{"id":65,"date":"2016-01-27T09:50:58","date_gmt":"2016-01-27T14:50:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/test.eng.ufl.edu\/faculty-site\/?page_id=65"},"modified":"2025-04-13T10:24:45","modified_gmt":"2025-04-13T14:24:45","slug":"teaching","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/faculty.eng.ufl.edu\/catia-silva\/teaching\/","title":{"rendered":"Teaching Philosophy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n
\n
\n

Teaching Philosophy<\/h2>\n\n\n
\n
\"word
Word cloud generated from student evaluations.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

I see teaching not just as a way to deliver content, but as a chance to shape how students think\u2014which, especially in STEM, is a powerful differentiator. My goal is to help students develop both a strong theoretical foundation and the ability to apply what they\u2019ve learned to real-world challenges. In my experience, balancing convergent thinking (like analysis and self-assessment) with divergent thinking (like creativity and critical reasoning) leads to deeper understanding and more meaningful learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I strive to cultivate inquiry-driven learners<\/strong>\u2014students who are intellectually curious, adaptable, and capable of pursuing ideas with both creativity and discipline. I often use the Socratic method<\/strong> in my classroom to foster this mindset. While it\u2019s not commonly used in engineering, I\u2019ve found it incredibly effective for encouraging critical thinking, active engagement, and a deeper grasp of complex material.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
Dr. Silva teaching a hybrid lecture.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

My teaching style gives students tools they can use beyond the classroom\u2014helping them become thoughtful, flexible problem-solvers. I value curiosity, adaptability, and rigorous thinking over rote memorization<\/strong>, and I design my courses, assignments, and discussions to reflect that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also care deeply about building a learning environment that\u2019s inclusive and accessible to all students. I apply the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL)<\/strong> to ensure that every student\u2014regardless of their background or learning needs\u2014has the opportunity to succeed. From my syllabus to how I structure my Canvas pages, I intentionally create space for students to engage with material in ways that work best for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, I bring real-world tools into the classroom. I teach Git and GitHub<\/strong> as part of my curriculum\u2014not just as an afterthought\u2014because these skills are essential in today\u2019s technical fields. By using GitHub Classroom, version control becomes a hands-on, collaborative experience that mirrors industry practice and helps students build confidence and proficiency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In all of this, my focus is on preparing students not just to learn, but to think deeply, ask meaningful questions, and tackle real-world problems with clarity and creativity<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The (quantitative) teaching evaluations are public and you can find them here: https:\/\/gatorevals.aa.ufl.edu\/public-results\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n

\n

The true mark of an educated individual is not merely the possession of broad knowledge or job-specific expertise, but the ability to pursue promising ideas with creativity and discipline.<\/p>\n<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/blockquote><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":340,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"featured_post":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-65","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/faculty.eng.ufl.edu\/catia-silva\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/65","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/faculty.eng.ufl.edu\/catia-silva\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/faculty.eng.ufl.edu\/catia-silva\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/faculty.eng.ufl.edu\/catia-silva\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/340"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/faculty.eng.ufl.edu\/catia-silva\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/faculty.eng.ufl.edu\/catia-silva\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/65\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":733,"href":"https:\/\/faculty.eng.ufl.edu\/catia-silva\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/65\/revisions\/733"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/faculty.eng.ufl.edu\/catia-silva\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}