I teach in order to pass along the knowledge and skills that are necessary to succeed not only in the classroom but also outside of the four walls that comprise it. As the field of biology is so large and constantly expanding, it is my job to guide students throughout the mountains of information. As such, I see my role as a teacher like that of a tour guide. I try to boil down the entire field of biology and select topics that are required for a basic understanding of biology, as well as topics that are of particular interest to students. I developed a passion for biology while in high school because of an excellent teacher who displayed a contagious passion for teaching science. It is my goal as a teacher to display an equally contagious passion that I can pass on to my students and inspire them.
At the beginning of each semester, students fill out notecards with some basic information such as their major, why they are taking the class, and what is one topic that they are interested in covering during the semester. I use this information to help structure my presentations. If I am covering a topic that is of interest to students, I will try and spend more time on those subjects and present real world information to connect it all back together. This method allows for me to emphasize topics that I know students are interested in as well as to develop strategies and methods to cover topics that might not be as interesting to students.
I think that developing ways to make students interested in topics that do not already have a strong interest in is the great challenge to teaching. In my experience teaching, I have found that students do not like covering complex topics such as photosynthesis. When covering topics such as this, I encourage students to come up with real world examples of the topic, and I assist students who have difficulty connecting things for themselves. In the case of photosynthesis, I point out that it is essential for plants to function and that we rely on healthy plants to provide us with nutrients that are essential to our good health.
I believe that students beginning to grasp concepts when they can explain the topics to other students. Because of this, I provide numerous opportunities in class for students to work in small groups to complete exercises. These exercises allow for students to work with each other. I have found that when students are working together to achieve a common goal, they become more invested in the outcome. They are then more connected to the project, and are able to learn more than they would be able to from just a lecture. Another purpose of small group activities is that it allows students to get to know each other inside of the classroom, which allows students to build their network of contacts, not only in their fields of study, but also in other fields that they never have thought about.
As I am still early in my teaching career, I am still working on many different aspects of my teaching style. I am currently teaching students who are non-biology majors. As these students are only in the class to fulfill a requirement for their degree, it offers me the opportunity to develop my teaching skills in areas such as making the class enjoyable and engaging for them. As they are non-majors, they do not always find the same interest in topics that majors would, but they still have interests. I have taken it upon myself to foster their sparks of interest and fan them in flames of passion so that they will seek further knowledge and information not only of the field of biology, but in all aspects of life.
At the beginning of each semester, students fill out notecards with some basic information such as their major, why they are taking the class, and what is one topic that they are interested in covering during the semester. I use this information to help structure my presentations. If I am covering a topic that is of interest to students, I will try and spend more time on those subjects and present real world information to connect it all back together. This method allows for me to emphasize topics that I know students are interested in as well as to develop strategies and methods to cover topics that might not be as interesting to students.
I think that developing ways to make students interested in topics that do not already have a strong interest in is the great challenge to teaching. In my experience teaching, I have found that students do not like covering complex topics such as photosynthesis. When covering topics such as this, I encourage students to come up with real world examples of the topic, and I assist students who have difficulty connecting things for themselves. In the case of photosynthesis, I point out that it is essential for plants to function and that we rely on healthy plants to provide us with nutrients that are essential to our good health.
I believe that students beginning to grasp concepts when they can explain the topics to other students. Because of this, I provide numerous opportunities in class for students to work in small groups to complete exercises. These exercises allow for students to work with each other. I have found that when students are working together to achieve a common goal, they become more invested in the outcome. They are then more connected to the project, and are able to learn more than they would be able to from just a lecture. Another purpose of small group activities is that it allows students to get to know each other inside of the classroom, which allows students to build their network of contacts, not only in their fields of study, but also in other fields that they never have thought about.
As I am still early in my teaching career, I am still working on many different aspects of my teaching style. I am currently teaching students who are non-biology majors. As these students are only in the class to fulfill a requirement for their degree, it offers me the opportunity to develop my teaching skills in areas such as making the class enjoyable and engaging for them. As they are non-majors, they do not always find the same interest in topics that majors would, but they still have interests. I have taken it upon myself to foster their sparks of interest and fan them in flames of passion so that they will seek further knowledge and information not only of the field of biology, but in all aspects of life.