It is not going to be a normal day in biology class when the teacher tells you to take off your shoes.
“We were working on classification and he made us take off our shoes and classify them by sneakers, boots and stuff,” sophomore Logan Crum said. “It was a very interesting lab.”
Silly yet purposeful class activities are teaching methods Jesse Craig uses to make his class more fun. His innovative teaching techniques are only one of many reasons why Craig will receive the Outstanding Biology Teacher of the Year award.
The National Association of Biology Teachers will present Craig, as well as 49 other biology teachers, with this award downtown during their convention from Nov. 11 to Nov. 14.
This is a very prestigious award because only one biology teacher from every state receives this national recognition.
“A total of six people came to observe my class,” Craig said. “It was a little nerve-racking because at the time the Smart Board was just being installed and it was really noisy. But I just did what I would normally do, and it worked out.”
So what makes Craig such an excellent candidate for this award?
“He is so helpful. I was gone last week and I looked online at his podcast and it was so easy to catch up,” sophomore Paige Ledesma said.
Craig, as well as his science department colleagues, are using technology in new innovative ways to improve teaching techniques.
As part of the Twenty First Century Technology teachers group, Craig is working to use more technology resources such as computer quizzes on Moodle and online textbooks.
“This helps the student; when they get more feedback they become more activated with their own learning,” Craig said.
Biology offers a lot of ways to visually show and teach, which is also very helpful to the student.
“The greatest thing about biology is that it is ‘real stuff,’ and everything can relate back to biology, which offers a lot of real-life application,” Craig said.
This award is beneficial not only to Craig but also to Arapahoe.
With the award comes $4000 worth of prizes, from digital microscopes to calculators to a pair of binoculars.
“We also get gift certificates that our department will use throughout the year, mainly to enhance our biology program,” Craig said.
Craig originally desired to become a physical therapist or an orthopedic surgeon but was strongly influenced by his own science teacher, Rick Sira, in high school.
“He was a man who truly cared about you,” said Craig. “It didn’t matter if you were a football player, or a part of the math club. No matter who you were you were at the top of his list.”
Teacher influences like these can dramatically influence students, so Craig hopes to pass the same feeling of importance to all of his students.