Kiflai Bein - Teaching

Philosophy of Teaching I am a life-long learner with interests in teaching and research in the life sciences/biomedical sciences. My interests have been influenced by my desire to understand the molecular basis of the biological processes that characterize the diversity and unity of living things, and I find it most rewarding to share this desire and curiosity with those who are interested in biological sciences. In a teaching environment, students will come to my class with their own backgrounds, motivations, and goals. In life sciences, these goals are to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms that underlie the biological processes that distinguish living from non-living things, such as cell proliferation, growth, differentiation and motility. My responsibility, as a teacher in a classroom setting, is to present the fundamental biological concepts in the context of their significance to biological systems in various simple and complex organisms. To get students engaged, my presentations will be complemented by periodic student assignments and group discussions. In a laboratory setting or as an advisor on a research project, the approach is more focused. Laboratory sessions and research projects in biology provide students with the opportunity to seek answers to specific questions. My role is to help students develop their abilities of asking clear questions, formulating plausible hypotheses, designing logical work plan, executing experiments, and drawing meaningful conclusions and generalizations based on the data generated. My overall guiding principle in teaching is to help students realize how relevant the study of biology is to our lives and thereby motivate them to be engaged in the pursuit of knowledge in the biological sciences. One way to achieve this goal is to highlight the impact of biology on health, agriculture, ecology, etc. Courses Taught Years Course Position 2010 EOH 2310 Molecular Fundamentals Mentor 1989 Biochemistry Case Study Problem Solving Sessions (Year I Medical Students) Tutorial Coordinator 1986 - 1988 Immunology/Microbiology Laboratory Sessions (Year I Medical Students) Laboratory Instructor 1981 - 1983 Year I Biology Laboratory Sessions Year IV Parasitoloty Laboratory Sessions Laboratory Instructor   The Biology of the Malarial Lecturer 1984-1985 Parasite (Year IV) Parasitology (Year IV) Lecturer 1983-1984 Invertebrate Zoology (Year II) Lecturer 1980-1981 Principles of Biology (Year I) Mammalian Physiology (Year IV) Lecturer   Year I & II Biology Laboratory Sessions Laboratory Instructor