Time Schedule:
Martha Groom
BIOL 505
Seattle Campus
Class description
Course participants (Grad students, post-docs, In-service k-12 teachers) will work together in a collaborative fashion to learn about and explore active learning methods for biology teaching. Each student will practice applying teaching methods to new modules for teaching about some area of biology. We will read about, discuss, and experience some of these methods, and brainstorm how they could be used in new contexts. We will consider carefully our goals in teaching, and how we construct engaging materials that draw students toward these goals. Because everyone will work on a project, we will be able to imagine a greater spectrum of teaching than we would otherwise cover – we will all imagine working with the particular issues that concern us individually, and collectively work to develop a broad spectrum of considerations about our teaching that can enhance our success as teachers.
Specific areas we will cover include: 1) Why use active learning teaching methods? 2) Inquiry guided techniques 3) Collaborative learning techniques & surmounting problems of group work 4) Case-based techniques 5) Role playing and other performance-based techniques 6) Assessing student learning 7) Assessing your teaching
Student learning goals
Know some of the arguments and evidence that suggests active learning teaching techniques are effective
Understand how one might approach creating a module that employs each of the major types of active learning
Have created at least two active learning modules for use in biology teaching
Develop a familiarity with different forms of assessment
Overall, Participants should develop a more reflective stance toward their teaching that will serve them well in the future.
General method of instruction
We will experience and discuss active learning teaching techniques. Early classes will demonstrate the key pedagogical style for each week, followed by discussion. Participants will then develop and test units for their area of biology teaching, and help review and improve such units collaboratively.
Recommended preparation
Participants should have some experience teaching prior to taking the course.
Class assignments and grading
Most sessions will have assigned reading, and often exercises to be completed prior to class. Participants will be primarily responsible for extending the reading list and creating active learning modules for classes they expect to teach (at K-12 or college level).
For those soon to be seeking academic jobs, we will work on developing teaching statements and considering how to discuss teaching during an interview at a job interview.
