Pub Date : 2024-03-01DOI: 10.1525/abt.2024.86.3.167
Philip Mirkin
The volume of content and abstract nature of organic chemistry is challenging and potentially intimidating for students. I describe a strategy for facilitating student development of heuristic tools for engaging with the subject. By using experimental and researched data on carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen, the bulk chemical elements of organic chemistry, my students were encouraged to develop a “character reference” for each. The heuristics of characterization enabled them to relate more easily and engage more creatively with the work, including when working with complex organic molecules later on. I used this approach when teaching carbohydrates, alcohols, fats and proteins to 12- to 14-year-old students.
{"title":"Developing Student Heuristic Characterizations to Help Them “Bond” with Organic Chemistry","authors":"Philip Mirkin","doi":"10.1525/abt.2024.86.3.167","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2024.86.3.167","url":null,"abstract":"The volume of content and abstract nature of organic chemistry is challenging and potentially intimidating for students. I describe a strategy for facilitating student development of heuristic tools for engaging with the subject. By using experimental and researched data on carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen, the bulk chemical elements of organic chemistry, my students were encouraged to develop a “character reference” for each. The heuristics of characterization enabled them to relate more easily and engage more creatively with the work, including when working with complex organic molecules later on. I used this approach when teaching carbohydrates, alcohols, fats and proteins to 12- to 14-year-old students.","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":"140085788","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 : 2024-02-01DOI: 10.1525/abt.2024.86.2.120
K. Milks, F. Cloud, Mark Terry
{"title":"The Master Builder","authors":"K. Milks, F. Cloud, Mark Terry","doi":"10.1525/abt.2024.86.2.120","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2024.86.2.120","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":513114,"journal":{"name":"The American Biology Teacher","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139892017","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 : 2024-02-01DOI: 10.1525/abt.2024.86.2.62
C. Babaian, Sudhir Kumar
When students think of evolution, they might imagine T. rex, or perhaps an abiotic scene of sizzling electrical storms and harsh reducing atmospheres, an Earth that looks like a lunar landscape. Natural selection automatically elicits responses that include “survival of the fittest,” and “descent with modification,” and with these historical biological catch phrases, one conjures up images of large animals battling it out on the Mesozoic plane. Rarely do teachers or students apply these same ideas to cancer and the evolution of somatic cells, which have accrued mutations and epigenetic imprinting and relentlessly survive and proliferate. Our questions in this paper include the following: Can cancer become an important teaching model for students to explore fundamental hypotheses about evolutionary process? Can the multi- step somatic cancer model encourage visualizations that enable students to revisit and reenter previous primary concepts in general biology such as the cell, mitosis, chromosomes, genetic diversity, ecological diversity, immune function, and of course evolution, continually integrating their biology knowledge into process and pattern knowledge? Can the somatic cancer model expose similar patterns and protagonists, linking Darwinian observations of the natural world to our body? And, can the cancer clone model excite critical thinking and student hypotheses about what cancer is as a biological process? Does this visually simple model assist students in recognizing patterns, connecting their biological curriculum dots into a more coherent learning experience? These biological dynamics and intercepting aptitudes of cells are amplified through the cancer model and can help shape the way biology students begin to appreciate the interrelatedness of all biological systems while they continue to explore pivotal points of biological fuzziness, such as the microbiome, limitations of models, and the complex coordination of genomic networks required for the function of even a single cell and the realization of phenotypes. In this paper we use clonal evolution of cancer as a model experience for students to recreate how a single, non-germline cell appears to shadow the classic pattern of natural selection in body cells that have gone awry. With authentic STEAM activities students can easily crossover and revisit previous biological topics and the ubiquitous nature of natural selection as seen in the example of somatic cells that result in a metastasizing tumor, giving students insight into natural selection’s accommodating and tractable patterns throughout the planet.
{"title":"Of Phylogenies and Tumors","authors":"C. Babaian, Sudhir Kumar","doi":"10.1525/abt.2024.86.2.62","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2024.86.2.62","url":null,"abstract":"When students think of evolution, they might imagine T. rex, or perhaps an abiotic scene of sizzling electrical storms and harsh reducing atmospheres, an Earth that looks like a lunar landscape. Natural selection automatically elicits responses that include “survival of the fittest,” and “descent with modification,” and with these historical biological catch phrases, one conjures up images of large animals battling it out on the Mesozoic plane. Rarely do teachers or students apply these same ideas to cancer and the evolution of somatic cells, which have accrued mutations and epigenetic imprinting and relentlessly survive and proliferate. Our questions in this paper include the following: Can cancer become an important teaching model for students to explore fundamental hypotheses about evolutionary process? Can the multi- step somatic cancer model encourage visualizations that enable students to revisit and reenter previous primary concepts in general biology such as the cell, mitosis, chromosomes, genetic diversity, ecological diversity, immune function, and of course evolution, continually integrating their biology knowledge into process and pattern knowledge? Can the somatic cancer model expose similar patterns and protagonists, linking Darwinian observations of the natural world to our body? And, can the cancer clone model excite critical thinking and student hypotheses about what cancer is as a biological process? Does this visually simple model assist students in recognizing patterns, connecting their biological curriculum dots into a more coherent learning experience? These biological dynamics and intercepting aptitudes of cells are amplified through the cancer model and can help shape the way biology students begin to appreciate the interrelatedness of all biological systems while they continue to explore pivotal points of biological fuzziness, such as the microbiome, limitations of models, and the complex coordination of genomic networks required for the function of even a single cell and the realization of phenotypes.\u0000 In this paper we use clonal evolution of cancer as a model experience for students to recreate how a single, non-germline cell appears to shadow the classic pattern of natural selection in body cells that have gone awry. With authentic STEAM activities students can easily crossover and revisit previous biological topics and the ubiquitous nature of natural selection as seen in the example of somatic cells that result in a metastasizing tumor, giving students insight into natural selection’s accommodating and tractable patterns throughout the planet.","PeriodicalId":513114,"journal":{"name":"The American Biology Teacher","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139818661","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 : 2024-02-01DOI: 10.1525/abt.2024.86.2.55
Ross H. Nehm
{"title":"Considering Explanatory Diversity and Holistic Understanding of Biological Phenomena","authors":"Ross H. Nehm","doi":"10.1525/abt.2024.86.2.55","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2024.86.2.55","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":513114,"journal":{"name":"The American Biology Teacher","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139828082","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 : 2024-02-01DOI: 10.1525/abt.2024.86.2.94
Aaron E. Kidd, Daniel J. De Jesús, Sarah V. Poor
Evolutionary theory is foundational to the life sciences because it unifies complex ecological principles and explains variation observed between and within species. Students at the secondary level often lack deep conceptual understanding of evolutionary theory, which is crucial to grasp topics related to primary drivers within populations such as inter- and intra-specific competition, predation, and reproductive success. Nonetheless, evolution remains a contentious topic in the United States. The prevalence of pseudoscientific belief among the U.S. populace warrants a calculated approach to deconstructing student misconceptions. This article puts forth an action-research-supported instructional strategy through which educators can identify and address core student misconceptions regarding evolutionary theory and other complex scientific phenomena, utilizing real-world and student-generated models to drive instruction.
{"title":"Elephant Tusks and Natural Selection","authors":"Aaron E. Kidd, Daniel J. De Jesús, Sarah V. Poor","doi":"10.1525/abt.2024.86.2.94","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2024.86.2.94","url":null,"abstract":"Evolutionary theory is foundational to the life sciences because it unifies complex ecological principles and explains variation observed between and within species. Students at the secondary level often lack deep conceptual understanding of evolutionary theory, which is crucial to grasp topics related to primary drivers within populations such as inter- and intra-specific competition, predation, and reproductive success. Nonetheless, evolution remains a contentious topic in the United States. The prevalence of pseudoscientific belief among the U.S. populace warrants a calculated approach to deconstructing student misconceptions. This article puts forth an action-research-supported instructional strategy through which educators can identify and address core student misconceptions regarding evolutionary theory and other complex scientific phenomena, utilizing real-world and student-generated models to drive instruction.","PeriodicalId":513114,"journal":{"name":"The American Biology Teacher","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139891165","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 : 2024-02-01DOI: 10.1525/abt.2024.86.2.108
Agnieszka Szarecka, Christopher Dobson
Computer modeling and protein structure visualization tools are effective and engaging ways of presenting various molecular biology concepts to high school and college students. Here, we describe a series of activities and exercises that use online bioinformatics databases and programs to search for and obtain protein sequence and structure data and use it to build homology models of proteins. Exercises in homology modeling can serve the pedagogical purpose of introducing and illustrating the concept of homology within gene and protein families, which results in conservation of the 3D structures of proteins and allows us to predict structures when experimental data are not available.
{"title":"A Tool to Teach Evolution of Protein Sequences and Structures","authors":"Agnieszka Szarecka, Christopher Dobson","doi":"10.1525/abt.2024.86.2.108","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2024.86.2.108","url":null,"abstract":"Computer modeling and protein structure visualization tools are effective and engaging ways of presenting various molecular biology concepts to high school and college students. Here, we describe a series of activities and exercises that use online bioinformatics databases and programs to search for and obtain protein sequence and structure data and use it to build homology models of proteins. Exercises in homology modeling can serve the pedagogical purpose of introducing and illustrating the concept of homology within gene and protein families, which results in conservation of the 3D structures of proteins and allows us to predict structures when experimental data are not available.","PeriodicalId":513114,"journal":{"name":"The American Biology Teacher","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139880727","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 : 2024-02-01DOI: 10.1525/abt.2024.86.2.55
Ross H. Nehm
{"title":"Considering Explanatory Diversity and Holistic Understanding of Biological Phenomena","authors":"Ross H. Nehm","doi":"10.1525/abt.2024.86.2.55","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2024.86.2.55","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":513114,"journal":{"name":"The American Biology Teacher","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139887829","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 : 2024-02-01DOI: 10.1525/abt.2024.86.2.120
K. Milks, F. Cloud, Mark Terry
{"title":"The Master Builder","authors":"K. Milks, F. Cloud, Mark Terry","doi":"10.1525/abt.2024.86.2.120","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2024.86.2.120","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":513114,"journal":{"name":"The American Biology Teacher","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139831729","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 : 2024-02-01DOI: 10.1525/abt.2024.86.2.117
Jeffrey D. Sack, Daniel G. Ferguson
{"title":"Reconciling Evolution","authors":"Jeffrey D. Sack, Daniel G. Ferguson","doi":"10.1525/abt.2024.86.2.117","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2024.86.2.117","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":513114,"journal":{"name":"The American Biology Teacher","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139815968","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 : 2024-02-01DOI: 10.1525/abt.2024.86.2.71
Kristy L Daniel, Daniel Ferguson, E. A. Leone, C. Bucklin
Phylogenetic tree diagrams are commonly found in introductory biology curricula and represent the evolutionary relationships of organisms. Tree-thinking, or the ability to accurately interpret, use, and generate these phylogenetic representations, involves a challenging set of skills for students to learn. Although many introductory biology courses incorporate tree-thinking instruction, few studies have identified which instructional methods provide the best learning gains for students. We gathered data from 884 introductory biology students using the Basic Evolutionary Tree-Thinking Skills Inventory (BETTSI) to measure tree-thinking learning gains. We measured tree-thinking differences across five sections of introductory biology, each offering a different instructional intervention, and compared differences among STEM majors and non-STEM majors. After calculating paired differences, we performed a two-way repeated measure analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Scheffe’s post hoc test to identify significant differences among and between the different interventions. We found that students who engaged in active tree-thinking instruction had significantly higher tree-thinking learning gains than students who participated in passive or no instruction. Furthermore, these learning gains became even more significant as active-learning became more multifaceted. These active-learning approaches also removed knowledge gaps between STEM majors and non-majors. Instructors must select explicit and active pedagogical approaches to support student tree-thinking to accomplish positive learning gains for all students.
{"title":"A Comparison of Measured Outcomes across Tree-Thinking Interventions","authors":"Kristy L Daniel, Daniel Ferguson, E. A. Leone, C. Bucklin","doi":"10.1525/abt.2024.86.2.71","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2024.86.2.71","url":null,"abstract":"Phylogenetic tree diagrams are commonly found in introductory biology curricula and represent the evolutionary relationships of organisms. Tree-thinking, or the ability to accurately interpret, use, and generate these phylogenetic representations, involves a challenging set of skills for students to learn. Although many introductory biology courses incorporate tree-thinking instruction, few studies have identified which instructional methods provide the best learning gains for students. We gathered data from 884 introductory biology students using the Basic Evolutionary Tree-Thinking Skills Inventory (BETTSI) to measure tree-thinking learning gains. We measured tree-thinking differences across five sections of introductory biology, each offering a different instructional intervention, and compared differences among STEM majors and non-STEM majors. After calculating paired differences, we performed a two-way repeated measure analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Scheffe’s post hoc test to identify significant differences among and between the different interventions. We found that students who engaged in active tree-thinking instruction had significantly higher tree-thinking learning gains than students who participated in passive or no instruction. Furthermore, these learning gains became even more significant as active-learning became more multifaceted. These active-learning approaches also removed knowledge gaps between STEM majors and non-majors. Instructors must select explicit and active pedagogical approaches to support student tree-thinking to accomplish positive learning gains for all students.","PeriodicalId":513114,"journal":{"name":"The American Biology Teacher","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139887782","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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