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Faculty Sponsor Numbers (CRN's) |
Faculty Interviews |
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Interview with Al WiedemannRecent Teaching History Recent and Current Areas of Interest The subject areas I am interested in include plant ecology,
taxonomy, and general botanical science. My research concerns
the history and vegetation of coastal dunes. I am also interested
in "colonizers of disturbed ground," plants that
grow along roadsides, in vacant lots, factories and railways.
As a sideline, I am interested in folk dance, and have done
research on rare forms of dance from Scandinavian countries.
Are there particular authors/artists/thinkers whose work you interested and which you often ask students to examine? The works of Joseph Campbell; Charles Darwin’s Voyage
of the Beagle; Wallace’s The Malay Archipelago; the writings
of Paul Shepard; Robert Cushman Murphy’s Logbook for
Grace; the writings of Rexford Daubenmire on plant ecology.
Are there specific areas of interest or issues you want to work with students on in the current year? I will consider contracts that show evidence of a well defined
interest and clear learning objectives. I prefer working with
more advanced students. I am particularly interested in questions
that explore distribution of species around Thurston County
and that category of plants that are "colonizers of disturbed
ground." Specific Skills, Competence, Techniques: The definition and analysis of plant communities. Plant taxonomy.
Natural history. I can also teach a wide variety of folk dances
with an emphasis on Nordic ethnic dance. What are key qualities you look for in student work? What techniques do you use to assess their work? How do you help students assess their work? I look to see how the student’s work is progressing
in relationship to what they intended to do, whether they
are applying themselves to what they wanted to learn and making
progress in that progression. What impresses me are indications
that they are progressing in their work and are excited about
it. The techniques I use to assess their work depend on what
they do. I expect them to demonstrate skills through final
reports, or whatever it is that reflects the work and how
close they’ve come to achieving learning objectives.
I’m interested in how resourceful they’ve been.
Teaching Style: A guide and a resource. I lecture, but only when it is the
most efficient way to convey information. I organize much
lab and field work of the sort that encourages students to
find out answers to their own questions. What types of students tend to do well with you? Those students who do well with me are self-motivated and
have a focus—they know what they want to do. They should
come with some purpose and be able to take responsibility
for their learning. What types of students have a hard time with you? Ones that need a lot of support and a lot of direction. There
are some that want more contact time than I’m capable
of giving. Other students who have a hard time with me are
those who are vague on what they want to do, or are doing
contracts because they can’t find anything else to do.
What do your student evaluations say about the way you come across to students? They say they must find their own answers, but that I’m responsive and always willing to talk with them. Expectations about Contracts, Internships, and Evaluations
I prefer to work with advanced students who have a good sense
of what they want to learn. They can say, "In doing this
contract I want to learn the following in these ways."
What information do you want to see when a person comes to look for a contract? A statement of what they want to learn and ideas they have on how they are going to achieve this learning. If it’s all put together, that’s fine. If they want help in structure, I can help with that too. I am flexible, but the student must have clear learning objectives.
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