It started as an undergraduate when my philosophy and history classes made me question all of my most sacred beliefs, and my research project addicted me to discovery. Learning, and how we learn became my central calling in life. The result is an interest in learning how best to teach, and my ethics fellowship project at the Institute for Ethics in Public Life exploring how discovery links all aspects of what a university is about. I am currently working on a manuscript for a teaching journal about the central theme of my project and have draft of a book on the subject that I hope to find a publisher for.
The concept of evolution is challenging to teach for several reasons. I solved one of these problems by explaining how to create analogies for deep time in terms of human experience of distances. It is explained in my paper and on a website constructed with Rich Edwards. Unfortunately, the web based program is no longer being maintained but the method can still be used. The other problem that I hope to work on in the future is to understand how the interaction of student and instructor beliefs can be accounted for in how evolution is taught. Ethically, the integrity of both the student and instructor must be respected. For me this means an accommodationist approach is the only right option..
My most influential teacher pointed out that achievement is all about contribution and I have aplied that priniciple to teaching. My goal is move students from being the receivers of knowledge to public authorities (teachers). To teach that responsiblity while developing the necesary skills I have used group work (students teachign students) and public service writing in the form of blogs (Bio 380) or Wikipedia article editing (Bio 401 and 490). Click here for a full video presentation on my experience editing for Wikipedia.
Parker, J.D. 2017. “Rediscovering the “higher” in higher education with a Wikipedia writing assignment” WikiEdu.org Invited guest blogger.
Parker, J. D. 2011. Using Google Earth to Teach the Magnitude of Deep Time. Journal of College Science Teaching 40(5):23-27.
(Editor's Choice, A destination in time. 2011 Science. 332, p. 1360.)
Parker, J. D. 2009. Going to the Zoo! The Centre for Bioscience Bulletin, Published by the HEA, Spring 2009, 26:12
Parker, J. D., R.E. Ziemba, S. Helms Cahan, and S.W. Rissing 2004. A hypothesis driven molecular phylogenetics exercise for college biology students. Biomedical and Molecular Biology Education 32:108-114.