Pub Date : 2024-03-01DOI: 10.1525/abt.2024.86.3.153
Kennedy Kam Ho Chan, Dickson Tik Shun Ho, David Siu Pan Lau
Existing laboratory protocols for investigating the effects of factors affecting enzyme activity often require extensive hands-on manipulations and time. This can result in students either not getting the desired results or being distracted from thinking about the scientific ideas underlying the experimental designs and procedures of these protocols. In this paper, we present a lesson plan that includes a simple microscale laboratory protocol that allows students to study the action of amylase on starch and to investigate the effects of various factors (i.e., temperature, pH, substrate concentration, enzyme concentration, and competitive reversible inhibitors) on enzyme activity using immobilized amylase beads. We also show how to engage students in thinking about procedural knowledge, such as repeating measurements, measurement range, and interval. These concepts are critical to designing valid and reliable scientific investigations.
{"title":"Using Amylase Beads to Investigate Factors Affecting Enzyme Activity","authors":"Kennedy Kam Ho Chan, Dickson Tik Shun Ho, David Siu Pan Lau","doi":"10.1525/abt.2024.86.3.153","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2024.86.3.153","url":null,"abstract":"Existing laboratory protocols for investigating the effects of factors affecting enzyme activity often require extensive hands-on manipulations and time. This can result in students either not getting the desired results or being distracted from thinking about the scientific ideas underlying the experimental designs and procedures of these protocols. In this paper, we present a lesson plan that includes a simple microscale laboratory protocol that allows students to study the action of amylase on starch and to investigate the effects of various factors (i.e., temperature, pH, substrate concentration, enzyme concentration, and competitive reversible inhibitors) on enzyme activity using immobilized amylase beads. We also show how to engage students in thinking about procedural knowledge, such as repeating measurements, measurement range, and interval. These concepts are critical to designing valid and reliable scientific investigations.","PeriodicalId":513114,"journal":{"name":"The American Biology Teacher","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140084235","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-03-01DOI: 10.1525/abt.2024.86.3.161
Holly A. Miller
Traditional microbiology laboratory activities tend to focus solely on skill development, leaving untapped the great potential for students’ deep understanding of underlying fundamental microbiology concepts. To address this issue, I present an inquiry-based instructional sequence for a common skill-based lab in undergraduate majors’ and non-majors’ biology: the Gram stain. The modified lab includes elements of inquiry without completely overhauling the original activity to allow for both skill-based and conceptual knowledge development. With a few alterations, this instructional sequence could easily be tailored to suit similar microbiology labs. This instructional sequence could also be used to modify biology labs into inquiry lessons at any grade level.
{"title":"Modifying the Gram Stain Lab for Skill Proficiency and Conceptual Understanding","authors":"Holly A. Miller","doi":"10.1525/abt.2024.86.3.161","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2024.86.3.161","url":null,"abstract":"Traditional microbiology laboratory activities tend to focus solely on skill development, leaving untapped the great potential for students’ deep understanding of underlying fundamental microbiology concepts. To address this issue, I present an inquiry-based instructional sequence for a common skill-based lab in undergraduate majors’ and non-majors’ biology: the Gram stain. The modified lab includes elements of inquiry without completely overhauling the original activity to allow for both skill-based and conceptual knowledge development. With a few alterations, this instructional sequence could easily be tailored to suit similar microbiology labs. This instructional sequence could also be used to modify biology labs into inquiry lessons at any grade level.","PeriodicalId":513114,"journal":{"name":"The American Biology Teacher","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140084916","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-03-01DOI: 10.1525/abt.2024.86.3.127
Jay B. Labov
{"title":"Achieving The “Moonshot” American Science Really Needs","authors":"Jay B. Labov","doi":"10.1525/abt.2024.86.3.127","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2024.86.3.127","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":513114,"journal":{"name":"The American Biology Teacher","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140086974","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-03-01DOI: 10.1525/abt.2024.86.3.180
K. Milks, F. Cloud
{"title":"Indigenous Ingenuity","authors":"K. Milks, F. Cloud","doi":"10.1525/abt.2024.86.3.180","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2024.86.3.180","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":513114,"journal":{"name":"The American Biology Teacher","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140086429","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-03-01DOI: 10.1525/abt.2024.86.3.172
Tanner Jefferies, Jennifer A. Mraz-Craig, Kohlton Darrington, Lance Forshee
Many students find human anatomy and physiology courses difficult and there are specific ways instructors can help motivate students. Largely, how instructors phrase their words in class can have a huge impact. We present strategies and tips on how instructors can help motivate students in their courses by encouraging ownership of learning, study efficiency, and structuring their course for success.
{"title":"Strategies and Tips Toward Motivating Anatomy and Physiology Students","authors":"Tanner Jefferies, Jennifer A. Mraz-Craig, Kohlton Darrington, Lance Forshee","doi":"10.1525/abt.2024.86.3.172","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2024.86.3.172","url":null,"abstract":"Many students find human anatomy and physiology courses difficult and there are specific ways instructors can help motivate students. Largely, how instructors phrase their words in class can have a huge impact. We present strategies and tips on how instructors can help motivate students in their courses by encouraging ownership of learning, study efficiency, and structuring their course for success.","PeriodicalId":513114,"journal":{"name":"The American Biology Teacher","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140088334","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-03-01DOI: 10.1525/abt.2024.86.3.130
Wenyuan Yang, Sihang Chen, Cheng Liu
Modeling is a core practice in science and is a meaningful way to learn the subject. This article introduces a modeling-based approach that highlights the idea that modeling is an iterative process and integrates the fundamental parts of scientists’ work and key suggestions for teaching through modeling. The lesson “The Structure and Function of Kidneys” from a middle school biology course serves as an example of how to conduct the suggested modeling-based approach. By the end of the lesson, almost all students demonstrated a scientific understanding of the structure of nephrons and their functions. On the basis of the implementation of this lesson, we also provide further suggestions for modeling-based teaching.
{"title":"Guiding Students in Constructing and Revising Models Rationally","authors":"Wenyuan Yang, Sihang Chen, Cheng Liu","doi":"10.1525/abt.2024.86.3.130","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2024.86.3.130","url":null,"abstract":"Modeling is a core practice in science and is a meaningful way to learn the subject. This article introduces a modeling-based approach that highlights the idea that modeling is an iterative process and integrates the fundamental parts of scientists’ work and key suggestions for teaching through modeling. The lesson “The Structure and Function of Kidneys” from a middle school biology course serves as an example of how to conduct the suggested modeling-based approach. By the end of the lesson, almost all students demonstrated a scientific understanding of the structure of nephrons and their functions. On the basis of the implementation of this lesson, we also provide further suggestions for modeling-based teaching.","PeriodicalId":513114,"journal":{"name":"The American Biology Teacher","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140087363","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-03-01DOI: 10.1525/abt.2024.86.3.136
Leon G Higley, Phyllis M. Higley, T. Brosius
Effective teaching requires the use of techniques and strategies to counter student passivity and enhance engagement. Research demonstrates that drawing improves memory retention, increases motivation to learn, provides an opportunity to learn what makes an image an effective communication tool, allows demonstration of conceptual understanding, allows new information to be connected to prior knowledge, and helps to make thinking explicit. We argue that the use of photographs and prepared graphics have minimized use of this important tool, and we further emphasize that the drawing process, not quality, is the essential component of the educational benefit to drawing. With examples in various areas, we show how very modest drawing skills can be used to great benefit for capturing student interest. Additionally, by cultivating drawing as an observational skill, the sketcher becomes a better observer of nature, and learns about the phenomena she sketches. In drawing, she becomes a more skilled biologist and better student of nature, and isn’t that, ultimately, our goal as instructors?
{"title":"The Value of “Bad” Drawing in Teaching","authors":"Leon G Higley, Phyllis M. Higley, T. Brosius","doi":"10.1525/abt.2024.86.3.136","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2024.86.3.136","url":null,"abstract":"Effective teaching requires the use of techniques and strategies to counter student passivity and enhance engagement. Research demonstrates that drawing improves memory retention, increases motivation to learn, provides an opportunity to learn what makes an image an effective communication tool, allows demonstration of conceptual understanding, allows new information to be connected to prior knowledge, and helps to make thinking explicit. We argue that the use of photographs and prepared graphics have minimized use of this important tool, and we further emphasize that the drawing process, not quality, is the essential component of the educational benefit to drawing. With examples in various areas, we show how very modest drawing skills can be used to great benefit for capturing student interest. Additionally, by cultivating drawing as an observational skill, the sketcher becomes a better observer of nature, and learns about the phenomena she sketches. In drawing, she becomes a more skilled biologist and better student of nature, and isn’t that, ultimately, our goal as instructors?","PeriodicalId":513114,"journal":{"name":"The American Biology Teacher","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140088329","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-03-01DOI: 10.1525/abt.2024.86.3.181
Jeffrey D. Sack
{"title":"Teaching the Genome Generation","authors":"Jeffrey D. Sack","doi":"10.1525/abt.2024.86.3.181","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2024.86.3.181","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":513114,"journal":{"name":"The American Biology Teacher","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140082369","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-03-01DOI: 10.1525/abt.2024.86.3.143
Natalia González-Benítez, Javier Palomino, Maria del Carmen Molina
Despite critical thinking supporting a deeper understanding of the scientific process, university activities prioritize lower cognitive processes, such as remembering skills. Also, it is unclear whether gender biases in interest toward science exist in university science degrees. These hinder students from achieving their goals effectively since students’ test scores and motivation improve with project-based learning. The main goal of this study is to examine the influence of active methodology based on research project-based learning (RPBL) on students’ overall perception and its variation across gender groups in relation to the acquisition of higher-order cognitive skills. The RPBL activity will consist of a straightforward microbial ecology project in which the students will use conventional and affordable lab equipment. The project will address all higher-order thinking skills levels included in Bloom’s taxonomy. We evaluated students’ perception of their learning outcomes on lab and cognitive skills, including the effect of gender, using two online surveys we passed before and after the RPBL activity. The results displayed that the students’ opinion regarding the project was decidedly favorable. Most of the students view the potential effort required for these activities positively, as it pertains to the subject matter and enhances their learning. However, the gender differences that were observed prior to the project’s implementation disappeared once the activity was carried out. Female students lacked confidence in their statistical skills while they had high confidence in their laboratory skills compared to male students. After attending our RPBL activity, female students gained confidence in statistics, and male students gained confidence in laboratory skills. This project reveals that a straightforward and affordable RPBL activity, which would not suppose a substantial additional workload for university lecturers, holds the potential to serve as a valuable tool to eliminate gender segregation, enhancing students’ academic self-concept, and improving their prospects for success. Additionally, it emphasizes higher cognitive skills, particularly the critical thinking skills that are essential within the university environment.
{"title":"Tools that Eliminate Gender Differences in the Academic Self-Concept","authors":"Natalia González-Benítez, Javier Palomino, Maria del Carmen Molina","doi":"10.1525/abt.2024.86.3.143","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2024.86.3.143","url":null,"abstract":"Despite critical thinking supporting a deeper understanding of the scientific process, university activities prioritize lower cognitive processes, such as remembering skills. Also, it is unclear whether gender biases in interest toward science exist in university science degrees. These hinder students from achieving their goals effectively since students’ test scores and motivation improve with project-based learning. The main goal of this study is to examine the influence of active methodology based on research project-based learning (RPBL) on students’ overall perception and its variation across gender groups in relation to the acquisition of higher-order cognitive skills. The RPBL activity will consist of a straightforward microbial ecology project in which the students will use conventional and affordable lab equipment. The project will address all higher-order thinking skills levels included in Bloom’s taxonomy. We evaluated students’ perception of their learning outcomes on lab and cognitive skills, including the effect of gender, using two online surveys we passed before and after the RPBL activity. The results displayed that the students’ opinion regarding the project was decidedly favorable. Most of the students view the potential effort required for these activities positively, as it pertains to the subject matter and enhances their learning. However, the gender differences that were observed prior to the project’s implementation disappeared once the activity was carried out. Female students lacked confidence in their statistical skills while they had high confidence in their laboratory skills compared to male students. After attending our RPBL activity, female students gained confidence in statistics, and male students gained confidence in laboratory skills. This project reveals that a straightforward and affordable RPBL activity, which would not suppose a substantial additional workload for university lecturers, holds the potential to serve as a valuable tool to eliminate gender segregation, enhancing students’ academic self-concept, and improving their prospects for success. Additionally, it emphasizes higher cognitive skills, particularly the critical thinking skills that are essential within the university environment.","PeriodicalId":513114,"journal":{"name":"The American Biology Teacher","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140084662","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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