Teaching Philosophy

My overarching goal when teaching or mentoring students is always the same: to create an environment in which each individual is able to progress as a thinker and communicator of ideas. Toward this goal, I strive to meet two principles in my teaching: to integrate research and teaching, such that students learn and practice broadly applicable cognitive skills; and to build a dynamic classroom that meets the diverse needs of all of my students.

Integrate research with teaching

All courses, but perhaps science classes in particular, run the risk of sacrificing broad conceptual development for the sake of “coverage.” In my classes, I try to avoid such pitfalls by taking a problem-based learning approach. For example, when teaching discussion sections of Drugs and the Brain, I often presented quantitative data from a research paper exploring a topic relevant to the current classwork. I would ask students to interpret both how and why the experimenters performed this experiment—what question were they trying to answer, and how do their results relate to previous knowledge? Such collaborative, problem-based learning encourages students to incorporate previously learned concepts with the analysis of new information. In addition to exercising students’ analytic skills, a problem-based approach allows me to demonstrate to my students that science is not static—new knowledge is constantly being acquired. I make a point to teach old, discarded theories and explain how and why they evolved over time. When doing this, I tell my students that they, like professional scientists, have the freedom to be wrong and that their incomplete understanding should not discourage them from asking questions and challenging assumptions. Practicing our comprehension by wading through complex problems together is often the most effective way to identify and fill gaps in our knowledge.

Build a dynamic classroom that is inclusive of all students

“Participation,” broadly defined, is a goal of nearly every class, though instructors’ visions of ideal participation vary considerably. I understand that different students thrive in a variety of learning environments, and to enhance their “buy-in” to the class, I need to structure my lessons such that they feel welcome to contribute to our learning environment. The differences in how students prefer to learn were particularly striking to me during my Freshman Writing Seminar last fall. Every three weeks or so, I asked students to fill out a brief course assessment asking what was working for them in the class and what wasn’t—do they find full-class open-ended discussions more engaging, do they like to work through arguments in small groups, or are they able to think most clearly during individual free-write sessions? I was struck by the diversity of responses, and that many students assumed what worked best for their learning applied to all their classmates as well. Given this feedback, I consciously varied the learning techniques I used and explained to students why I was doing this—to provide opportunities in which all students feel welcome to contribute to our collective learning.

The Mind: Biological and Artificial

I taught "The Mind" as a First-Year Writing Seminar in Fall 2018. This seminar allowed freshmen to develop their academic writing skills by exploring emerging ideas in both neurobiology and artificial intelligence. You can view my full syllabus here.

Course description:

When you think back to your first day of elementary school, or the day you first met your childhood pet, how accurate are your memories? Will artificially intelligent robots ever make it from the movie screen to the workplace, and if they do, just how much will they think like we do? Using popular science readings by authors like Robert Sapolsky, we will explore some of the peculiar ways in which our mind works and influences how we behave, and how scientists are using this information to build “artificial minds” in computer chips. Through writing informational and opinion pieces on topics like these, students will improve their ability to convey interesting and multifaceted ideas and develop cogent and convincing opinions in their writing.

Learning Outcomes:

By completing this course, students will demonstrate proficiency in their writing through:

Developing clear theses which can be supported by evidence.
Employing clear and concise language to convey complex ideas and arguments.
Effectively using preparatory writing strategies and editing techniques, including outlining and peer-review.
Appropriately using and citing sources.

Students will demonstratean ability to engage in scientific discourse by:

Thinking critically about challenging topics and being able to convey multiple aspects of an issue.
Distilling key points from primary literature, without being overwhelmed by detail.
Evaluating conflicting evidence and being able to determine areas of consensus and areas of active debate.

Introductory Neuroscience Course: The Brain and Behavior

I've developed "The Brain and Behavior" as an introductory neuroscience course for undergraduate biology majors following General Biology in their curriculum sequence. You can view my full syllabus here.

Course description:

Have you ever wondered how memories of your favorite childhood family vacation, or the first time you took the field at your favorite sport, seem as visceral now as if they occurred only last week? How are such memories stored in the brain? What happens in the brain when someone is suffering from depression, and how can changing the chemistry of a small percentage of brain cells help her recover? In this class, we’ll answer these questions and many more, examining the biology of the brain from its individual cells up to its coordinated circuits—and how these biological underpinnings influence behavior. More importantly, this class will teach you how to think and communicate like a scientist. We’ll learn how new tools are allowing researchers to ask more specific questions and reach more precise conclusions about the function of the brain.

Learning Outcomes:

By completing this course, students will learn to think and communicate like a scientist through:

Critically analyzing primary literature by evaluating the evidence authors use to support their conclusions.
Solving research-based problems in small groups.
Applying their knowledge of the brain and research methods to a question that interests them.

Students will become proficient in the basics of neurobiology by:

Recognizing how the biochemical properties of neurons and synapses allows information to propagate through the brain.
Extrapolating general principles of neural circuit organization from specific examples.
Recognizing how different internal and external states an organism’s physiology and behavior.

Student Evaluations

In all of my classes, I pride myself on being an engaging instructor who can adapt to the changing needs of my students. I've included some student testimonials to this effect below, and you can see a full report of my evaluations here [link once document is created].

Students' overall impressions of The Mind:

"We had homework assignments leading up to the essay that were helpful and always got a lot of feedback on our essays quickly. I like how we did different formats of learning (podcasts for homework, debates in class etc) and wrote different kinds of essays (analysis, journal article)."
"The course was really fun and informative. I think the class was great and I have no suggestions for improvements. The discussions were informative and engaging, the homework and readings assigned were appropriate. The class room dynamic was also positive."
"I loved taking this course! Ryan was an excellent teacher and really made this course super interesting and exciting. He was always well prepared for each lecture and was very organized in his lesson plans."

Students' opinions on my assessment of their writing:

"Ryan gave excellent feedback to all of my assignments and did so very quickly. I really appreciated how it was clear that he spent time reading and thinking about my essays and was able to provide great feedback."
"Ryan's comments on my essays were helpful because they were very specific. For example, if something was confusing or not well supported that would be pointed out directly in the essay. It was easy to identify why something was good or bad, and make changes accordingly in the essay."
"Mr. Post gave very extensive feedback with typically exceeded 2 paragraphs. He also commented on each part of the paper and did a great job summing up all of his feedback at the end of his notes."

Diversity and Inclusion

It's of the highest importance to me that every student in my class and working with me in lab feels welcome to participate, ask questions, and bring their personal experiences and concerns to the conversation. While I design class activities and assignments with these goals in mind, I consistently seek feedback to hear how I can make my classroom and lab environments more welcoming, inclusive spaces.

For my full diversity statement, please contact me via email.

Student-centered Teaching in Neurobiology

Overview