Plenary Talk: Learning About the Nature of Science with Case Studies (2.3 MB)
, Assistant Professor, Biology Department, Elon University gallucci@elon.edu
Students often have difficulty understanding what scientific knowledge is and why it is such a powerful force in modern life. Case studies can be used to uncover students’ alternate conceptions about the nature of science (NOS), can help students understand how science works, and can demonstrate to students how scientific knowledge is constructed. The case study examples in this presentation contextualize concepts that are central to NOS and focus on learning how scientific knowledge is acquired. These concepts are hypothesis testing, the tentativeness of science, the difference between observation and inference, science as a unique way of knowing, the value of empirical evidence, and the social and cultural embeddedness of science.
Active Learning Strategies in the Science Classroom (500 KB)
, Associate Professor & Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation Fellow, Chair, Department of Chemistry, Wake Forest University colyercl@wfu.edu
Despite many of us being successful products of a purely lecture-based teaching regime, there is impressive scholarship about the effectiveness of active learning strategies, which can be adapted to suit our present-day science teaching and learning without reducing the rigor of our classes and without compromising on content coverage. The use of active learning strategies recognizes different learning styles and serves to engage and involve students in their own education. Strategies such as the jigsaw method, role-playing and student skits, blogging, and student conferences are just a few examples of easy-to-implement techniques that can be used to supplement or replace the lecture in small or large class settings.
Assessing Critical Thinking in the Science Classroom (130 KB)
, Assistant Professor, Department of Plant Biology, Division of Biological Sciences, The University of Georgia, plemons@plantbio.uga.edu
When we teach, we want our students to learn more than just a collection of facts; we also want them to become better critical thinkers. But there are some problems. What do we mean by critical thinking? How do we keep from wasting students time and ours if we try to teach critical thinking? And how can we be sure we are actually teaching and testing critical thinking? In this workshop, we will address problems like these, looking specifically at the design of test questions and other assignments that can help us be sure we are validly measuring both our students content knowledge and their critical-thinking skills.
The Mini Research Project (600 KB)
, Associate Professor & Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation Fellow, Chair, Department of Chemistry, Wake Forest University colyercl@wfu.edu
If we aim to improve student writing and share student learning throughout the semester, then the “mini-research project” is an effective alternative to the traditional research paper. The latter, which requires students to apply skills and knowledge gained throughout the semester to an assigned topic beyond the regular syllabus content, is often viewed as an end in-and-of-itself and is rarely seen by anyone other than the instructor. Instead, “mini research projects” are assigned throughout the semester and they provide an opportunity for all students to engage in critical thinking about course content and applications of course content. Although the mini research project supports a range of intellectual activities critical to the liberal arts, including research, writing, presentation, and discussion, it also provides an excellent mechanism to augment content coverage in science classes.
Committed to Cases: Integrating the Case Concept into Your Course (2.3 MB)
, Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Western Illinois University, E-Ribbens@wiu.edu
You like cases. You”ve taught some in your courses. You’ve seen your students respond, and you believe cases are a good teaching method. But how do you really integrate cases into your class? What are the challenges? Benefits? Risks? We’ll take an introductory biology syllabus and explore strategies to embed cases deeply into the course. We’ll also share our experiences, and discuss strategies to successfully transition to a class that is case-intensive.