Publication Date
9-14-2026
Digital Publisher
Digital Commons at St. Mary's University
Description
As I reflect upon my journey as an educator, I recognize it has been shaped, in large part, by my own foundational roots in the Catholic Liberal Arts tradition. As I prepare for another academic year, I find myself, once again, considering how my pedagogical practice can better meet my students “where they are” in my General Biology for Majors I and II courses. Since that “place” is shaped by a student’s prior experiences, both in and out of the classroom, I also recognize that “place” is unique for each student. This is precisely why each term pushes me to listen and to be creative in ways that allow me to accompany my students in these first steps in their undergraduate journey, in their chosen discipline, and in their development as scientists and, most importantly, as persons. Rather than ask students to apply Bernard Lonergan’s Transcendental Method to a specific assignment or course activity, my goal is to have them engage in this method as they iteratively explore perhaps the most pivotal and unifying concept in biology: evolution. Along the way, I hope that students will become more self-directed and reflective learners, driven by their curiosity and their desire to make sense of the living world and their place in it.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Collection
San Jose - Lonergan Chair in Catholic Philosophy
Format
docx
Medium
Manuscript
Size
6 pages
City
San Antonio, Texas
Document Type
Article
Included in
Evolution Commons, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Commons, Science and Mathematics Education Commons