It’s Not the Teaching. It’s the Learning – Ms. Dilsworth

1. How have you incorporated environmental learning into virtual instruction?

One way that I have incorporated environmental learning into virtual instruction is by discussing real-life events. For example, the students were learning about photosynthesis and why leaves change color in the Fall. The students had to go outside, find different leaves, and make leaf art. The students had to take a picture of their work and share it with me. Their projects were outstanding!

Leaf art created by students

2. How has your passion for teaching translated to your virtual teaching experience?

The students know I love biology and love teaching biology. I create lessons that are informative and interactive. Students are allowed to choose how they present their assignments to me: Google doc/slides, Padlet, Glogster, etc. This allows them to “own” their work and take pride in their work.A students stem cell research project

3. What is unique about your teaching being virtual/how have you and your students needed to be creative during this time to get the full learning experience? Can share examples! 

I really try to create lessons the students will be excited about. I love finding ways to get the students engaged while they are learning virtually. When students learned about viruses and HIV, they had to research the virus and create an educational poster. This allowed them to be creative in their learning experience.

 4. Any other fun quotes or info you’d like us to share? 

A quote that means a lot to me: “It’s not the teaching. It is the learning”.

I like to celebrate success with the students. Communication is also very important when teaching virtual, and I set aside an amount of time for students to just talk and socialize during virtual meetings. I really like trying new web 2.0 tools to incorporate into my lessons. Educreations is one I like to use because I can record and present a lesson for the students.Ms. Dilsworth and her dog holding a we miss you sign