I approach teaching and mentoring with three main principles.
[1] Learn to Fail: Every individual must be given a chance to fail. By learning how to overcome your failures, you can develop behaviors and mental strength that lead to future success. Generating a collaborative, fun, and encouraging working space is critical for building the confidence that is required to learn from failures.
[2] Individualized Training: Teaching must be individualized to meet the needs of each student. Everyone in a class or lab starts with different levels of knowledge. In order to advance the unique skill sets and potential of each student, the instructor must tailor the lessons so that everyone can be caught up to speed and achieve a complete understanding.
[3] Foster Independence: Teachers must mentor to foster independence. Everyone should be able to voice their own independent scientific questions. This requires facilitating the development of confidence and proficiency in science communication.
1st year graduate student at UCONN