Ben's Teaching Portfolio
Welcome to my portfolio website! I am an educator, field naturalist, and program builder working at the intersection of systems thinking, ecological literacy, and secondary education. For twenty years, I have taught life sciences and environmental systems through inquiry-driven, field-based curricula that emphasize relationships - between organisms and landscapes, theory and practice, and students and the places they learn from.
My teaching is grounded in the study of living systems: how complexity emerges, how feedback shapes outcomes, and how resilience is cultivated over time. Whether in the classroom or in the field, I aim to help students develop the habits of attention, critical thinking, and care necessary to understand and be responsible members of our ecological community.
This site offers a window into my teaching practice. It is intended for schools, institutions, and collaborators interested in rigorous, humane, place-based education.
Inside my Classroom
Here is a sample of the student-centered, inquiry based methods that I use in my teaching practice
The Agroecology Research Center
The Agroecology Research Center (ARC) is a school farm and ecological research site that I founded and have directed for over a decade. It serves as a living classroom where students engage in hands-on learning through sustainable agriculture, ecological research, and land stewardship.
Experiential Learning
Experiential learning is the thread that connects my work across wilderness trips, service-learning expeditions, climate advocacy, and ecological restoration. By engaging students directly in complex social and ecological systems, these experiences move learning beyond abstraction and into practice. Whether in wild landscapes or human communities, students learn through responsibility, reflection, and meaningful participation in the world around them.
Evaluation and Feedback
Feedback is a central part of my ongoing development as an educator. Whether reflected in student performance data, formal evaluations, or informal letters, feedback informs an adaptive and iterative teaching practice. Together, these perspectives shape how I refine instruction, respond to student needs, and continually improve the learning experience.
