While Prepping for Bio Lab

This spring, while just taking my drawing I course and finishing up my masters, I am taking a Practicum in Lab Teaching course. This is really cool; this course allows students to assist in a Biology Lab. Essentially, we are not TA's, but we are assisting the TA's. However, my situation is a little bit different. Since I am a grad student and already have teaching experience, the professor paired me with the actual professor of LIFE 1020 (Biology for Elementary Ed. Majors). So I am not just an assistant, but sort of the TA - but I do not hold office hours (only if I want to - which I am on a case by case basis) and do not have to grade (which is great!). My professor is really awesome - she is super positive, flexible, and really communicative on what she wants with her class. She is also really open to to me chiming in during class, adding my own little tid-bits, and eventually, going to allow me to teach and lead a lecture/lab. Very cool.

This course is pretty great and flexible - I can basically make it the experience I want. I have a different, more intimidate participation and involvement with my chose course than the other lab assistants. I am attending both the lecture and lab - which is great. I can get to know my students more and it's also a great opportunity to review myself with Biology (since I haven't taken a Bio class since 2006/2007. But as I look at this teaching opportunity, I get to observe my professor teach and how it affects my students' understanding and interest in the class. Also, since I am assisting, my professor and I totally bounce ideas back and forth on how to engage the students, make it more interactive and hands-on, and I'm allowed to put my thoughts and ideas on the table (which, she has used in some of the classes so far)! Also, there are plenty of opportunities to go outside and I am able to use my outdoor ed/interpretive skills too! So, I am getting a lot of review, implementation, collaboration, more teaching experience, and experience in a FORMAL classroom all at the same time. Plus, a mentor - my professor is just great talking to about teaching, the university in general, the Post-Bac program (which I am interested in doing - eventually), and being a great friend. I am so grateful and pleased with this course and the connections I am making through it. Besides the great relationship and experience I am having actually in the lab/lecture, the assistants and I all meet with our actual Practicum's professor for reflection and discussion on inquiry and other various classroom management and instructional strategy topics. It's a little review, but its great for reflection about the lab and our own teaching.

Something is Too Big For It's Shell
It's Shed Time!

I should be documenting more of my involvement, but I really haven't. I've been so focused on the class, I forget to take photos. But...Friday afternoon after my WITS recruitment event, I had a weekly meeting with my professor to go over next week's lab. This lab is talking about animal diversity and we are focusing on invertebrates...which means an opportunity for live animal specimens! Boom...and guess what we're working with - Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches! I feel like I am back at Ashland Nature Center! It was super awesome checking out all live and dead specimens in the lab. I even got to do a Handling Tutorial with my professor - since she is not keen on holding these 'creepy-crawlies.'  Felt great!

But to the right, is a photo of one that we discovered was shedding! How freaking awesome is that?!? Enjoy!

TheChristyBel