All too often, biology is taught as a discipline that requires the endless memorization of facts without allowing students to ask or think about how and why these facts came about. My main goal as an educator is to teach students how to think by giving them hands-on research experiences through inquiry-based teaching. Although facts can be forgotten, higher order thinking is an enduring skill students can use for the rest of their lives
North Central College
Authentic Research in the Classroom
Students are often more engaged in the classroom, exhibit a deeper understanding of biological concepts, and recall information for long periods of time when they explore biology through research experiences. These experiences foster a sense of belonging in the scientific community, which can be lacking for both minority, female, and first-generation students.
BIOL325 Plant Interactions in a Changing World
I proposed and developed this brand new course to North Central's curriculum in fall 2019 to teach both the principles of plant ecology and how they apply in today's world of constant change and introductions. Students in this course developed authentic research projects on the role of common mycorrhizal networks utilizing the methods in Weremijewicz and Janos 2019. Because CMNs are largely understudied, the possibilities for questions are endless with this topic. This course has been taught one time and it resulted in some interesting results on CMNs and water relations, so this group of students is working to publish that in the near future.
BIOL450 Environmental Ecology Capstone
As a capstone, students are asked to synthesize their entire understanding of biology thus far in this course while also learning advanced ecological concepts. In the lab component, students conduct authentic research on a glycoprotein produced by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi called glomalin. Students can ask a variety of questions with this project about the presence and quantity of glomalin under different conditions.
I proposed and developed this brand new course to North Central's curriculum in fall 2019 to teach both the principles of plant ecology and how they apply in today's world of constant change and introductions. Students in this course developed authentic research projects on the role of common mycorrhizal networks utilizing the methods in Weremijewicz and Janos 2019. Because CMNs are largely understudied, the possibilities for questions are endless with this topic. This course has been taught one time and it resulted in some interesting results on CMNs and water relations, so this group of students is working to publish that in the near future.
BIOL450 Environmental Ecology Capstone
As a capstone, students are asked to synthesize their entire understanding of biology thus far in this course while also learning advanced ecological concepts. In the lab component, students conduct authentic research on a glycoprotein produced by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi called glomalin. Students can ask a variety of questions with this project about the presence and quantity of glomalin under different conditions.
Activity-based workshop-style courses
Undergraduate laboratory experiences in the classroom lie along a continuum from prescribed, “cook-book” type exercises with a low level of inquiry to authentic research that gives students much freedom. In introductory-level workshop style courses, I use guided inquiry, a level of inquiry that provides structure and ample guidance, but provides students some freedom in their experiments. In these courses, lab and lecture are tied together within the four-hour time frame each week. This allows us to first learn a concept and immediately afterwards get hands-on with the idea.
BIOL106 Introduction to Environmental Science
The majority of students take this course to fulfill a general education requirement or, if they are environmental studies majors, take the course as an introduction to science. Because of this population, my most important goal in this course is to teach students how to think scientifically and discern science from pseudoscience. Students are first introduced to the differences between science and pseudoscience by reading and discussing a chapter from Carl Sagan's A Demon Haunted World. Through numerous, guided activities, students learn about the different parts of the scientific method and scientific writing. Ultimately, they synthesize this knowledge into one of two larger guided inquiry projects on either soil salinization in a greenhouse study or biodiversity of the campus prairie (depending on the semester and season).
BIOL195 Investigating Biology
With a group effort from the Department of Biology, the introductory biology course at NC is a research course focused on the presence of West Nile virus (WNV) in DuPage County. Students learn cutting edge, real-world techniques such as Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assays (ELISA) and Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) that are highly applicable today in understanding how scientists test for COVID-19. In order to fully understand the WNV cycle and testing, students are introduced to foundational knowledge in biology such as DNA replication, transcription, translation, the cell, and some ecology as well.
The majority of students take this course to fulfill a general education requirement or, if they are environmental studies majors, take the course as an introduction to science. Because of this population, my most important goal in this course is to teach students how to think scientifically and discern science from pseudoscience. Students are first introduced to the differences between science and pseudoscience by reading and discussing a chapter from Carl Sagan's A Demon Haunted World. Through numerous, guided activities, students learn about the different parts of the scientific method and scientific writing. Ultimately, they synthesize this knowledge into one of two larger guided inquiry projects on either soil salinization in a greenhouse study or biodiversity of the campus prairie (depending on the semester and season).
BIOL195 Investigating Biology
With a group effort from the Department of Biology, the introductory biology course at NC is a research course focused on the presence of West Nile virus (WNV) in DuPage County. Students learn cutting edge, real-world techniques such as Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assays (ELISA) and Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) that are highly applicable today in understanding how scientists test for COVID-19. In order to fully understand the WNV cycle and testing, students are introduced to foundational knowledge in biology such as DNA replication, transcription, translation, the cell, and some ecology as well.
Flipped Classrooms
The global pandemic COVID-19 brought serious challenges to education and research in 2020 and 2021. Because workshop-style courses had to be split for social distancing reasons, both BIOL106 and BIOl195 were split-flipped- with pre-recorded lectures online and an entirely activity based lecture time. Almost all class time was allocated to activities and experiments, while foundational knowledge acquired through reading and lectures was revisited via practice problems and open-book unit reviews.
Miami
Miami-Dade College - HHMI Authentic Research Labs
During my time as a post-doctoral associate with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) program at the University of Miami, I worked with Miami-Dade College faculty in transitioning laboratory exercises that were more similar to "paint-by-numbers" into inquiry-based exercises or entirely authentic research experiences. I worked with UM graduate students that were teaching assistants in these classrooms and met regularly with faculty to address challenges and needs. The data collection I organized, executed, and pre-liminarily analyzed found improved scores on the CURE (Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience) survey compared to students in traditional labs.
University of Miami- HHMI Authentic Research Labs
Although most research experiences occur outside of the classroom, I have witnessed first-hand how first-year college students can master complicated topics through independent investigations in the HHMI-support UMARL labs. Our findings are published in Indorf, Weremijewicz, 2019 (see Research). With a professor, graduate teaching assistant, and undergraduate teaching assistant guiding students through the process of hypothesis testing, students ultimately contributed some knowledge to the professor's research agenda while learning to use real-world tools and methods.
University of Miami- General Biology Lab
The Department of Biology at the University of Miami recently made the transition into inquiry based labs taught at the introductory level. As a TA, I taught students about the process of the scientific method by guiding students through two major projects per a semester. Students read peer-reviewed literature, formed hypotheses based on this background knowledge, and designed and carried out experiments in groups of 4 or 5. After data collecting, I taught students the power of statistics in analyzing their data and students gave both PowerPoint presentations and poster presentations to their peers about their group experiments.
|
Science Made Sensible- Richmond Heights Middle School
During the 2011-2012 school year, I worked as a resident scientist with Tamara Monroe at Richmond Heights Middle school teaching 7th grade, 8th grade, and Earth Space Science. Below is an essay a student wrote explaining how having a resident scientist in the classroom has made science more sensible for him:
Hello, my name is Dimitri. Today I’m going to explain to you the work of my two of my teachers, Mrs. Monroe and Ms. W. They have the capability to make learning easier and more understandable because we do hands on experiments in class. They taught me things I did not know, like about the periodic table and atoms. I learned atoms by building my own element with Ms. W.
The science classes I took in Haiti were mostly biology and physics, but Ms. W and Mrs. Monroe taught me more science such as chemistry, space, oceans and tides. Because of them, I passed science class. Not only do they help us learn, they prepare us to become scientists or good citizens for tomorrow. I not only learned science, I learned to have trust and to be honest. I thank God I’m still alive to see all those beautiful things they teach us about science. When I was coming to the school from Haiti, I knew my life would be difficult. But I learned from Ms. W and Mrs. Monroe that everywhere you go, you have someone to help you. That’s why Ms. W and Mrs. Monroe are my favorite teachers.
Hello, my name is Dimitri. Today I’m going to explain to you the work of my two of my teachers, Mrs. Monroe and Ms. W. They have the capability to make learning easier and more understandable because we do hands on experiments in class. They taught me things I did not know, like about the periodic table and atoms. I learned atoms by building my own element with Ms. W.
The science classes I took in Haiti were mostly biology and physics, but Ms. W and Mrs. Monroe taught me more science such as chemistry, space, oceans and tides. Because of them, I passed science class. Not only do they help us learn, they prepare us to become scientists or good citizens for tomorrow. I not only learned science, I learned to have trust and to be honest. I thank God I’m still alive to see all those beautiful things they teach us about science. When I was coming to the school from Haiti, I knew my life would be difficult. But I learned from Ms. W and Mrs. Monroe that everywhere you go, you have someone to help you. That’s why Ms. W and Mrs. Monroe are my favorite teachers.
Science Made Sensible - Carol City Middle School
During the 2012-2013 school year, I worked with Mrs. Kehelli Jackson at Carol City Middle School as a resident scientist teaching 7th grade science. Below is a winning essay by one of my students on how having a resident scientist in the classroom helped make science made sensible to her.
I know my school is not very rich or fortunate, because many people are not willing to cooperate at this school. But I am thankful for the things I do have at this school. I am mostly thankful for Ms. W. Before Ms. W. came to my class, I had a “D” average, because I didn’t like science at all and I couldn’t understand it. Now that Ms. W. came to my school, I got a “A to B” average, because now I don’t only understand science, I LOVE science. I love science now because of Ms. W. She not only teaches an help me she encourage me to do better. Ms. W. is one of my role models I really look up to her, she is a inspiration to me. Ms. W. makes learning fun. |
South Africa
Teaching phases of the moon in South Africa
In August 2011, I was given the opportunity to conduct research and teach in South Africa through an international supplement provided for the University of Miami's Science Made Sensible program (National Science Foundation GK-12 Fellowship). For one week, the program gathered soil samples at Kruger National Park for analysis of microbiota. For two weeks, we worked as resident scientists at Zakhele Primiary School in Mamelodi South Afrida. Using limited resources, my US teacher and I developed inquiry based labs and taught about my research on common mycorrhizal networks to 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th grade science.
Although I had witnessed domestic poverty in the past, my experience in South Africa gave me a rude awakening concerning poverty abroad. Children were HIV positive, slept on dirt floors in shacks, and dealt with daily issues like prostitution and alcoholism. It was obvious school was an escape from these problems, and they showed their avidity through the bright smiles on their faces during labs. Despite school being an escape from serious issues, it did not provide an escape from poverty. The school was in desperate need of basic science resources like books. I spent my time working with the science teachers, Mama Busi and Sonto, to teach them how to conduct inquiry-based labs with everyday items. Rather than lecturing about scientific concepts, they could teach students by giving them the opportunity to form a hypothesis and test it on their own with some guidance. For example, they could use plastic water bottles and food coloring to teach about changes in density with changes in temperature. The lack of resources challenged me to be inventive, a trait I have truly come to appreciate in the sciences. The responses of the South African students to science instilled a fire in me to continue in science education. One student’s words continue to inspire me, “Now I want to be a scientist. I want to discover more about the world.”
Although I had witnessed domestic poverty in the past, my experience in South Africa gave me a rude awakening concerning poverty abroad. Children were HIV positive, slept on dirt floors in shacks, and dealt with daily issues like prostitution and alcoholism. It was obvious school was an escape from these problems, and they showed their avidity through the bright smiles on their faces during labs. Despite school being an escape from serious issues, it did not provide an escape from poverty. The school was in desperate need of basic science resources like books. I spent my time working with the science teachers, Mama Busi and Sonto, to teach them how to conduct inquiry-based labs with everyday items. Rather than lecturing about scientific concepts, they could teach students by giving them the opportunity to form a hypothesis and test it on their own with some guidance. For example, they could use plastic water bottles and food coloring to teach about changes in density with changes in temperature. The lack of resources challenged me to be inventive, a trait I have truly come to appreciate in the sciences. The responses of the South African students to science instilled a fire in me to continue in science education. One student’s words continue to inspire me, “Now I want to be a scientist. I want to discover more about the world.”