The Perspective on Teaching Biology - Research Paper Example

The Perspective on Teaching Biology Introduction In this paper, I am supposed to identify those leadership characteristics that I think are important for a healthcare professional in my chosen field. My chosen field is teaching Biology. And I think that a Biology teacher is also a sort of healthcare professional, who actually plays a very key role in the making of every kind of healthcare professional. In doing my research, I have utilized two resources from the Hodges University’s extensive databases. The first one is a book with the title Influencer: The Power to Change Anything1. The second one is a report on Healthcare Community Discussions, which has been issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The paper has an introduction. Next, there is a discussion on leadership in healthcare followed by a section on leadership characteristics that are important for a Biology teacher. Finally, there is the conclusion part. Leadership in Healthcare In general, a leader is essentially somebody who can provide guidance. And importantly, he/she should be innovative as well. By utilizing experiential insight and specialist skills to help the subordinates achieve their pursuit, a leader can change and/or decide the very way of working of an organization or system (Sashkin and Sashkin, 2003). In this way, the leader should be a capable influencer too. And in complicated work environments, the leaders have to be “master influencers” (Patterson et al, 2008, p.67). In the healthcare sector, leaders must be gifted with an ability of influencing people. Contextually, Patterson et al (2008) have given the example of Dr. Don Berwick. Dr. Berwick wants to minimize the number of the patients who die or suffer seriously due to the mistakes of the healthcare professionals who attend them. “One of Berwick’s greatest challenges is to help caring professionals recognize that their own health-care systems might be causing harm – prolonging hospital stays and even killing patients.” (Patterson et al, 2008, p.68) However, Dr. Berwick is leading the care givers by countering their doubts with the help of creative and influential leadership. Something similar is happening in the American Association of Respiratory Care (AARC) as well. This non profit professional organization is trying to obtain ample and effective leadership development patterns to facilitate the respiratory therapists. Most of the leaders in contemporary respiratory care are expected to “jump in headfast”, which leads to a “sink or swim time” for them (Bunch, 2010). Consequently, AARC has developed a Leadership Institute that caters to the needs of the care givers who have to lead their departments, peers, and communities. In sum, leadership in healthcare is already a field of extensive academic and empirical activities with substantial implications. Leadership Characteristics of a Biology Teacher In the making of a healthcare professional, concepts related to the Life Sciences are very important. While learning the school level lessons of Biology, the learners develop a basic understanding of healthcare. For example, topics like Anatomy, Physiology, Communicable Diseases, Health and Hygiene, etc. form the basic foundation of healthcare. A Biology teacher must help his/her students to learn the subject in such a way that he/she can prepare for the key career options in the field. Of course, all students who study Biology in the school do not necessarily become healthcare professionals. But every healthcare professional should have studied Biology at the school level. In other words, knowledge of Biology is an essential requirement for the healthcare professionals. Hence, a Biology teacher plays an immensely important role in the making of the future healthcare professionals. In December 2008, the Presidential Transition Team had invited the US citizens to participate in the Health Care Community Discussions and talk about how healthcare could be bettered in the country. In 30,603 Participant Surveys, the top concerns were the topics like “lack of emphasis on prevention (20%)” and “quality of care (12%)” (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2009) This clearly indicates that people are not sufficiently satisfied about the performance of the healthcare professionals. For the betterment of this scenario, the students who ultimately become healthcare professionals must be given more holistic training. And Biology teachers, who are able to lead there students in the right direction with the help of knowledge, compassion, and perseverance, have got a key role to play in achieving this end. Nabt.org is the main professional association website for the profession of teaching Biology. This professional association is called the National Association of Biology Teachers. “Since its inception in 1938, thousands of educators have joined NABT to share experiences and expertise with colleagues from around the world, keep up with trends and developments in the field, and grow professionally.” (NABT, 2011a) Currently, the Association stresses the importance of leadership characteristics in a Biology teacher. The Association has emerged with the Biology Educator Scholarship (BELS) program. This program aims at encouraging and supporting the teachers in the field to become educators. For the purpose of leadership skills development, the Biology teacher must pursue further education not only in Life Sciences but also in Life Science education. According to NABT, leadership becomes an imperative in achieving professional development and accomplishment (NABT, 2011b). Hence, even an average Biology teacher must have leadership characteristics. He/she should be an influencer and teach his/her students with the help of relevant examples. Thus, transformational characteristics are to be honed. He/she should study Life Science education as a whole. The teacher must further pursue his/her students to properly understand the importance of healthcare sector. Above all, every topic of the subject (as per the school syllabus) should be covered in details along with the aid of empirical research for improvement. Conclusion Generally, every leader should be creative and helpful towards the subordinates so that they can achieve their goals. In healthcare sector, and also as a Biology teacher, the leaders should be an influencer as well. The future healthcare professionals must be taught about prevention of diseases/injuries and quality of care right in the Biology class. The teacher should lead his/her students by the means of interaction, information, influence, and illustration. He/she must be capable of developing a holistic approach. References Bunch, D. (2010). Leadership Institution. Retrieved on November 17, 2011 from http://www.aarc.org/headlines/10/11/leadership_institute/02.10.038.pdf NABT (2011a). NABT National Association of Biology Teachers. Retrieved on November 17, 2011 from http://www.nabt.org/websites/institution/index.php?p=1 NABT (2011b). NABT National Association of Biology Teachers. Retrieved on November 17, 2011 from http://www.nabt.org/websites/institution/index.php?p=132 Patterson, K., Grenny, J., Maxfield, D., McMillan, R. and Switzler, A. (2008). Influencer: The Power to Change Anything. New York: McGraw-Hill. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2009). Americans Speak on Health Reform: Report on Health Care Community Discussion. Retrieved on November 17, 2011 from http://www.aarc.org/headlines/10/11/leadership_institute/02.10.038.pdf Read More