Teacher-student interaction is paramount for a successful education

I always envisioned teacher-student relationship to be more complicated than any marriage!!!!. The truth is, even though it is just a relationship built on few hours of interaction a week, it is vital and paramount to the academic process. A relationship built on mutual respect, spiced up with the care and encouragement certainly differs from forced respect relationship, or dictatorship-slaves relationship. None in this world would deny that certain lecturers or teachers are often remembered for the effect they had, sadly, some for the bad effect the had on us. Such good memories of people who influenced our lives, who changed something in us for the good, who unveil certain characteristics in us become a source of long term encouragement. And, often we unearth such memories to overcome obstacles and withstand the harsh reality. No denial then that the right relationship would pave the road for successful outcomes on both long and short term.

Usually the first few lectures are the hardest for both sides. More so at the students side, especially if suffered a  stiff lecturer, previously. Both, students and lecturer, stand at the front line, anxiously observing each other, so vigilant to reach a verdict. The very few reactions a lecturer reveal would set the stage of being a friend, indifferent, or an enemy. The smallest actions and words are being careful observed, analysed and judged, after all it can either be comforting or stressful. Given the tense beginning, patient is a high price commodity, acceptance and reaction to the other party opinion, and smiles and warmth feeling are highly required.

A peaceful friendly relationship is the key, at least that is what I found!!. I would have never imagined that students in a vertebrate biology course would fall in love with the material. Preparing for the course, I found that the course is a Shakespearean language course. From class nomenclature to families and orders. I knew early on before starting the course that I am definitely losing my students no matter how hard I try. Therefore, I used several methods to warm students up to the course, starting from movies; full lecture movies, short video clips. Odd enough, I found that mentioning something weird and bizarre in a vertebrate behavior or structure would spark their interest. One time I told them about a frog estivation to escape the simmering heat of the summer, and how native people are using such frogs as source of water. 

Field trip to Azraq wetland reserve 2015 class

  Students in Hashemite University have taught me a lot. They have lots of energy and loads of power. Students have proven to me that they are interested, engaged and eagerly craving for knowledge. To my surprise, my students are becoming teachers on social media. From videos of their work in the lab dissecting a frog and a fish, to pictures of vertebrates; members of families they have studied. Proudly, my students are being infectious, transmitting vertebrate and vertebrate knowledge to others. The same experience I had in the other course, ecology, with much enthusiasm and much energy, my students are posting videos, pictures and articles on facebook, informing and teaching their friends, families.  


There is a plethora of tools and methods to engage students, however, I found that showing a lot of interest in the science the lecturer is teaching, along with openness to criticism is just what the doctor ordered.


Early on, I thought of how a dreadful relationship may affect students, their lives and their perspectives of science in general. However, I decided keep it out of this blog, in order to keep this post positive. 

This positive relationship may benefit both, students and lecturer. As I feel energized and powered to give my best because of their interest and their enthusiasm. My motto nowadays, I can not allow myself to give less, I can not let the atmosphere around me affect my attitude and that I always have to satisfy students desire to learn more. 

This positive relationship have affect my life, my personal life at some level. My students have have surprised me one day with a gift, a small note book. What matter is not the gift as much as what is written on the first page, and the intention behind this gift. I am proud and happy that they consider me as their role model. 

To all my students who participated in this gift, and who have not, I am indebted to all of you, I am thankful to your warm feeling and respect, and I promise you as I promised myself: I will keep up what I am doing, and will for sure always look for ways to improve, considering students input. 

Teaching Ecology in Jordan

Jordan is the land of endless opportunities for ecological studies, at least that is what I believe. Jordan is known of harboring a very high biodiversity in both, fauna and flora relative to its small size. Its location, have shaped its biodiversity by having several endemic species, and many resemble either the most southerly or the most northerly distribution of the species worldwide. One reason to explain such high diversity, is that Jordan is in the middle between Asia and Africa, close to Europe. Further, Jordan have a very high geographic heterogeneity, from the lowest point on earth; the Dead Sea at -400 m below the sea level, to the Sand dune desert. That is why being I feel blessed to be in Jordan, close to such unlimited research opportunities on all level of ecological studies.

So, once I landed in Jordan, I started putting together a rough plan on how to lunch a research program in ecology. This plan aimed at furnishing a lab, attracting students, and of course securing some funding for long term research. Soon after I arrived I found that funding research in Jordan is not a big of a problem, rather it can be done easily. However, problems arose after that

First, the high biodiversity in Jordan was not paralleled with high students' interest. Along with the enthusiasm that I have for ecological research in Jordan, I had a rosy imagination on how easy it would be to recruit students for ecological research. Not until I started teaching ecology for the undergraduate level in Sep. 2015 in Jordan. First impression raised many concerns, dismay and frustration; students had zero interest in ecology. It was difficult to get students interested and engaged, so my goal shifted from teaching them the specifics to the least is having them acknowledge nature, the rights of Jordan's other inhabitants, and of course make them see representatives of Jordan's unique fauna and flora. With that I lost faith in recruiting any student....

But, not long until I realized that I was completely wrong.

It was the day that I decided to take them in walk on the mountains surroundings the campus. It was a long walk across two mountains. We crossed the first mountain, so I had to stop and ask: shall we continue? the overwhelming enthusiasm  of : SURE WE HAVE TO, shocked me. Students were never aware of this part of the campus, never knew that the university extend to such territories. It was a complete surprise to them that the university have what they have seen from birds, plants and reptiles. We crossed the second mountain, however, while we were walking my assistant spoke of a dam. At first it was very hard to convince students that a dam could exist in the university. We explained to them that it is a dam, but not like a fully functional dam they often see in movies. It is a small dam in the desert to hold some rain water for wild animals to drink, and for any livestock that would pass by the area. Seeing the dam was an intriguing idea for them, as if the dam word re-energized them. so we continued our walk, like after a full hour and half we reached the dam... and students were in denial that their university does extend this far, hold this much of biodiversity, and of course have a dam.

                                        

these two photos were for the first lab session, could not locate pictures of the second lab.

Bottom line, students interest in ecology is there, they really do love the environment, and my very first assessment was kind of wrong.
 Moral of the story: find a way to spark that interest in students, then you will be surprised.

Now I respect my students for the motivation, interest and concern about the environment.