My name is Bian He, a junior majoring molecular and cellular biology, passionate researcher working in Van der Donk Lab, master various microbiology and molecular biology techniques.
Strengths:
Teamwork, collaborative skills
Public speaking
Empathy
Critique receptions
Story:
Implementing weekly lesson plans and facilitating meaningful discussions
An intern instructional lesson plan is given weekly prior to the week, while intern’s responsibility comes to implementing these lesson plans and personalize some parts of them, including the ways discussions are held, teambuilding activities and more. I create a personalized version of the weekly lesson plans, in form of notes and tasks each slide corresponds to. This way makes the process of teaching while reading through the lesson plan much easier and more convenient. My own modified version of weekly lesson plans incorporated the mandatory/instructional part that will be delivered somewhat universally for all interns, the materials, reminders and presentations, while it also includes the softcore parts that can be highly customized, such as discussions and ice-breaker activities, for which I would create my own ahead of time, and put them in my own lesson plan to be implemented in class. To me, discussions are one of the most important components of this class, if not the most. For this, I would always try my best to get the most out of each discussion. Starting off I would clearly state out the discussion questions or topics, as well as any expectations such as how the students will be grouped, and the expected time to finish the discussion. Then, I would give out my own example, or opinion on the topic or questions, if possible. After that, I would encourage the students to be engaged in their group’s discussion, or classroom level discussion in the form of raising hands. During the discussion, I usually walk around the classroom, to listen and participate in each group’s discussion, without interrupting them or making them feel pressured. In the end of each discussion session, I usually try to summarize what I heard from each group, and conclude the discussion with some giveaways, or provide transition to the next activity to give meanings to it.
Story 2: Recognizing and addressing the individual needs of a diverse group of new students
In my class, there were students from all over the world, in-state, international, with different cultural and ethnical backgrounds. I wanted to build an inclusive classroom environment that welcomes everyone, and makes every student in my class feel comfortable and willing to share their stories. I usually start the discussion by sharing my own part, and then encouraging my students to share theirs. I would also break down the discussion into smaller groups so students feel more comfortable sharing since they are only facing a few other students instead of the whole class. I would then go around and join their discussions, and listen to their conversations and give them affirmative responses. Later on, I would summarize what I’ve heard from different groups and share with the whole class.
During class, I would encourage my students to share their story and perspective on various topics and questions, such as their hobbies, favorite food, or what they’ve done over the weekend or summer, etc. These topics reveal their cultural background to an extent and would make their peers appreciate other culture and ways of life more.
During the one-on-one meetings, I build a personal relationship with each of my students through getting to know them on a personal level, and I would implement what I’ve learned from these conversations into our classroom, such as what topics they’re most interested in, or what areas do they like to talk about more for our class.
Story 3: Reflecting on the leadership skills and professional development gained through the LAS Intern Experience.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-RP_xgvEcHCF7sUcL3H-CUcNwdJNYHHd/view?usp=drive_link (Anyone with the link)
Story 4: Learning to balance academic and personal responsibilities while promoting your and others’ wellness.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/16y48tfAEVwjCqAr19UE30YD9PAkUvIXB/view?usp=drive_link (Anyone with the link)