Transcript Pathways to Scientific Teaching

Pathways to
Scientific
Teaching
Diane Ebert-May
Department of Plant Biology
Michigan State University
[email protected]
http://first2.org
Q u ic k T im e ™
a n d a G r a p h ic s
decom pr ess or
a r e n e e d e d t o s e e t h is
p ic t u r e .
The trouble with our times is that the
future is not what it used to be.
-Paul Valery, The Art of Poetry
Scientific Teaching
Engage
Explore
Explain
Assess
Engage
Question 1
Please respond on a scale of 1-5:
1=strongly agree; 2=agree; 3=neutral; 4= disagree; 5=strongly
disagree
Students learn science best
by doing science.
Question 2
Please respond on a scale of 1-5:
1=strongly agree; 2=agree; 3=neutral; 4= disagree; 5=strongly
disagree
Science should be taught
as it is practiced.
Learners doing science...
Question 3
Please respond on a scale if 0-100
in increments of 10:
How important is it to use
multiple kinds of data to
assess student learning?
How important is it to use multiple forms of
data to assess student learning?
%
Relative Importance
n=127
Question 4
Please respond on a scale of 0 - 100
in increments of 10:
How often do you use data
to
make instructional
decisions?
How often do you use data to make
instructional decisions?
%
Frequency
n=127
Question 5
Please respond on a scale of 1-5:
1=strongly agree; 2=agree; 3=neutral; 4= disagree; 5=strongly
disagree
Scientific teaching usually
occurs in large lecture classes
in my department.
System
Model
Question 6
Please respond on a scale of 1-5:
1=strongly agree, 2=agree, 3=neutral, 4=disagree, 5=strongly
disagree
In my department,
excellence and scholarship in
teaching is rewarded at a
level comparable to
excellence amd scholarship
in research.
Explore
What is assessment?
Data collection with the purpose of
answering questions about…
students’ understanding
students’ attitudes
students’ skills
instructional design and implementation
curricular reform (at multiple grainsizes)
Why do assessment?
Video
Improve student learning and development.
Provides students and faculty
substantive feedback about student
understanding.
Challenge to use disciplinary research
strategies to assess learning.
Final Assessment?
Identify desired
outcomes
Determine
acceptable
evidence
Design learning
experiences and
instruction
Wiggins and McTighe 1998
Question 7
True or False?
Assessing student learning in
science parallels what
scientists/do as researchers.
Parallel: ask
questions
Description:
-What is happening?
Cause:
-Does ‘x’ (teaching strategy) affect
‘y’ (understanding)?
Process or mechanism:
-Why or how does ‘x’ cause ‘y’?
Parallel: collect data
We collect data to find out what our
students know.
Data helps us understand student
thinking about concepts and
content.
We use data to guide decisions
about course/curriculum/innovative
instruction
Parallel: analyze data
Quantitative data - statistical
analysis
Qualitative data
break into manageable units and
define coding categories
search for patterns, quantify
interpret and synthesize
Valid and repeatable measures
Parallel: peer review
Ideas and results are peer
reviewed - formally and/or
informally.
Guidelines for thinking
about research...
What did students learn? (assessment data)
Why did students respond a particular way? (research)
Significant question?
What are the working hypotheses? Relevant theory..
What has already been done? Literature says...
How and why select methods? Direct investigation...
How to analyze and interpret data?
What do the results mean? Coherent reasoning...
Are findings replicable and generalizable? Critique by peers...
Research Designs
Data collection
Explain
Model for
Learning - System
Question
How do analogous assessment questions
help us determine students’ prior
understanding and progressive thinking
about the carbon cycle?
Some Common Misconceptions
about Photosynthesis & Respiration
Concept 1: Matter disappears during decomposition of organisms in
the soil.
Concept 2: Photosynthesis as Energy: Photosynthesis provides
energy for uptake of nutrients through roots which builds biomass.
No biomass built through photosynthesis alone.
Concept 3: Thin Air: CO2 and O2 are gases therefore, do not have
mass and therefore, can not add or take away mass from an
organism.
Concept 4: Plant Altruism: CO2 is converted to O2 in plant leaves so
that all organisms can ‘breathe’.
Concept 5: All Green: Plants have chloroplasts instead of
mitochondria so they can not respire.
Design Experiment
Quantitative Data
Qualitative Data
Ebert-May et al. 2003 Bioscience
Instructional Design
Two class meetings on carbon cycle (160
minutes)
Active, inquiry-based learning
Cooperative groups
Questions, group processing, large lecture
sections, small discussion sections, multi-week
laboratory investigation
Homework problems including web-based
modules
Different faculty for each course
One graduate/8-10 undergraduate TAs per
course
Experimental Design
Two introductory courses for majors:
Bio 1 - organismal/population biology (faculty
A)
Bio 2 - cell and molecular biology (faculty B)
Three cohorts:
Cohort 1
Bio 1 (n=141)
Cohort 2
Bio1/Bio2 (n=63)
Cohort 3
Other/Bio2 (n=40)
Assessment Design
Multiple iterations/versions of the carbon
cycle problem
Pretest, midterm, final with additional
formative assessments during class
Administered during instruction
Semester 1 - pretest, midterm, final exam
Semester 2 - final exam
Problem
Experimental setup:
Weighed out 3 batches of radish seeds
each weighing 1.5 g.
Experimental treatments:
1. Seeds placed on moistened paper
towels in LIGHT
2. Seeds placed on moistened paper
towels in DARK
3. Seeds not moistened (left DRY) placed
in light
Problem (2)
After 1 week, all plant material was
dried in an oven overnight (no water
left) and plant biomass was
measured in grams.
Predict the biomass of the plant
material in the various treatments.
Water, light
Water, dark
No water, light
Results:
Mass of Radish Seeds/Seedlings
1.46 g
1.63 g
1.20 g
Write an explanation about the results.
Explain the results.
Write individually on carbonless paper.
Grandma Johnson
Problem
Hypothetical scenario: Grandma Johnson
had very sentimental feelings toward Johnson
Canyon, Utah, where she and her late husband
had honeymooned long ago. Her feelings
toward this spot were such that upon her death
she requested to be buried under a creosote
bush overlooking the canyon. Trace the path of
a carbon atom from Grandma Johnson’s
remains to where it could become part of a
coyote. NOTE: the coyote will not dig up
Grandma Johnson and consume any of her
remains.
Analysis of Responses
Used same scoring rubric (coding scheme) for
all three problems - calibrated by adding
additional criteria when necessary, rescoring:
Examined two major concepts:
Concept 1: Decomposers respire CO2
Concept 2: Plants uptake of CO2
Explanations categorized into two groups:
Organisms (trophic levels)
Processes (metabolic)
Coding Scheme
Code
Organisms
Code
Processes and pathways
1
Decomposers
IA
Cellular Respiration
IB
Release CO
IIA
Pathway of Carbon
2
Primary
producers
2
IIA _1: through Air
IIA _2 : through Root
IIA _3 : no mention about pathway
3
4
Herbivore
Carnivore
IIB
Make Glucose
II C
Photosynthesis
III
Respiration
(glycolysis, Kreb cycle)
IV
Respiration
(glycolysis, Kreb cycle)
Correct Student Responses (%)
Cellular Respiration by Decomposers
Bio1/Bio2
Other/Bio2
Friedmans, p<0.01
Correct Student Responses (%)
Pathway of Carbon in Photosynthesis
Bio1/Bio2
Other/Bio2
Friedmans, p<0.05
Another Question
Does active, inquiry-based instructional
design influence students’
understanding of evolution and natural
selection?
Alternative Conceptions:
Natural Selection
■ Changes in a population occur through a
gradual change in individual members of a
population.
■ New traits in species are developed in
response to need.
■ All members of a population are genetically
equivalent, variation and fitness are not
considered.
■ Traits acquired during an individual’s lifetime
will be inherited by offspring.
Explain the changes that occurred in
the tree and animal. Use your current
understanding of evolution by natural
selection.
(AAAS 1999)
Misconception: individuals evolve new traits
% of Students
n=80; p<.01
Misconception: evolution is driven by need
% of Students
n=80; p<.01
In guppy populations, what are the primary
changes that occur gradually over time?
a. The traits of each individual guppy within a
population gradually change.
b. The proportions of guppies having different traits
within a population change.
c. Successful behaviors learned by certain guppies are
passed on to offspring.
d. Mutations occur to meet the needs of the guppies as
the environment changes.
Anderson et al 2002
Posttest: Student responses to
mc
% of Students
n=171
*
Animal/Tree Posttest:
Gain in student understanding of fitness
% of Students
n=80; p<.01
Scientific
Teaching
Active participation to
learn
Assessment is evidence
Diversity is science for
all...
IRD Team at MSU
Janet Batzli - Plant Biology [U of Wisconsin]
Doug Luckie - Physiology
Scott Harrison - Microbiology (grad student)
Tammy Long - Plant Biology
Deb Linton - Plant Biology (postdoc)
Rett Weber - Plant Biology
Heejun Lim - Chemistry Education
Duncan Sibley - Geology
Rob Pennock - Philosophy
Charles Ofria - Engineering
Rich Lenski - Microbiolgy
*National Science Foundation