Years ago, during a seminar, I told a room of experienced agricultural research officers, including the Director of Research, that placing an electric fan in front of an oil palm tree could increase its growth and yield. The room fell silent. No one spoke or moved. But their stares suggested that many thought I had said something absurd. Yet my claim rests on fundamental principles of agroclimatology.*
In my classes, I use questions, thought experiments, and analogies that can sound contradictory, simplistic, or even absurd. They prompt students to look beyond the obvious answer and test their assumptions against science. This is one element of my wider teaching approach. My students use research, field observations, data, computational models, and digital tools to investigate problems, explain evidence, and defend conclusions. I study their work and use what I find to improve my teaching.
Enter Portfolio
* If your first reaction matched the research officers, read here in
Chapter 2, Section 7 to find out the answer.