All I know so far is that this fall I will be the TA for two lab sections of BIOL 110: Basic Concepts and Biodiversity (see main "Teaching" page if you want to read the course description). Well, that’s not all I know. Not long ago, the PSU Biology program created a requirement to take two semesters of a teaching course before the grad students are allowed to TA. BIOL 598A is offered every fall for grad students, and I would describe it as a class-and-teachers environment in which the four instructors gave various lessons and advice on how to be a better biology teacher. Two of the instructors are undergraduate professors that each educate hundreds of students every year, and the other two instructors were graduate students with an avid interest in science education. The differing perspectives and readings we were exposed to during this course were eye opening and enlightening, and I am ecstatic that science education is becoming a more widely discussed topic, especially in the US.
The second half of the course, BIOL 598B, is offered in the spring semesters and is more of an observation and discussion format. The grad students sit in on TA meetings of some of the standard Biology courses as well as actual lab sessions where we were able to observe the teaching styles of other grad students. We practiced grading exercises, reviews of the TAs we watched, and then gave a short “lesson” for the instructors to grade our performance and overall teaching capabilities. This course was particularly fun as it was a bit more hands-on and I was able to participate with the other four members of my cohort (who are all awesome!).
I know BIOL 598 has prepped me well for what is to come this semester, and I cannot wait to get started! I’m hoping the TAs will meet as a group soon and figure out scheduling and office hours everything. I’ll let y’all know more when I do. Oh, and if anyone has any early advice, feel free to leave a comment!
The second half of the course, BIOL 598B, is offered in the spring semesters and is more of an observation and discussion format. The grad students sit in on TA meetings of some of the standard Biology courses as well as actual lab sessions where we were able to observe the teaching styles of other grad students. We practiced grading exercises, reviews of the TAs we watched, and then gave a short “lesson” for the instructors to grade our performance and overall teaching capabilities. This course was particularly fun as it was a bit more hands-on and I was able to participate with the other four members of my cohort (who are all awesome!).
I know BIOL 598 has prepped me well for what is to come this semester, and I cannot wait to get started! I’m hoping the TAs will meet as a group soon and figure out scheduling and office hours everything. I’ll let y’all know more when I do. Oh, and if anyone has any early advice, feel free to leave a comment!