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Pathways to Scientific Teaching

Pathways to Scientific Teaching. Diane Ebert-May Department of Plant Biology Michigan State University ebertmay@msu.edu http://first2.org. 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

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Pathways to Scientific Teaching

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  1. Pathways to Scientific Teaching Diane Ebert-May Department of Plant Biology Michigan State University ebertmay@msu.edu http://first2.org

  2. The trouble with our times is that the future is not what it used to be. -Paul Valery, The Art of Poetry

  3. Scientific Teaching • Engage • Explore • Explain • Assess

  4. Engage

  5. Question 1 • Students learn science best by doing science. Please respond on a scale of 1-5: 1=strongly agree; 2=agree; 3=neutral; 4= disagree; 5=strongly disagree

  6. Question 2 • Science should be taught as it is practiced. Please respond on a scale of 1-5: 1=strongly agree; 2=agree; 3=neutral; 4= disagree; 5=strongly disagree

  7. Learners doing science...

  8. Question 3 • How important is it to use multiple kinds of data to assess student learning? Please respond on a scale if 0-100 in increments of 10:

  9. How important is it to use multiple forms of data to assess student learning? % Relative Importance n=127

  10. Question 4 • How often do you use data to • make instructional decisions? Please respond on a scale of 0 - 100 in increments of 10:

  11. How often do you use data to make instructional decisions? % Frequency n=127

  12. 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.

  13. System Model

  14. Question 6 • In my department, excellence and scholarship in teaching is rewarded at a level comparable to excellence amd scholarship in research. Please respond on a scale of 1-5: 1=strongly agree, 2=agree, 3=neutral, 4=disagree, 5=strongly disagree

  15. Explore

  16. 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)

  17. 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.

  18. Final Assessment?

  19. Identify desired outcomes Determine acceptable evidence Design learning experiences and instruction Wiggins and McTighe 1998

  20. Question 7 • True or False? • Assessing student learning in science parallels what scientists/do as researchers.

  21. 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’?

  22. 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

  23. 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

  24. Parallel: peer review • Ideas and results are peer reviewed - formally and/or informally.

  25. 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... Guidelines for thinking about research...

  26. Research Designs

  27. Data collection

  28. Explain

  29. Model for Learning - System

  30. Question How do analogous assessment questions help us determine students’ prior understanding and progressive thinking about the carbon cycle?

  31. 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.

  32. Quantitative Data • Qualitative Data Design Experiment Ebert-May et al. 2003 Bioscience

  33. 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 Instructional Design

  34. 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) Experimental Design

  35. 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 Assessment Design

  36. 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

  37. 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 Problem (2)

  38. 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.

  39. 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. Grandma Johnson Problem

  40. 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) Analysis of Responses

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