As a recent college graduate I am intimately aware with the student perspective in education. I feel that this knowledge is absolutely pivotal in helping a current student achieve success in their education. Too often educators forget the hurdles that students face when learning, and I would like to work around that in how I teach.
- In starting a lesson with a student I first start with discussing the broad general concepts involved in the subject.
- After the overarching concepts are understood then I move on to the more specific details, this is where students usually have trouble. Here is where I find it important to focus on practical learning instead of just reading off of a PowerPoint. Allow me to give an example.
Ex. Let's say that I am helping a student with an anatomy lesson, specifically a lesson involving the muscles on a cat. Many instructors will list the muscles and expect a student to learn where they are and differentiate them from one another. This leaves a student with a steep uphill climb to master the material, and little direction on how to do so. Rather than just say "this is the latissimus dorsi", I would instead explain the function of the muscle and how the name relates to that. "The latissimus dorsi is a muscle group on the dorsal side of the animal as the 'dorsi' in the name suggests. This muscle serves to help erect the trunk of the cat which is why it attaches near the spine of the animal". Information like this creates more connections to the subject in order to memorize it, and can lead to more information that, come test time, could help a student intuit an answer from context clues during the practical.
-Then to help further ingrain the knowledge into a student's mind I have found that it is helpful to help a student work through their homework assignments for the class. Approaching the material with an open line of communication to someone else allows students to work through problems that would otherwise cause them to become frustrated, or even potentially give up on the assignment.
-The last time that I tutored in an official capacity was in High School in which I taught ~10 students biology and English. Of all the students that I helped only 1 did not see improvement in their classroom performance.
-Throughout my college education however I took an active role in classes to form study groups. In doing this I started to teach other students material that made little sense to them, which in turn reinforced my own learning. This was a great way to practice multiple approaches to different types of learners, in a casual environment conducive to learning.
-Also important in learning to teach was my internship experience in environmental restoration. While this role taught me how to apply ecological concepts in the real world, it also taught me how to relay skills to others. The organisation that I worked for heavily relied on experienced student employees to teach the new hires. By the end of my 3 years at the company I was a senior student, which led to me teaching a vast amount of technical skills to people in a professional setting.
-Education
Northern Kentucky University
B.S in Biological Sciences: Evolution/Ecology/Organismal Track
Expected Graduation: December 2016
-Research Experience
Mentor: Lawrence Brewer, M.S
Distribution patterns of Giant Cane (Arundo donax) 2016- Present
Long-term study investigating the success of small, medium, and large patch sizes of Giant Cane in the northern portion of its region.
Mentor: Lindsey Walters, Ph.D 2016-Present
Maternal care in different contexts: Incubation constancy and nestling provisioning by female Carolina Chickadees
Analyzed whether a female’s rate of provisioning visits per hour was significantly connected to the mean length of her off bouts during incubation. This was presented at the 2016 North American Ornithological Conference in Washington D.C. as a poster presentation.
-Academic Honors and Awards
• Wilson Ornithological Society Student Travel Award (2016): $170
• The Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship (Fall 2011-Spring 2015) $1300 dollars a year
• Dean’s List: Northern Kentucky University (Fall 2012)
-Extracurricular Activities
• Member of the Wilson Ornithological Society 2016-Present
• Volunteer and Team Leader for Reforest Northern Kentucky 2014-Present
• Volunteer for Dr. Richard Durtsche’s herpetological surveys for research and assessments of environmental quality 2014-2016
•
• Volunteer at Alexandria CARE Mission 2010-2011
-Recent Work Experience
• Center for Environmental Restoration
o January 2013-December 2016
o Environmental assessment, stream restoration, erosion control, riparian habitat restoration, invasive control, and stream construction
-Relevant Coursework
Introductory Biology
General Ecology
Genetics
Conservation Biology
General Chemistry
Organic Chemistry
General Physics
Applied Calculus
Introduction to Statistical Methods
Biometry (advanced statistics)
Evolution of Organisms
Ornithology
Geographic Information Systems
Advanced Writing in Biology
Animal Physiological Ecology
Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy
Environmental Toxicology
Undergraduate Directed Research
-Lab Skills
• Experienced with statistical analysis in SPSS
• Skilled in Microsoft Office, Word, Powerpoint, Excel
• Experienced in Geographic Information System
• Experienced in Parr Semi-micro Oxygen Bomb Calorimetry
• Experienced with a host of laboratory instruments including Vernier LabQuest II Dataloggers and the appropriate software, constructed manometers, Sable Respirometry Systems including an 8 channel multiplexor, Percival Advanced Intellus Environmental Chambers, photospectrometers, and Milestone Microwave Digestion systems.
• Experienced in managing and interpreting iButton data loggers
-Field Skills
• Experienced in handling and banding passerine birds
• Experienced in provisioning observational studies
• Current Kentucky Category 2 Pesticide Applicator License
• Experienced in gathering and analyzing ecological data through biological monitoring; including but not limited to, stream habitat assessments, riparian vegetation monitoring, and macroinvertebrate assessments.
• CPR/ First aid certified
• Over 150 hours of chainsaw experience
• Skilled heavy equipment operator (excavator, track loader, skid steer, etc.)
• Skilled at performing stream restoration by constructing rock structures, stabilizing stream banks, and implementing erosion control practices such as installation of erosion control fabric, mulch, and sowing native trees, plants, and seeds
• Experienced in proper planting of tree saplings in a range of soil conditions
• Experienced in identifying trees and shrubs, particularly invasives
• Experienced in controlling invasive woody plants in riparian areas along restored streams in grueling environmental conditions
• Experienced in plotting and manipulating longitudinal and cross sectional stream survey data
• Skilled in mechanical maintenance
Experienced in completing topographic surveys (longitudinal stream profiles, cross-sections) using basic survey equipment and handheld GPS units
Joe has this way of explaining really complicated ideas simply. I know next to nothing about science and whenever I read something that I don't understand, Joe makes it easier to comprehend.
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