Being a Dissector
Submitted By: Jessica Lee
As a freshman, I take biology at school. One of our last units is physiology, where we learn about human body systems and anatomy. To assist our learning, we have dissection days once a week throughout the whole unit. All freshman dissect a fetal pig to help us learn anatomy and how different organ systems interact and work with each other.
In our dissection groups, we have surgeons, assistant surgeons, and researchers, who research about body systems while the surgeons dissect the pig. At first, coming into the dissection unit, I was interested, but a little nervous, because I have never dissected anything before. On the first day of dissection, we were introduced to all of the tools. Many students, including myself, were hesitant about touching the pig and having to dissect it. However, as the weeks went by, we became more and more comfortable with the process.
Throughout this unit, we learned how to correctly identify organs and their functions. When we are tested, we have practicals, where we draw a card with an organ on it and describe its location and function. Personally, I enjoy dissection days because it is a hands-on experience. I am a student who learns best visually and with others. This unit has allowed me to physically see the anatomy of organs while interacting with my friends, since we were allowed to choose our lab groups.
I believe that pig dissection is a great way to learn about physiology, and I am glad that I was able to have this experience. Being able to actually see the organ physically was a unique experience and it was a great learning aid. Biology is one of my most interesting subjects and with our physiology unit, it has become very interactive as well. Overall, hands-on and visual learning is a great way for many students to learn about new subjects.
