My current teaching role

Teaching structural geology and tectonics from First Year to Level 5 Masters, includes field geology, structural geology as seen in various environments from granulites to seismic data. Also heavily involved in outreach in a number of programs, lead teacher training and development programs for Teaching Outdoors. Am also a Senior Fellow in the Higher Education Academy

Areas of special interest/expertise

Structural Geology, Geophysics, Fieldwork, Outreach (general public), Outreach (primary and secondary schools), First year geoscience teaching, industry skills, work-integrated-learning, SoTL, Geoscience Education Research

Feel free to get in touch if you have questions on these topics!

What’s the best teaching advice anyone has ever given you?

I'm not sure anyone ever gave me any specifically ! But I did have the pleasure of watching my PhD supervisor, Vicki Hansen, in action, and wanting to be like her!

What do you enjoy most about your teaching role?

These breakthrough moments, where someone gets it

What advice would you give someone starting out in geoscience teaching?

Passion is contagious, use it liberally!

What is the greatest challenge to increasing the reach of geoscience education?

Social media echo chambers - so many people now believe that geoscience as a whole is "bad" and are not open to any other opinion on the matter

Which wins for you? Rock, mineral, fossil, structure?

All of the above!

My current teaching role

Lecturer in Geology/Earth and Environmental Science - I teach second and third year igneous and metamorphic petrology, natural hazards, and part of the honours in geoscience program

Areas of special interest/expertise

Petrography, Geochemistry, Outreach (primary and secondary schools), Geoscience Education Research

Feel free to get in touch if you have questions on these topics!

What’s the best teaching advice anyone has ever given you?

Do not necessarily try and make big sweeping changes to your classes when you first start teaching. Do what feels comfortable and small incremental changes can be easier and often work better while you find your feet at the beginning

What do you enjoy most about your teaching role?

I most enjoy practical classes where I can interact with the students and samples in a more hands on setting

What advice would you give someone starting out in geoscience teaching?

Build your network both in your institution and externally of peers and mentors that can support you when needed in the future. Many of us are experiencing or have gone through similar challenges and you will find some great advice and tips out there

What is the greatest challenge to increasing the reach of geoscience education?

Enhanced geoscience education in secondary schools, and the awareness and understanding of geoscience by the general public, especially with respect to the role that geoscience has in current challenges such as climate change and green technologies

Which wins for you? Rock, mineral, fossil, structure?

Rock!

My current teaching role

Lecturer in Earth Science - I coordinate a first year geology unit at UNE (GEOL120, Dynamic Earth) and our second year palaeontology unit (GEOL202, Introductory Palaeontology)

Areas of expertise/special interest

Palaeontology, Sedimentology/Stratigraphy, Fieldwork, Outreach (general public), First year geoscience teaching, The Cambrian explosion of life, carbonate sedimentology, chronostratigraphy and timescale development

Feel free to get in touch if you have questions on these topics!

What’s the best teaching advice anyone has ever given you?

Relax! You know more than them! (This is a bit tongue-in-cheek, but I have a tendency to get a bit anxious and overthink things and sometimes this helps)

What do you enjoy most about your teaching role?

I love seeing the lightbulbs go off and the pennies drop! I love teaching students about how the Earth works. To be able to facilitate challenges and then seeing their success is fantastic

What advice would you give someone starting out in geoscience teaching?

Draw on your own experiences - as a researcher (integrate your research into your teaching, it means you come across as excited and enthusiastic about the subject matter), but also as a former student. My memories of what it was like learning geoscience as an undergrad have really helped to shape my teaching style.

What is the greatest challenge to increasing the reach of geoscience education?

The a priori assumption that geology is simply about mining and is therefore a synonym for environmental damage and climate change needs to be actively dismantled. I think geoscience needs a kind of "rebranding" that portrays it as an extraordinarily diverse discipline essential for a sustainable future. Playing to such altruistic motivations has been shown to ring true with minorities and people from diverse backgrounds (over economic benefits for example) and is likely to translate to increased participation from such groups who are currently underrepresented in the geosciences

Which wins for you? Rock, mineral, fossil, structure?

Fossil!

My current teaching role

Lead Educator - Senior Secondary Engagement

Areas of special interest/expertise

Palaeontology, Outreach (primary and secondary schools), Outreach (general public)

Feel free to get in touch if you have questions on these topics!

What’s the best teaching advice anyone has ever given you?

The examples of passionate instructors and active learning have provided me with invaluable unspoken advice. Having students DO something rather than describing it to them is key.

What do you enjoy most about your teaching role?

Travelling to schools across NSW, getting students excited about geoscience and its relevance to their lives/future

What advice would you give someone starting out in geoscience teaching?

Involve students in active learning and don't be afraid to show your nerdy passions

What is the greatest challenge to increasing the reach of geoscience education?

The lack of knowledge and outdated conceptions held by premary/secondary teachers are a significant barrier. The general public is informed by boring experiences at school and negative media coverage. Students are not encouraged to consider geosciences as a field of study. We need to change the narrative from the beginning and nurture the interest of rock-collecting children

Which wins for you? Rock, mineral, fossil, structure?

Fossil!

My current teaching role

I teach 2nd and 3rd year Science Communication and 2nd and 3rd year Astrobiology. I am also the Deputy Director and Co-Founder of Praxical, where we build curriculum-aligned data driven workshops with practical approaches.

Areas of special interest/expertise

Geochemistry, Palaeontology, Field work, Virtual field work, Assessment, Outreach (general public, primary and secondary schools), SoTL, Geoscience Education Research, Astrobiology

Feel free to get in touch if you have questions on these topics!

What’s the best teaching advice anyone has ever given you?

That you can't always measure a student's interest and engagement by their body language and participation in the classroom. Students express themselves in a lot of different ways

What do you enjoy most about your teaching role?

I enjoy working with students to help them develop life-long learning skills and have critical thinking skills in a world where there is an increasing amount of information, but not all of it is reliable

What advice would you give someone starting out in geoscience teaching?

Build a supportive network and write reflexively about your teaching practices, knowing why you are doing things and how effective they are is essential

What is the greatest challenge to increasing the reach of geoscience education?

Accessibility is a big problem. There are a lot of people who still believe that the only way to be a good geoscientist is to have extensive field experience, but there are a lot of people interested in geoscience who aren't interested/able to have field experience. I think we need to explore ways of creating equitable field knowledge

Which wins for you? Rock, mineral, fossil, structure?

Fossil!

My current teaching role

Unit coordinator of two 3rd year units: Hydrogeology & Engineering Geology and Environmental Geoscience

What’s the best teaching advice anyone has ever given you?

The motto that 'teaching is when learning takes place' is my gold standard. Whatever you do or deem as teaching, if your students don't learn (you find out soon enough), then you may as well ditch it as a time-waster - for everyone including yourself

What do you enjoy most about your teaching role?

Sharing the passion for knowledge; interacting with the next generation of geos

What advice would you give someone starting out in geoscience teaching?

Be genuine and authentic when teaching (don't fake it); spread your enthusiasm for the subject matter

What is the greatest challenge to increasing the reach of geoscience education?

Decoupling it from the mining boom and sector. It is ok to look for an attractive salary but like every other profession your heart should be in it, not primarily economic considerations when entering this field

Which wins for you? Rock, mineral, fossil, structure?

Mineral!

My current teaching role

I teach second and third year structural geology, tectonics and geodynamics, plus a bit of metamorphic geology and a couple of field trips (when restrictions permit!), I also lecture in our first year subject, Understanding Planet Earth

What’s the best teaching advice anyone has ever given you?

Sadly, I’ve received little helpful teaching advice from others over my career. I really dislike hearing people tell me to minimise teaching effort and teaching time. Students are the future of our disciplines and deserve our full attention and effort

What do you enjoy most about your teaching role?

Watching the students process their knowledge and problem solve to discover new things themselves!

What advice would you give someone starting out in geoscience teaching?

Think about your approach, don’t be constrained by how you were taught, or how you think your teaching should be.. Instead, be yourself and be creative! Seek out a teaching mentor (get in touch with the AUGEN TEAM!) Join AUGEN and develop your geoscience teaching network

What is the greatest challenge to increasing the reach of geoscience education?

Exposure to earth science in upper primary and secondary school. The media narrative around earth science is also really tough to change. Earth science is an essential ingredient in navigating the many challenges we face as a modern society, such as sustainability, climate change and the energy crisis.

Which wins for you? Rock, mineral, fossil, structure?

Structure! Although a metamorphic rock or a deformed fossil are also good things!

My current teaching role

First year geology

What’s the best teaching advice anyone has ever given you?

If lead enthusiastically, students will follow a teacher anywhere!

What do you enjoy most about your teaching role?

Light bulb moments are so rewarding. I also love field-based teaching.

What advice would you give someone starting out in geoscience teaching?

Prepare your unit early because students love an organised unit where they know exactly what they have to do and when. One thing I struggled with early on was expecting that I should get all students over the line to pass my units. It took me a few years to realise that is not our job. Students have to take responsibility for their own learning and if they put in adequate effort, they will pass based on their own initiative.

What is the greatest challenge to increasing the reach of geoscience education?

Exposure to geoscience through school years. Parental influences around what makes for a good career.

Which wins for you? Rock, mineral, fossil, structure?

Structure!

My current teaching role

Senior Lecturer

Areas of expertise/special interest

Petrography, Geochemistry, Field Work, Assessment, Outreach (general public), Outreach (primary and secondary), First year geoscience teaching, Industry skills, Work-integrated-learning, SoTL, Geoscience Education Research

What’s the best teaching advice anyone has ever given you?

That students are the greatest legacy of any academic

What do you enjoy most about your teaching role?

I really enjoy the autonomy that university teaching provides. The freedom to create and redesign how you present skills, assessments and content in a subject always gives you the opportunity to experiment and learn interesting new things.

What advice would you give someone starting out in geoscience teaching?

Be careful how much you take on when you are starting out, because teaching can absorb an infinite amount of time (and this is even more true for designing online learning experiences)

What is the greatest challenge to increasing the reach of geoscience education?

I think that as a community we have to help overturn the public's perception that geoscience education solely leads to careers in resource extraction. As geoscientists, we know that developing a strong foundation in understanding the processes which shape our planet provides scope for a diverse array of career pathways. From my experience with public outreach, I've noticed that by high school, many students have already developed a negative attitude and narrow view towards geoscience career pathways. More research is needed to address why these negative attitudes are widespread: are they inherited from their families' opinions, from stereotypes portrayed in movies, online, or in the media, or their first-hand experience with - or perhaps lack of exposure to - geoscience in school curricula.

Which wins for you? Rock, mineral, fossil, structure?

Mineral!

My current teaching role

Astronomy and Physics

Areas of special interest/expertise

Petrography, Field work, Assessment, First year geoscience teaching, Industry skills, Outreach (primary and secondary schools), Work-Integrated-Learning, SoTL (Scholarship of Teaching and Learning), Geoscience Education Research

Feel free to get in touch if you have questions on these topics!

What’s the best teaching advice anyone has ever given you?

How we teach now is influenced by how we were taught growing up. Some of those pedagogies are effective, and some of them are not.

What do you enjoy most about your teaching role?

Developing mentoring relationships with students and helping them develop into conscientious scientists

What advice would you give someone starting out in geoscience teaching?

Read 'How People Learn - Brain, Mind, Experience, and School' and build a community of geo teachers who can discuss practices together

What is the greatest challenge to increasing the reach of geoscience education?

The socio-political landscape tarnishes the geosciences with a mining-only and exploitative reputation. Economic geology is only one part of what we do

Which wins for you? Rock, mineral, fossil, structure?

Rock!

My current teaching role

Course coordinator for introductory geology, environmental geoscience and field geology courses

Areas of special interest/expertise

Petrography, Geochemistry, Environmental Geoscience, Virtual field work, Outreach (general public)

Feel free to get in touch if you have questions on these topics!

What’s the best teaching advice anyone has ever given you?

Don't underestimate the positive impact you can have on your students. Sometimes it's really hard to see whether you are making any difference at all, but every now and then you will have a reminder of something you have said or an opportunity you have created that made a real impact. Try to always leave this positive impression on all that you teach.

What do you enjoy most about your teaching role?

Opening students' eyes to the world of geology they never knew existed! It's always so rewarding to see their thinking and level of interest mature over the course of a semester or a year of study, to the point where they can never look at the world around them in quite the same way again.

What advice would you give someone starting out in geoscience teaching?

Take advantage of the fact that you are on the same wavelength as the students, likely having been one yourself not that long ago. Being able to empathise with their situation and the challenges they face will make you a very effective, responsive and approachable teacher.

What is the greatest challenge to increasing the reach of geoscience education?

Changing the perception of who a geoscientist is what they contribute to society. We come in a huge diversity of shapes and sizes, and inform the science, policy and basic operation of so many different parts of daily life. We need more people who deeply understand the complexity of the Earth System, and that starts with building a positive identity for geoscientists from a very early age.

Which wins for you? Rock, mineral, fossil, structure?

Mineral!

My current teaching role

Academic Head

Areas of special interest/expertise

Palaeontology, Sedimentology/Stratigraphy, Field work, Outreach (general public)

Feel free to get in touch if you have questions on these topics!

What’s the best teaching advice anyone has ever given you?

Share your passion for geology with your students

What do you enjoy most about your teaching role?

Interacting with students who are excited about geology and keen to learn

What advice would you give someone starting out in geoscience teaching?

Be enthusiastic and really get to know your students

What is the greatest challenge to increasing the reach of geoscience education?

The lack of Earth Science teaching after grade 8 in most areas of Australia

Which wins for you? Rock, mineral, fossil, structure?

Fossil!

My current teaching role

3rd year Economic Geology

Areas of special interest/expertise

Petrography, Geochemistry, Field work, Outreach (general public, primary and secondary schools), First-year geoscience teaching

Feel free to get in touch if you have questions on these topics!

What’s the best teaching advice anyone has ever given you?

Throw your notes out

What do you enjoy most about your teaching role?

The students

What advice would you give someone starting out in geoscience teaching?

Teach what you are interested in

What is the greatest challenge to increasing the reach of geoscience education?

Poor teaching in High School/College - Makes it hard to win them back

Which wins for you? Rock, mineral, fossil, structure?

Mineral!

My current teaching role

I’m a senior lecturer and coordinator two units, second-year Earth Materials and third-year Earth’s Mineral Resources. I am also the major coordinator for Earth Science

Areas of special interest/expertise

My overarching interest is to make mineral exploration more efficient and sustainable. By applying my expertise in volcanology/petrology and economic geology, most of my research contributes to a better understanding of volcanoes and volcanic terranes and where mineralisation, usually diamonds, Au, Cu or Ni, may be concentrated

Feel free to get in touch if you have questions on these topics!

What’s the best teaching advice anyone has ever given you?

Don’t be scared to innovate your teaching

What do you enjoy most about your teaching role?

Being able to witness students succeed, which includes penny-drop moments in the classroom or field, to seeing graduates thriving in their chosen profession many years later

What advice would you give someone starting out in geoscience teaching?

Be passionate about the subject and treat students individually

What is the greatest challenge to increasing the reach of geoscience education?

Educating the general public, especially high school students, on how mining is not going to stop, and that future geoscience graduates will play an essential role in finding more sustainable and greener solutions for mineral extraction. I also think we do a poor job highlighting career opportunities not in mining to potential geoscience students

Which wins for you? Rock, mineral, fossil, structure?

Rock, hands down!