Constructing narratives for teaching science

Brought to you by ASBMB Student Chapters

ASBMB Catalyst Conversations are pedagogical sandboxes where instructors can showcase developing teaching practices in an informal setting. Projects do not have to be fully fleshed out to the level of an abstract submitted to a conference. Topics are meant to stimulate discussion and new ideas among participants.

For this Catalyst Conversation, we are particularly interested in how your response to the pandemic will inform your teaching moving forward. What worked? What didn’t work? How will these practices change your teaching when instructors are back in the classroom face-to-face?

So, reflect on the past year, dig out a project you found challenging and helpful, and please share your successes and bumps with your colleagues. Even if you don’t have a project that you are ready to present, please register for the meeting and join the conversation.

Register

Keynote speaker

There’s science in my story: Constructing narratives for teaching science

Jay Hosler
Professor of biology, Juniata College

About Jay Hosler

Jay Hosler is the David K. Goodman, Jr. ’74 Endowed Chair in Biology at Juniata College by day and a scheming cartoonist at night. His diabolical plan is to secretly weave his love of science and natural world into thrilling tales of adventure. So far, the plan seems to be working. Unsuspecting readers often find themselves reading stories about creepy-crawly things and being drawn into the wondrous world right under their feet. His books have been translated into several languages, but he can only read the ones in English. He has even had the audacity to introduce story structure into his teaching, scaffolding biological content into socially relevant stories. When he’s not teaching biology or doodling insects, Jay likes to read comics and watch Godzilla movies. He lives in Pennsylvania with his queen and two other drones.

About Tabetha Johnson

Tabetha Johnson has been teaching yoga in the Inland Empire since 2001. She began teaching at Crafton Hills Community College in 2003. Over the years, she has developed a style of teaching that incorporates hatha and kundalini forms of yoga which provide a balance of flexibility and physical release that are beneficial to the body and mind on multiple levels. Johnson became distance education certified before the COVID-19 pandemic. She was experimentally teaching yoga online before it was necessary to move all classes to distance learning sessions due to social distancing guidelines. She is very familiar with the format and excited to practice with us.

In our 30 minute session with her, we will do a seated beginner series for all levels. "Yoga, at its core, is conscious breathing so anyone can participate and gain many benefits even if they just close their eyes and breath with us," says Johnson. The short session will incorporate deep breathing, simple neck, shoulder, chest, arm and hand stretches and movements and we will end with a basic guided meditation.