“Pedagogy does not only apply to teaching; instead I think of it as a way to communicate information in a way that people will learn. In that way, I am interested in learning skills that will help me communicate my research and its importance. I think I can use some of the techniques I’ve learned to help people to understand what I’m talking about.”
“I actually knew a quite a bit more than I originally thought…I am more confident in what I’ve learned.”
“I’ve been ‘lucky’ enough to live with the idea of impostor syndrome for a few years now… [But] the majority of this partnership has been me being the ‘expert.'”
“Knowing how to give a presentation is one thing, but it does not really teach you how to have a conversation. The back and forth of [teaching] … [is] making your mind more agile by doing backflips on the spot, [and] coming up with questions.”
“I feel that now I have a solid foundation for my teaching, and if a class or other teaching responsibility were thrown at me, I would have the starting ideas and resources to rise to the responsibility.”
“Working with the teachers was great, because I enjoyed explaining to them how science works. When they started to understand what I was saying they started asking more questions and they eventually felt so comfortable with the subject…I now appreciate the gap we have in school when it comes to science education. We do not have enough teachers who are comfortable explaining basic concepts, and people like us need to step in and fill that void.”
“I now truly have a greater respect for elementary teachers, and I can say with confidence now that they must be paid more money!”