At the start of my experience teaching, I thought that the most effective mode of learning was a typical lecture style, but through my time as a UTA for Honors Biology I have come to understand that the most successful way of teaching is accompanied by the students’ completion of active learning and practice activities. During recitation times the class practices the knowledge that they had just received the lecture for by completing recitation worksheets together on the classroom whiteboards. In addition to these worksheets, many students come to office hours asking for practice problems on certain topics as well as supplemental practice materials.
While practice problems are more engaging and preferred by students than comprehensive note review, studying lecture notes is still required for effective learning as to ensure no material is being left behind. My CUTF project provides a comprehensive note review through the form of practice matching questions as well as concept maps. I make 5 practice activities per week on TopHat, focusing on vocabulary and niche details that may get lost in more traditional practice exercises. When generating questions, I do my best to take into account specific and common struggles the students were experiencing either on homework, in class, or in office hours. I have been able to connect with the students and compare my struggles with certain topics to theirs and personalize questions to this cohort of students.
As a student in Honors Biology last year, I focused mainly on reviewing notes and lectures as opposed to doing practice problems as a form of studying. Now as a UTA, I am able to realize that I may have been able to improve my performance by appreciating the benefits of active learning. In my past teaching and tutoring experiences, I had focused mainly on course content as opposed to reinforcing concepts through exercises. One of the most valuable takeaways from this CUTF experience is my newfound appreciation of how advantageous practice activities are to student’s learning.
Because of CUTF I now recognize the importance of teaching in a manner that blends lecture and concept review with active learning and will be sure to carry this with me in my future teaching endeavors. Next semester, I am planning on continuing to explore my passion for teaching in the sciences by applying to UTA for Human Physiology. I also have applied to be a peer tutor specifically in the subjects of Biology, Physics, Neuroscience and Calculus.
