Mr. Yearwood who was born in a little country village called Mocha-Arcadia in Guyana, graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Guyana with a major in Geography. He also received a Master of Arts degree in Urban Planning and a Ph.D. in Geography, both degrees from the University of Florida. Mr. Yearwood loves teaching and has a passion for it primarily because he enjoys interacting with people. He is excited about Geography and loves sharing ideas and concepts about this subject.
Consequently, he employs a variety of methods and techniques that make Geography exciting and interesting. One of his major goals in teaching is to get his students to think about the way they think. Therefore, teaching for Mr. Yearwood does not merely involve telling. He believes it should change someone's life in a positive way, even if it is just a minute transformation.
Q: Having taught many students with different backgrounds such as those who grew up in the Caribbean and America, what differences have you noticed in terms of the way they learn if any?
A: One fundamental difference I’ve observed is that students in America tend to be aggressive for good grades but are not necessarily willing to put in the work to acquire those good grades. It is uncommon for a student to inquire about understanding a concept or idea that was shared in class. It is very common for students to visit or contact me after exam results have been given just because they are unsatisfied with their scores. I rarely experienced this in the Caribbean.
I think an atmosphere of freedom for students to challenge grades has been cultivated in America while this is not as common in the Caribbean.
One other difference is that students in America are a lot more sensitive about the way they are treated than students in the Caribbean. An example would be in the way students’ written work are criticized and corrected. In the Caribbean, I may tell a student that an idea is incorrect and it has to be redone. I would simply draw a line in red ink through it and write my instruction in the margin next to the place where I would like it to be fixed. Many students in America would be seriously offended first by the direct command and second by the use of the red ink! I would have to rephrase my command by saying this: “You may want to change this idea.” Then I would make my written corrections in pencil.
I have discovered that when you are insensitive to American students’ feelings, it is hard for them to accept direction and learn!
Q: I went to schools in both the Caribbean and America and from a student’s perspective the biggest difference I notice was in the attitude towards learning in America, being smart was frowned upon by many of my classmates. In the Caribbean it was the opposite. Did you ever have to deal with anything like this in the classroom? If so, how did you deal with it?
A: I never quite experienced this attitude amongst students in America and the reason for that is that I teach at the college level in America. At the college level, this attitude of frowning upon doing well is generally absent.
I did teach some high school students when I lectured at Georgia State University in Atlanta. These students were in a program where they attended some classes in college while still in high school in order to receive college credits and experience college life on a small scale. I noticed that they generally performed poorly and they confessed that one of the reasons for this is that studying individually and in private was something quite new to them.
Q: What subjects are you most passionate about teaching and how can you use technology to help you in doing so?
A: That subject would be Geography but the area of Geography that I’m most passionate about is the way in which human actions greatly impact the environment and how changes in the environment force us to modify our behavior. An example would be the demand for wood and wood products and the increase in the rate of deforestation in the mountainous terrain of Nepal and how this causes an increase in flooding in the lower, less mountainous terrain in places like India and Bangladesh. The frequent flooding forces people in that region to seek ways to alleviate the problems associated with the repeated flooding. This cause, effect and solution to problems we create are the areas of Geography that excite me the most.
I use technology to enhance this sort of teaching through the use of media, interactive maps and computerized models. Before these were available, students would have to imagine what deforestation and flood events would be like. Modern technology enables students to see illustrations and images (some in real time) of events that have taken place that address this and other Geography related issues. Temporal images of forest removal are easy to obtain and students can then calculate the rate of deforestation and obtain a more comprehensive picture.
Q: In our conversations you mentioned that you’d like to focus on Earth Science for your upcoming blog on Eduporium. What role do you think technology can play in helping to get students excited about that subject?
A: Videos, especially those that have been uploaded to YouTube by forward thinking and enterprising individuals are incredibly helpful. Most students are attracted to this form of media and while not everything on YouTube is accurate and professional, there are many items there that are very useful. Furthermore, they are free and easily accessible. I use YouTube to illustrate issues related to traffic congestion, flash flooding, rip currents, volcanoes, iceberg creation, erosion, storms, etc.
Q: It seems to be every teachers challenge to inspire an appetite for learning. What methods have you used to do that and how can technology help you be more effective in meeting that challenge?
I have discovered that excitement tends to be contagious. If I am excited about what I am sharing in the classroom, students tend to be positively impacted and affected by that enthusiasm and excitement. Plus, many aspects of Geography are exciting. The violence associated with a lethally exploding volcano generally piques students’ interest. A car being pushed aside like a twig in a raging flash flood gets someone’s attention. My passion for urban issues and problems such as homelessness and traffic congestion, if shared properly, inspires students and whets their appetites for more.
I approach teaching topics in Geography like telling a story that is unfolding and building to a dramatic climax. If this is skillfully done, students will show a lot of interest. A good example will be the complexities involved in understanding the relationship between economic development and the spread of HIV/AIDS in certain areas of Africa. This issue, if done with the right technology, can make a powerful impression on students and their way of thinking about how approach their own lives in a global context.
I use whatever technology is available in order to tell the story. The technology includes satellite images, still images taken from less loftier positions (such as standing on the ground), video clips, etc. Technology enables me to tell powerful stories.