Students for an Intro to Biology class at Meramec take an opportunity to tutor at Sumner High School for a final project. Students at both Sumner and Meramec are appreciative for the new teaching experiences.
Tim Doty
– Copy Editor –
As the semester comes to an end, students in many classes may need to write a paper, take an exam, or give a presentation for a final grade. Kelli Roberts, biology professor at STLCC-Meramec, gave students in her Intro to Biology class an option other than writing a paper or giving a Power Point presentation. Her students tutored a biology class at Sumner High School.
“I looked at some of the high schools in the St. Louis public school system, and it made me think,” Roberts said. “They lacked things we take for granted… labs, microscopes.”
Roberts, in her second year teaching at Meramec, was intrigued by the idea of service learning. She said after the first attempt last spring, she worked with Justin Coppedge, a teacher at Sumner, to formulate the project.
“We decided to streamline the process from last spring, involve more tutoring,” Roberts said. “I gave students the option of the service learning project or do a paper and a Power Point.”
The students in Roberts’ class went to Sumner three times during this spring semester.
“The first time they had this packet full of terms they had to teach the students. The third time they developed a lab,” Roberts said. “Some students learn better hands-on. This gives them another option besides traditional ones.”
The latest time they went, the students developed a lab for the biology students of Sumner. They also helped them with the state-wide End-of-Course (EOC) exams given to Missouri high school students.
“We went through, helped them with any questions,” said Roman Balaban, Meramec student and a member of Roberts’ class. “We had to come up with an experiment, design a lab… genetics, mitosis, meiosis… for the students at Sumner.”
Balaban is studying to become a teacher. He said tutoring at Sumner was a learning experience for him. To him, it seemed like when “worlds collide.”
“I’ve been observing a lot of middle school, elementary school and high school classes. In my class, we are covering achievement gaps,” Balaban said. “They get a whole new perspective. It was definitely a learning experience.”
Other than becoming more organized, structured and learning public speaking skills, Roberts said teaching in a different environment was an eye-opening experience for her students.
“Students actually got into a teaching environment. When they go to Sumner, they are the authority,” Roberts said. “They learned more responsibility. They get a broader view of the demographics of St. Louis.”
Roberts said the chance to tutor at Sumner not only helped the high school students, but also helped the students in the biology class at Meramec.
Roberts said it was helpful for the Sumner students to see the Meramec students teach a few classes.
“It helps [Sumner students] to see college students. They see them, and they want to give college a shot,” Roberts said. “They say, ‘I can do the same thing.’”
After the new experiences, Roberts said her students are grateful for the chance to tutor and she intends to make this opportunity available every spring.
“They tell me how appreciative they are. They love it,” Roberts said. “Every spring semester, this will be an option for my Intro to Biology class. They are thankful when it’s all said and done.”
