• Teaching Experience

    My first teaching experience was during my undergraduate studies in Physics at Ataturk University. I was tutoring high school students in Physics and Math for the university entrance exam. My first in-classroom teaching experience started in 2013 at the University of Iowa. Over the years, I taught various laboratory courses, and run discussions and tutorials. I have also volunteered and tutored in the QuarkNet project that involves high school students in experimental high-energy physics projects. When high school interns visit our PMT test station at the UI in the summer, I mentor and encourage them to define the research problem and set goals for reaching the solutions.

    Before I teach, I review the physical concepts multiple times, locate areas where I believe students will have issues and write up the material I will present to insure that. By doing this, I ensure that I can present the material in the best possible way. I have incorporated multimedia tools and technological applications such as simulations and games in the classroom to enhance student learning and address specific learning goals. I make my schedule flexible to help students as needed but I try to avoid making them dependent upon it. My students describe me as respectful, entertaining, energetic, flexible, open to questions and easy to talk to and easy to go to for help. Such positive feedback in the instructor evaluation questionnaires inspires me to continue teaching physics.

    Teaching Experience at the University of Iowa

    I have been teaching undergraduate labs, grading and holding discussions for the courses below since 2013:

    • College Physics II: Experiments in Electricity, Magnetism & Light
    • Introductory Physics II: Experiments in Electricity, Magnetism & Light
    • Basic Physics: Experiments in Mechanics, Electricity, Atomic & Nuclear P.
    • Physics IV: Experiments in Special Relativity and Quantum Physics
  • Teaching Strategies

    My experiences in teaching over the years have definitely broadened my understanding of how an effective and efficient instructor should be. These experiences showed me that everybody has a different way of learning and understanding of a subject. As an instructor, my teaching philosophy centers on the teaching techniques below. With these techniques, my goals are to improve student skills such as critical thinking and problem solving skills, technical skills, collaborative skills, and scientific communication skills.

    • Development: I develop courses for learners based on the needs and skills of the students not on the content.
    • Environment: I usually have an interactive and exploratory learning environment, which motivate students to try out and explore different skills and strategies.
    • Demonstration: I know that learning physical concepts is not an easy job. So, the intermittent demonstrations are the rest hubs in my courses. These breaks let students take a breath and visualize those physical concepts in daily life.
    • Collaboration: Collaborative work and discussions are an important part of my classes since they urge students to absorb the knowledge by working through the problems themselves.

    In closing, learning and teaching are essential aspects of my daily life. I believe that teaching keeps my brain active and improves me as a lifelong learner. I am a true believer that efforts of science teachers result in profound impacts and generate great value both for the individual and society.
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