Why?

Why teach X

Why? How?

Why teach X How to teach X

Why? How? What?

Why teach X How to teach X What to teach

The Questions

• Why are you in college? Or, what do you want to get out of your college education?

• How do you learn best?

• What do you want to learn in this class?

• What are you curious about?

Student Learning Goals

Why students are in college. They want to be able to…

Ability to communicate effectively

Student Learning Goals

Why students are in college. They want to be able to…

Ability to communicate effectively

Ability to solve problems Gain confidence Ability to apply knowledge Ability to use time effectively Increase opportunities

Selection of responses from past evolutionary biology courses

Student Learning Goals

Habits of highly successful people (Covey 2011)

Ability to communicate effectively with persons inside and outside your field

Ability to solve problems Ability to obtain and process

information Ability to work effectively in a

team Ability to plan, organize and

prioritize

Student Learning Goals

Why students are in college. They want to be able to…

Ability to communicate effectively

Ability to solve problems Gain confidence Ability to apply knowledge Ability to use time effectively Increase opportunities

Selection of responses from past evolutionary biology courses

Habits of highly successful people (Covey 2011)

Ability to communicate effectively with persons inside and outside your field

Ability to solve problems Ability to obtain and process

information Ability to work effectively in a

team Ability to plan, organize and

prioritize

Student Learning Goals

Why students are in college. They want to be able to…

Ability to communicate effectively

Ability to solve problems Gain confidence Ability to apply knowledge Ability to use time effectively Increase opportunities

Selection of responses from past evolutionary biology courses

Habits of highly successful people (Covey 2011)

Ability to communicate effectively with persons inside and outside your field

Ability to solve problems Ability to obtain and process

information Ability to work effectively in a

team Ability to plan, organize and

prioritize

Goals For Course• Big Ideas

– Mutation is random and is the source of heritable variation

– Most evolution happens as a consequence of selection operating on heritable variation

– Shared ancestry explains most of the similarities among divergent organisms

– Biodiversity reflects the process of cumulative change in diverging lineages over long periods of time

– We can know the history of life on Earth from direct fossil evidence and by inference

• Core Competencies– Graphically, verbally, and

quantitatively represent systems and problems

– Identify, create, and design tests of alternative hypotheses

– Correctly interpret information (graphs, tables, text, etc) and use the information to construct arguments based on evidence

– Collaborate with people of varying knowledge and points of view toward common goals

– Communicate with brevity, clarity, and scientific persuasion

Why These Content Goals?

• Central, foundational principles of evolution

• Cross-cutting concepts that extend beyond the realm of evolution and biology

• Recurrent themes in all discussions about the diversity and complexity of life on Earth

Why These Process Goals?

• Map onto qualities that explain why people are successful

• Align with published documents focused on improving education (e.g. Vision and Change)

• Important for scientific thinking and the scientific process

How Are We Going to Learn?

• Emphasize activities that engage whole brain• Use research-based best practices• Concentrate on problems at high cognitive

levels• Develop a cooperative learning culture that

values and respects the contributions of everyone

• Engage in frequent self-reflection

Learning Model 1

Learning Model 1

Draw the Nerve from the Medulla to the Larynx

Anatomy of the neck and upper body

Choose the Drawing Most Similar to Yours

A) B) C)

D) None of the pictures are similar to mine

Learning Model 2

Learning Model 2

- + - +

Learning Model 2

- + - +AttentionInteractive

Social interactionsSleep, good dietReplicationReinforcementNovel situations

No ContextLack of sleep

Lack of exerciseBad diet

DistractionOnly listening

No practiceNo motivation

Best Practices

Lecture

Active-learning

Active learning achieves much greater learning gains

Deslauriers et al. 2011. Science

Overview of a Learning Cycle

Overview of a Learning CycleShort reading

Low stakes quiz

Something that will be used in class

What Are We Going to Learn?

• Fundamental principles of evolution through the use of case studies

• Science process skills (data manipulation, visualization, and analysis)

• How to work productively with your peers towards common goals

What Is Active Learning: An Example

• Construct a concept map– A concept map is a tool for organizing, connecting

and representing knowledge

A word

Linking phrase

Your Challenge

• Construct a concept map for 8-10 words (concepts) in evolutionary biology

• After about 10 minutes, each individual works together with 2 to 3 other students to construct a consensus network

• Each group draws their network on a white board

• Students compare and contrast networks

Mutation

Natural selection

Variation

Generation

Adaptation

Speciation

Population

Extinction

IndividualsTraits

happens to

can change

acts on

causes

that can contribute to

increases

is necessary for consist of many

happens in a

happens within a

can result in

can result in

is the opposite of

happens within a

Senses Hippocampus Synapses Whole brain Learning

Short-term Consolidation

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

- +- +

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

- +AttentionMultisensory

ReplicationReinforcementNovel situations

Social interactionSleepExerciseGood Diet

No ContextLack of sleep

Lack of exerciseBad diet

DistractionOne sense

SightSound

HearingTaste

Feel

List some things that positively and negatively influence each process

Learning Model 2

Senses Hippocampus Synapses Whole brain Learning

How We Learn

Short-term Consolidation

Changes to1) Number2) Connectivity

What It Is1) Use2) Application

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

- +- +

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

- +AttentionMultisensory

ReplicationReinforcementNovel situations

Social interactionSleepExerciseGood Diet

No ContextLack of sleep

Lack of exerciseBad diet

DistractionOne sense

SightSound

HearingTaste

Feel