Increasing Student Comprehension of Evolutionary Biology by Using a Hands‐On Teaching Approach
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INCREASING STUDENT COMPREHENSION OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY BY USING A HANDS‐ON TEACHING APPROACH By Jill McNabnay A THESIS Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE Biological Science ‐ Interdepartmental 2011 ABSTRACT INCREASING STUDENT COMPREHENSION OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY BY USING A HANDS‐ON TEACHING APPROACH By Jill McNabnay Evolution is surrounded by controversy, and studies show that opposition to evolutionary concepts begins in childhood (Branch and Scott, 2008). Throughout their formative years, children compile many misconceptions surrounding this topic, which directly influences their views on science and their willingness to learn about evolution. So the issue at hand is not just what we teach students regarding evolutionary biology, but also how we teach them. Students in this study were taught evolutionary concepts in a hands‐on, activity based style of learning. They worked individually and within large and small groups. According to a one‐tailed paired t‐test, the results show that this hands‐on approach is a significant way to increase both student interest and knowledge of the content. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am indebted to many people for the completion of this Masters program. Personally, I would not have been able to do this without friends and family. Living two hours away from East Lansing required me to find places to stay while taking classes and completing Frontiers weekends. I am grateful to my brother and sister‐in‐law, Phil and Katie McNabnay, for opening up their home for me on many Frontiers weekends. I am also thankful for my good friend Erin VanKoevering for letting me stay with her for the past two summers. I also owe a debt of gratitude to my parents, Mike and Shelly McNabnay, who enthusiastically volunteered to watch my dog for the past three summers, while I was living elsewhere. Professionally, I would never have been able to do this without the help and guidance of Merle Heidemann. I am also grateful to Chuck Elzinga for instilling a passion within me, not only for the environment and environmental issues, but also for sharing that love with students. I’m thankful for the other biology teachers at Lakeshore High School, and their willingness to allow their students to participate in my research. My study is better for it. In particular, I am grateful for Lynda Smith, my mentor teacher, who is the reason that I ever went into biology education, and who also gives me a model teacher to look up to on a daily basis. I have gone through this entire program at Michigan State University with Heather Alonge and Krystal Roos, and I cannot imagine it any other way. We have learned a lot along the way, had a ton of fun together, and have become not only colleagues who share ideas, but friends who share our lives as well. I also owe a debt of gratitude to Jon and Katie Woodard for helping me format this paper. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES....................................................................................................................................................... vi LIST OF FIGURES...................................................................................................................................................viii INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................................................ 1 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK............................................................................................................................. 8 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES ....................................................................................................................................17 DEMOGRAPHICS.....................................................................................................................................................19 IMPLEMENTATION ...............................................................................................................................................21 Review of Activities ................................................................................................................................24 Addressing Misconceptions ................................................................................................................34 Tracking Student Progress ..................................................................................................................35 Assessments...............................................................................................................................................37 RESULTS AND ANALYSIS....................................................................................................................................38 CONCLUSION............................................................................................................................................................59 APPENDICES.............................................................................................................................................................64 APPENDIX A A1. Michigan High School Science Content Expectations (B5) ............................................65 A2. Parental Consent and Student Assent Form.........................................................................68 APPENDIX B B1. Geologic Time Scale Activity .......................................................................................................72 B2. Geologic Dating Online ..................................................................................................................76 B3. What Evolution Is Not....................................................................................................................78 B4. Variation in Bead Bug Populations...........................................................................................82 B5. Adaptations & Ecology Game......................................................................................................89 B6. The Concept of Natural Selection..............................................................................................93 B7. Speciation Story: Peter Rabbit Meets Charles Darwin..................................................103 B8. Mutation Rate Online Lab..........................................................................................................105 B9. When Milk Makes You Sick.......................................................................................................111 B10. Limiting Factors / Evolution Game ....................................................................................115 B11. Homologous & Analogous Structures................................................................................117 B12. Embryo Comparisons...............................................................................................................121 B13. Creating Phylogenetic Trees Using Caminalcules........................................................125 iv B14. Wolf Pack in a Bottle.................................................................................................................130 B15. Investigating Common Descent ...........................................................................................133 B16. The Hands of Primates.............................................................................................................140 B17. Phylogenies Based on DNA Sequences .............................................................................144 B18. Molecular Sequences & Primate Evolution.....................................................................152 B19. The Need for Vitamin C............................................................................................................161 APPENDIX C C1. Misconceptions About Evolution Journal ...........................................................................168 C2. Student Response Clicker System Review 1 Questions (Timescale)......................173 C3. Student Response Clicker System Review 2 Questions (Natural Selection) ................................................................................................................176 C4. Student Response Clicker System Review 3 Questions (Variation & Speciation)......................................................................................................179 C5. Student Response Clicker System Review 4 Questions (Structures) .....................183 C6. Student Response Clicker System Review 5 Questions (Evidence) ........................186 C7. Student Response Clicker System Review 6 Questions (Evolution).......................190 C8. Student Response Clicker System Review 7 Questions (Overall)............................192 APPENDIX D D1. Evolution Unit Pre/Post‐Survey.............................................................................................199 D2. Pre/Post‐Survey Rubric.............................................................................................................201 D3. Evolution Pre‐Test & Evolution Post‐Test.........................................................................203 D4. Pre/Post‐Test Rubric ..................................................................................................................212 D5. Website Project Rubric...............................................................................................................215