern Wisconsin for five years (2008-2013). I hold a M.Ed. in Teaching and Learning, but definitely learned more about teaching in those five years than any Master's Degree could teach me! In addition to teaching, I helped develop curriculum for the middle school I worked at in Racine, WI, and for a summer enrichment program I also taught at in Racine, WI. My time working in secondary education provided me with the base of teaching skills and philosophy that have helped me successfully transition to teaching at the post-secondary level, and solidified my love of both teaching and learning!
My Philosophy
Meaningful learning is often as much a result of personal connection between a student and instructor as it is thoughtful content development and delivery. Creating a safe and open space for learning is one way I work to connect with my students. In my classroom, I encourage students to express their thoughts and opinions openly and respectfully. I understand and appreciate that my students come from a variety of economic, ethnic, religious, and experiential backgrounds, and work to model this respect in my interactions with my students. To meet the different learning needs of my students, I try to offer as much variety as possible, both in how I present material and assess student learning. I utilize lecture, small group activities and discussion, large group discussion, and field-based learning to engage students with course material. Students are presented course material in a variety of audio-visual formats, including PowerPoint lectures, video and audio clips relevant to recreation resource management, popular and scientific readings, and case study scenarios. Student learning is assessed via low-stakes “quizzes” on reading material, field activities, reflection papers, exams, and collaborative projects. I also allow students flexibility in choosing topics of interest to them in many assignments.
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Throughout the courses I teach, I challenge students to think critically about both existing knowledge and sources of new information. Students today are inundated with an incredible amount of information on a daily basis. Through activities and assignments I encourage students to carefully consider sources of information that they receive and to actively seek out multiple viewpoints on a topic. Being able to navigate the plethora of information and misinformation available is critical to developing and communicating an informed opinion about a topic. Finally, because many of my students hope to work in recreation management, including working for a public land management agency such as the USDA Forest Service, I try to provide my students opportunities to apply and refine practical skills, from working with management frameworks, to collaboratively working as part of a management team. In the field of natural resources, collaborative, hands-on learning that takes place in the field as well as the classroom is especially important, as this type of learning simulates situations that students will experience “on the job” as natural resource professionals. It is my goal that these skills will serve them throughout their lives, in whatever career or line of work they choose.
