From our Pig Dissection Lab from our digestion unit
Communication CC
For this lab, we were in pairs and this was definitely a two-man job when doing it for the first time, meaning a lot of communication is required in order to succeed. During this experience, my partner and I had to express not only our knowledge of the unit but also the instructions and how we needed to collaborate to get the best results. I knew we were going to work well together from the first part of the instructions as we divided the work and jobs between us. During this, we took into our strengths and weaknesses when it came to cutting, handling, and cleaning the pig. The hard part however during this experience was when we had to start naming and pointing out the different digestive organs. When we disagreed on an organ I suggested that we should talk and bounce ideas off other groups, sometimes though one of us was wrong and I found a reason we were able to work through it and get our answer. I also found it helpful that if we couldn’t find the answer to just ask our teacher directly. Next time however I would like to try and be more clear about the days and times that we should get together to work on and take out our digestive tract. I found that the communication I was having in class was very successful because it was clear and direct on what we needed to do and made sure we both wanted to approach it the same way. However, the out-of-class communication on when to come in was poor on my part, as I was finding myself not having good time management between my classes. This led to confusion on when to come in and get work done. Overall however this experience had tons of communication pieces that I am proud of from working through disagreements to my reflection on my out-of-class communication.
Thinking CC
During this lab, I was able to make judgments using the class material such as when having to name and label the different organs and functions throughout the lab and the follow-up questions. I can also analyze the evidence found and make clear judgments about the questions asked in the lab and how they connect to what we are doing. Such as when we had to answer the follow-ups related to how digestion works where certain organs connect and why they function and connect that based on where we saw them in our pigs’ bodies. I can also describe how the digestive functions that we learned about in The Fetal Pig connect with how our bodies work and digestive foods on a daily basis.
Personal Social CC
This lab for me caused some frustration when having to make cuts and such in the pig. I was so focused on them being perfect that it made it hard to focus. When I got frustrated during this lab I found that just going with it and quoting my teacher saying of “It’s your journey with your pig”. That saying helped me not focus on it being perfect, but on the learning and the positive outcome I would be getting when I am calm and refocused on discovering and testing my knowledge. My partner also helped me as a means of support when unsure of what to do next and or how to do it. She helped me avoid the very narrow wall I would keep running into when I would get stuck on something. This allowed me to stay checked in and focused on what is important in my learning.