Being a teacher is one of the many hats that graduate students across the country wear during their career. As a graduate student who has taught several science courses, I know that keeping students engaged is always a challenge, particularly in required and introductory courses. While I have taught different levels of undergraduates, from freshman to seniors, I faced my most daunting challenge yet last summer: piquing and maintaining the interest of high school students in my introductory zoology course.
Following my first year of graduate school, I had the privilege of being an instructor in the Foundations in Science and Mathematics (FSM) program, which offers two-week summer classes to help advanced middle and high school students prepare for upcoming science and mathematics courses. Organized and taught by current IU graduate students, the program creates a great opportunity both for high school students to learn about exciting topics in science and math from up-and-coming researchers in their fields and for graduate students to further their teaching and mentoring skills.
Although I have years of experience teaching undergraduate students, I admit that designing and teaching a practical yet engaging course for high schoolers is no small feat, especially one that takes place during the summer. This task proved to be even more difficult because of the diverse age range of my students: my youngest student during last year’s program was 11 years old, while my oldest student was 17. (more…)