Submission Type
Event
Expected Graduation Date
2014
Location
Center for Natural Sciences, Illinois Wesleyan University
Start Date
4-12-2014 2:00 PM
End Date
4-12-2014 3:00 PM
Disciplines
Biology
Abstract
The “nature of science” is an educational concept that encourages science teachers to teach students about the origin, nature, methods, and limits of human knowledge. One way for students to experience the nature of science is through the creation and implementation of hands-on experiments. As a future biology teacher, I created a teaching module that incorporates an inquiry-based experiment that could be implemented into a high school biology curriculum. In this experiment, egg masses from the locally common freshwater snail Physa acuta were used to test the effect of rearing temperature on the rate of embryo development and survival. Within each egg mass are embryos that are contained within separate capsules. Materials present within the capsule nourish the developing embryo. For this teaching module, a detailed protocol was developed and then implemented by students enrolled in Biology 209 (Biostatistics and Experimental Design). Groups of students collected egg masses (old), divided each mass into two pieces with a similar number of egg capsules, photographed and measured each capsule, and distributed each ½ mass into a reference temperature incubator (23°C), and either a low (20°C), or high (26°C) temperature incubator. Students examined each ½ egg mass until offspring hatched from the capsule as juvenile snails or died; the date and time of each examination was recorded. At the end of the collection period, each group of students will use statistical tests to examine the effect of rearing temperature, the snail mother, egg capsule size, and embryo size on the time to hatching among all egg masses. To evaluate the pedagogical value of this experience, each student will complete a questionnaire to assess directly how this exercise influenced their understanding of experimentation and quantitative analysis.
Included in
Creating and Implementing a Teaching Module for the High School Biology Classroom
Center for Natural Sciences, Illinois Wesleyan University
The “nature of science” is an educational concept that encourages science teachers to teach students about the origin, nature, methods, and limits of human knowledge. One way for students to experience the nature of science is through the creation and implementation of hands-on experiments. As a future biology teacher, I created a teaching module that incorporates an inquiry-based experiment that could be implemented into a high school biology curriculum. In this experiment, egg masses from the locally common freshwater snail Physa acuta were used to test the effect of rearing temperature on the rate of embryo development and survival. Within each egg mass are embryos that are contained within separate capsules. Materials present within the capsule nourish the developing embryo. For this teaching module, a detailed protocol was developed and then implemented by students enrolled in Biology 209 (Biostatistics and Experimental Design). Groups of students collected egg masses (old), divided each mass into two pieces with a similar number of egg capsules, photographed and measured each capsule, and distributed each ½ mass into a reference temperature incubator (23°C), and either a low (20°C), or high (26°C) temperature incubator. Students examined each ½ egg mass until offspring hatched from the capsule as juvenile snails or died; the date and time of each examination was recorded. At the end of the collection period, each group of students will use statistical tests to examine the effect of rearing temperature, the snail mother, egg capsule size, and embryo size on the time to hatching among all egg masses. To evaluate the pedagogical value of this experience, each student will complete a questionnaire to assess directly how this exercise influenced their understanding of experimentation and quantitative analysis.