Anatomy Peer Teaching
September - December 2021
Below are journal entries from the semester I spent as a biomedical anatomy teaching assistant.
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9/14/2021
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I wanted to become an undergraduate TA for biomedical anatomy because I wanted to get better at explaining complex concepts to my peers and to review general anatomy concepts before I eventually attend veterinary school. Throughout the semester, I will reflect on my ability to do the former.
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I have been a TA for two weeks now, and I believe there are many ways I could improve. I tend to only talk to tables that raise their hand, come ask me directly for help, or are obviously doing something incorrectly. I think I do this because I do not want to bother groups that do not want help or possibly just received help. I also do this because I do not have questions prepared that would challenge them to engage in deeper thinking, even if they may know all of the structures. One of my goals for the next few weeks is to come up with at least one application-style question per class that is relevant to the current learning material.
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One thing I believe I am currently good at is being able to tell students “I don’t know” and immediately getting another instructor’s help. Then, I watch the secondary instructor and use that information to help other groups who may have the same question later.
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10/5/2021
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One of my goals from my first reflection was to approach more tables that did not explicitly ask for my help and to ask more questions that encourage deeper-level thinking. I believe I have improved at this as I have gotten more comfortable with the students and with teaching the material over the past few weeks. It is easier for me to tell when students are confused or struggling. After answering their questions about identification, I have either asked questions about associated actions and innervations, or I have encouraged using various study strategies such as grouping together the muscles.
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I would like to continue working on my connection to the students over the next few weeks. I tend to forget that my role as a TA requires more than just teaching information to students. Especially after the first test, I want students to be excited to go to class and to not feel intimidated by the material. I can help create a more welcoming environment by simply asking more students how their day is going, how they feel about the class, and elaborating on my own experiences. It is important that they see me as a human being instead of a robot there to simply answer their questions.
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In addition to meeting my goals, I have gotten more comfortable dissecting things for students without an instructor’s help. I got too comfortable to the point that I accidentally cut myself with a scalpel because I was too careless. I need to set an example for the students and be just as careful with equipment as they should be.
10/25/2021
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One of my goals from my second reflection was to make more personal connections with the students to enrich their learning experiences. At this midpoint in the semester, I have identified that some groups are more willing to ask me for help than others. Some even call me over by my name. I believe I have gotten more comfortable telling jokes and sharing my class experiences with the students. After receiving two of their exam grades already, I want to give the students something to look forward to when they decide to attend class.
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Additionally, I have felt more comfortable in my teaching abilities since we have moved on from limb muscles onto organ systems. I find it easier to synthesize identification and function and to ask higher thinking questions. For example, when pointing out structures on the lungs, it comes naturally to me to explain the movement of deoxygenated and oxygenated blood in the heart as well. It helps that I am in physiology this semester. This way, I am able to introduce concepts that will help students later in their academic career.
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One of the main things I have been struggling to keep up with are the differences between Dr. Wilson’s and Dr. Pine’s lab manual materials. Dr. Wilson includes a lot more detail, and I often do not recognize the new structures until he introduces them on the day of lab. I can solve this by reading over his lab guide before the Tuesday TA class to make sure I identify all of the new structures beforehand.
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11/12/2021
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The biggest thing I was having trouble with a few weeks was keeping up with all of the additional information Dr. Wilson included in his lab material and his lecture material he introduces at the beginning of every class. I still struggle with this, but I usually ask Dr. Wilson if any students are having problems with material I am not comfortable with. I know now that other TAs are also having issues with what exactly the students need to know for the tests.
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A bigger problem I am having at this point of the semester is keeping a positive attitude and staying motivated. I knew this semester was going to be difficult before it even started, but I often find myself checking the clock every five minutes to see when class is going to be over. This is not the mindset I should have if I want to keep students excited about anatomy and motivated to get through their own struggles at this point of the semester. One thing I can do to improve this is to remember why I wanted to start assistant teaching in the first place and how much I looked forward to anatomy lab last semester.
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On a positive note, we are going over some of my favorite material currently. I find the abdominal and pelvic cavities easy to understand and explain. Over the past few weeks, I have been able to help several groups have their “aha” moments, and it has been very fulfilling.
12/10/2021
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This semester has been tough, but I was able to end it with a more positive attitude toward the end. With most of my major assignments and worries out of the way, I was able to focus more on getting excited about anatomy and helping the students prepare for their final exam to the best of my ability.
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I have grown a lot this semester, but there are still a few things I wish I had done differently. I did not get as close to the students as I would have liked to. I was able to make small talk with the groups, but I never learned most of their names or what their goals were for the future were. I did not think it was important until I heard the other TAs become excited talking about their students during our Tuesday UGTA class. Additionally, I did not become very close to the other TAs as much as I would have liked to. It was a bit awkward because they were already friends before the class, but I could have put in more of an effort throughout the semester to become better friends, considering that was a reason I wanted to become a TA.
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Overall, I became better at communicating science material and understanding anatomy this semester. Unexpectedly, I also got better at problem solving on-the-spot as students often had weird questions or issues with their cadaver that I hadn’t prepared for. I am glad that I applied to become a TA in my last semester at A&M as it’s another way I was able to leave an impact on the students that will come behind me.
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