This was an especially important lab for me, as it was my first week actually teaching and leading the lab class. I had chosen this lab in particular to teach due to having already taken upper lever classes that deal with microscopes. With an already extensive knowledge of how microscopes worked, I planned to teach a subject I was well versed in.
After the teaching assistant went over the results of last week’s allelopathy lab, he stepped down and allowed me to take control of the lab. I began my lecture, talking about the different types of microscopes, how they work, and some examples of microscopes specimens. Since I am taking a parasitology class right now, I showed a couple pictures of one of the parasites I have studied in class. I briefly explained what it was and what it could do while trying to increase the students’ interest in microscopes. One of the worst parts of the lecture that I ran into was micromanaging. Not only did I have to speak about the subject, but walk to and explain the lab stations, point out the microscopes, bring my lab manual around with me as I walked, and change the PowerPoint slides. My first lecture was a bit messy as I attempted to do all of those at once, but I noted many of my mistakes and felt much improved when I had my second lecture.
The hands-on portion of the lab went smoothly in both of my classes. I found that speaking in front of the class is something I have to work on, but handling small groups of people was easy. During this portion, I walked around the classroom, asking and answering questions and assisting students. I supervised as they made wet mounts and found them in their microscopes and was careful in explaining the safety procedures when working with the slide stain. While there were a wide variety of specimens on microscope slides to observe, I think a couple of demonstration stations could be placed with exotic microorganisms, such as a parasite or bacteria. This would expand interest in microscopes and have the students leave thinking of the interesting organisms they saw in class. Despite a few hiccups in the lab, I felt very confident in the end that I had been successful in teaching environmental microscopy. While there is still some nervousness about getting up in front of a large group of people again, I am very much looking forward to the next lab I teach.
Here I am speaking in front of the class.
This is the compound microscope the class used to observe slides with.
These two microscopes are dissecting microscopes that the students used to observe slightly small organisms with.
Here is where the class made a wet mount with green algae.
This is the staining station, where students stained pollen and compared a stained specimen and a non-stained specimen.
