The Co-Creation of a Biology Class

We are in the middle of the "end of the semester rush" around here.  (We have final exams after the Winter Break.)  This final exam period for me has been challenging because I am closing up my Spanish classes and helping them prepare to put their best foot forward on the final or final project, but I also have one foot into the second semester as I am going to be teaching some biology classes starting next week.

Starting next week!?  I am no stranger to the first day of class jitters and new challenges are always a way to make going to work exciting, but this feels like a big challenge for me.  I majored in Biology and Spanish (it even says Biology first on my degree) and I even taught biology for a few years at my last job.  Here are some major differences between this and my previous biology teaching experience:

1. When I last taught Biology, I taught seniors, this time I will be teaching freshman. 
2. Now, I know more about teaching, pedagogy, learning. 
3. Before, I was the only teacher at the school teaching the course.  Here I will be part of a five person sub-department. 
4. The course I taught was one semester cell, molecular, genetics, on semester human anatomy and physiology.  This class is one semester cell, molecular, genetics and one semester ecology and evolution.  And I am teaching the ecology and evolution semester.

Of these four major differences, the first three are soothing.  I am trading two classes of Spanish 1 for two classes of Freshman Bio-- it is essentially the same population of students, I know them and what works for them as learners.  The colleagues that I will be working with are deeply impressive and inspiring; a diverse group of scientists and educators who are passionate about making this course a great experience for all of the freshman (and supporting me to that end). 

So really, the only element of this class that has me wondering how I will do is the issue of content.  I have "covered" these topics but am energized and scared to think of making these broad and essential themes of science into an inquiry based semester-long program that starts next week.  But then again, it really is putting me in a good position because I can meet the students where they are, learn about what information, biases, curiosities, interests and questions they bring to these themes, and then we can co-create the class together.  Fun!  Terrifying! Exciting!

Image from http://marcoivan.glogster.com/