Dr Katharine Dickinson - Tertiary Teaching Excellence Teaching Profile

Associate Professor, Department of Botany, University of Otago

Katharine has been teaching tertiary students for 18 years, of which the last ten have been at University of Otago. From 2000 until 2005, she directed Ecology Teaching Programme and led the re-design of the undergraduate curriculum. Now, the degree is based on a set of core team-taught courses that are research-informed with student learning building cohesively from first to third year. Kath is committed to ‘learning by doing' where students learn through their own inquiry. She works with a wide range of colleagues and is rated by her research students as an outstanding supervisor.

Beginnings

I had my eyes opened to ecology at the age of 17; you could say that I found my niche. It did not happen in the classroom, or with a trained teacher, it was outdoors in an amazing place where my fascination for the natural environment opened up. It was one of those life defining events that was not anticipated and, importantly, it was dependent on the knowledge, support and enthusiasm of a key teacher. Such teachers over the years have had a fundamental effect on my pathway through life, which I joke with students as reflecting ‘careering' rather than following a particular ‘career'. The support that I have received at crucial times, the subsequent choices I have made, and the pathways that I have followed since, have influenced my own teaching practices. These experiences, tempered with those of others' have led to reflection and a forming and re-forming of my teaching philosophy over the years. In particular, I have learned that both positive and negative experiences have been instrumental in shaping and refining my approaches. To err is human, and to learn from one's mistakes is as important, if not more so, as learning from one's successes.

A philosophy of teaching

Teaching and research are both very important to me. Each informs the other; this is what signifies a university and university teaching.

A core value is to treat each student as an individual and with respect, together with an understanding that they have a life in which study is only a part. As a teacher, I encourage them to become independent both as people and as learners, in thought and action, and to be critical and lateral thinkers. My teaching practices are also designed to maximise the chances for a student to reach their full potential. Each student is different. There is no template when someone new comes through my office door and it is important to listen, learn and be supportive of a whole range of personalities, circumstances and abilities. 

As part of the learning process, I want students to recognise quality of thought and experience, and to be constructively critical when it is absent.

"In order to be a great writer a person must have a built-in, shockproof crap detector"

Ernest Hemingway, Nobel Prize in Literature, 1954.

Hemingway's famous quote encapsulates a key dimension of what I believe an education should provide. I have learned, however, that helping students obtain such a detector requires careful teaching. I want my students to be able to recognise quality and I want them to be good at this by the time they graduate. Such an aim requires that they not only develop critical thinking in ecology but also the capacity to use this in all aspects of their lives. Importantly, this includes self-reflection and a keen understanding of their own values and judgments.

‘Learning by doing' and inquiry-based teaching

I have continued to develop and refine my approaches and challenge myself to try fresh ways of teaching to engage and motivate students. An important dimension is centred on inducting students into ecology. I want them to share my enthusiasm for the subject, to understand what it means to think and construct knowledge like an ecologist, and more broadly as a scientist and as a member of society. A key element in my teaching practice is learning through active inquiry, whereby I support and guide students in a range of teaching situations where they learn for themselves by actually doing their own research. Repeatedly, I have found that these learning environments are amongst the most engaging and productive. I want students to expand their learning by examining their thinking about ecology and botany and its application in a broad context, and I want them to learn about and appreciate wider perspectives. In my teaching therefore, I aim to link theory with practice, and in doing so I incorporate considerable professional and community experience from New Zealand and other countries where people experience very different social, cultural and economic circumstances. I especially like to help students from developing nations who are, without fail, enormously appreciative. I consider this ‘outreach' activity to be of enormous benefit, not just to the students involved but also to myself. Seeing for oneself the hardships that these students work under and their enthusiasm and thirst for knowledge is a very grounding experience.

Students as individuals and as individual learners

The teaching environment can take many forms. I have had numerous conversations in my office, and on field courses, along with a wide range of classroom teaching. I aim to be approachable and someone who students feel comfortable with.

It is important to me to get to know students as individuals as soon as I can during their tertiary studies. In large classes this can be difficult, especially when the teaching format is primarily lecturing. I therefore endeavour to find ways and means in my teaching practices to individualise student learning at the earliest stage possible. It is also one aspect of my commitment to field based student learning and the development of new ways of teaching on campus that allow and encourage the individual to emerge and develop in a supportive atmosphere. I believe it is important that students are allowed to make mistakes and learn from them, as I consider this process to be a key element in development. Creating a learning environment where making mistakes is seen as a natural part of the learning process does, however, require careful teaching so that students feel able to follow their own ideas, accept constructive criticism and feel comfortable with risk.

My role as a supervisor

Supervision of research students is one of the most challenging, as well as one of the most rewarding, of my teaching practices. When a student first approaches me to be their supervisor, I explore their interests with them. Sometimes the student is clear about the topic they would like to study, sometimes not. I work with them to explore their interests, formulating research questions and suggesting literature that is relevant for them to read. I want the student to be enthusiastic about their topic right from the start. I want them to feel that they ‘own' their research, and that it has not been prescribed for them. I want to see them fired up about their research because they want to be. If they do not feel ownership then I say to them that it will be so much harder when they are further into their studies.

I have rarely had fewer than eight research students since 1990. I respect them all, and I do my utmost to help them to develop their potential, including assisting them in finding employment. I have gone on many journeys with these students where we have explored quite different aspects of ecology. Over the years, I have approached and involved many colleagues as co-supervisors or advisors of students. This has been a very enriching experience of great benefit to myself and to the students involved, and I have always been really thankful of the willingness and support my colleagues have shown. What better way to learn about another person's field, be it entomology, geographic information systems, mathematical modelling or social entrepreneurship, than working collectively to supervise a student.

Last word

I take my teaching very seriously and I endeavour to incorporate the experience gained from my research and community involvement into my practices, so that students learn about authentic situations. Some students become professional ecologists but others follow different walks in life. It is my aim that students are given the best education I can provide for whatever they choose to do. All this does not take place in a vacuum and I am privileged to have worked and collaborated with some very talented colleagues and students, for which I am very grateful. This teaching award has served to further energise my teaching. I aim to use the funds to meet and train with other practitioners who are utilising inquiry-based and research-informed teaching practices, both in the developed and developing world. I hope to act as a conduit and therefore provide benefit to as many people as possible, not just myself.

Peer and Student Comments

"...Kath's goal is not to infuse students with ecological knowledge, but to make ecologists out of them. She therefore treats them as scientists rather than mere students of science. Many former students, who went on to postgraduate studies in ecology or careers in the field, say that they owed their start to Kath's dedication and encouragement. I can think of no better evidence of the impact that this outstanding teacher has had on her students..."

Professor Robert Poulin FRSNZ, Chair Ecology Board of Studies, Department of Zoology, University of Otago

"...When I see Kath with students or hear students talking about her, I realise that she is exceptional. I do not use that word lightly. She is the teacher that students will go to for help because they know that she will give her time and that they will receive support of the highest quality..."

Associate Professor Tony Harland, Higher Education Development Centre, University of Otago

"...Kath has always followed through from her teaching to helping me out with the obvious next step after studies i.e. getting a real job! On top of making sure that I was academically well prepared for the ‘real world', on several occasions I have been lucky enough to have Kath's help in gaining employment..."

Richard Clayton, former postgraduate student

"...Most of all, Kath has shown great pedagogic skills and a very human attitude. Her involvement with her students goes far beyond their courses of study. She was as much concerned about my well-being during my studies at the University of Otago, as with my professional success beyond my studies..."

Dr Pascale Michel, former postgraduate student

"...I would like to characterise Kath's teaching as enthusiastic, innovative, interactive and extremely student centred..."

Dr Robert Hofstede, Regional Director, IUCN - The World Conservation Union, Regional Office for South America, Quito, Ecuador

"...I'd like to acknowledge Kath's approach to teaching as a collaborative and evolving effort. Kath is always willing to discuss her teaching techniques, adjust her plans to accommodate changing situations, and debate pedagogical issues with anyone from post-grad demonstrators to award-winning full Professors. Kath's intellectual generosity with her junior colleagues is obviously inspiring, and I believe that, in addition to training excellent future scientists in her formal teaching assignments, she is also training a large number of excellent future teachers with her assistants, colleagues, and demonstrators..."

Associate Professor Dana Dudle, DePaux University, Indiana, USA

"...Kath is perhaps the most enthusiastic and committed teacher I have met in 20 years of university teaching...Kath has greatly enriched the learning experience for staff and students at the University of Otago, and I count myself fortunate indeed to have been able to work with her."

Dr Gerry Closs, Director Ecology Degree Programme & Senior Lecturer, Department of Zoology, University of Otago