Changing the science education paradigm: from teaching facts to engaging the intellect: Science Education Colloquia Series, Spring 2011

Dr. Jo Handelsman, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor in the Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology at Yale University, is a long-time devotee of scientific teaching, receiving this year’s Presidential Award for Science Mentoring. She gave a seminar entitled “What is Scientific Teaching? The Changing Landscape of Science Education” as a part of the Scientific Education Colloquia Series in spring 2011. After dissecting what is wrong with the status quo of American scientific education, several ideological and practical changes are proposed, including active learning, regular assessment, diversity, and mentorship.     

The effects of an online learning environment with worked examples and peer feedback on students’ argumentative essay writing and domain-specific knowledge acquisition in the field of biotechnology

Abstract

The present study investigated the effects of an online learning environment supported with worked examples and peer feedback on students’ argumentative essay writing and domain-specific knowledge acquisition in the field of biotechnology. As part of a bigger project, a pre- and post-test study design was used with 45 bachelor students who were randomly grouped in pairs. Students were asked to analyse a case and write an argumentative essay taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of genetically modified organisms. The results showed that the combination of worked examples and peer feedback improve the quality of argumentative essay writing and facilitate the acquisition of domain-specific knowledge. Implications, suggestions, and future research are discussed.     

Book Reviews

In the Wake of the Whale by John A. Barbour, Crowell-Collier Press, 866 Third Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10022. 102 pages. $3.95.

All About Telescopes by Sam Brown. Edmund Scientific Co., 380 Edscorp Bldg., Barrington, N.J. 08007, 192 pages.

How Animals Learn by Russell Freedman and James E. Morriss, Holiday House, Inc., New York, New York, 159 pages, $3.95.

When Insects are Babies, by Gladys Conklin, pictures by Artur Marokvia, Holiday House, New York, 36 pages, $4.50.

The Technology of Computer Music by M. V. Mathews et al., M.I.T. Press, Cambridge, Mass., 188 pages, $12.50.

Investigations in Earth Science by Gregory W. Beckway and Earl Young. Daniel L. Jones, Consultant. Hubbard Scientific Company, 2855 Shermer Rd., Northbrook, Illinois, 60062. 96 pages, $3.50.

Discovering what Earthworms Do by Seymour Simon, McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York, 1969. 47 pages.

Matter, Life, and Energy by W. B. Herron and N. P. Palmer, Lyons and Carnahan, 407 East 25th Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60616. 1967. 616 pages.

The Desert (Young Readers Edition) by A. Starker Leopold and the Editors of TIME-LIFE BOOKS, Time-Life Building, Rockefeller Center, New York, N.Y. 10020, 1967, 128 pp. $3.95.

Physics by Samuel A. Marantz, Benziger Brothers, Inc., New York, 1969. 772 pages.     

Validity of surrogates for determination of 30–1000 Hz magnetic field exposure for video display terminal users in office settings

In studies investigating adverse reproductive outcomes associated with video display terminal (VDT) usage, amounts of time spent in front of a VDT or magnetic field (MF) levels in front of the VDT are used as surrogate measures of subject's MF exposure. However, the relevance of such surrogates to actual exposures has not been demonstrated, and the validity of the use of such measures as a surrogate for the actual MF exposure is only speculative. This study examines 1) measurements of MFs at frequencies of approximately 30–1000 Hz at a fixed distance from the VDTs, 2) reported hours of VDT use, and 3) reported distance between the VDT and the subject's waist as surrogate measures for the average MF exposure level of a VDT user during one 8 h workday. The results showed a weak correlation between the average exposure level of a VDT user and the MF 46 cm from a VDT (R = 0.52, n = 67, P < 0.001). This study showed no association between self-reported hours of VDT usage, or self-reported distance between waist and VDT, and the average MF exposures. Moreover, individuals' average MF exposures did not seem to be affected by other variables, such as position of a VDT on the desk, hours of desk use, and the VDT type (color vs. monochrome). These findings indicate that VDT exposures within office settings are complex and cannot be easily predicted by surrogates. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Using online lectures to make time for active learning

To make time in class for group activities devoted to critical thinking, we integrated a series of short online lectures into the homework assignments of a large, introductory biology course at a research university. The majority of students viewed the online lectures before coming to class and reported that the online lectures helped them to complete the in-class activity and did not increase the amount of time they devoted to the course. In addition, students who viewed the online lecture performed better on clicker questions designed to test lower-order cognitive skills. The in-class activities then gave the students practice analyzing the information in groups and provided the instructor with feedback about the students' understanding of the material. On the basis of the results of this study, we support creating hybrid course models that allow students to learn the fundamental information outside of class time, thereby creating time during the class period to be dedicated toward the conceptual understanding of the material.     

Contemplating a Constructivist Stance for Active Learning within Music Education

This article examines constructivist philosophies for learning with an emphasis on student-centered environments in education and the active involvement of students in learning as they relate new understanding to what they already know and refine previous skills in terms of newly acquired proficiencies. Active learning is explored from a constructivist perspective in which students adopt an analytic approach to questioning and problem solving. Through these processes, students extend their current understanding and emerge as independent musicians, actively engaged in their work as singers, players, composers, improvisers, and listeners. This approach is contrasted with student involvement in hands-on activities in which the focus is on the actions needed to fulfill a given task and limited awareness is devoted to the thinking required to complete the work. I examine the implications of this approach for educational practice and call on policymakers to re-envision music education with attention to engaged learning as perceived within constructivist ways of knowing.