A continuing challenge in life-science education is to foster student engagement with complex, occasionally dry material. One approach to this challenge is to build connections between classroom topics and the "real world." We outline here an active-learning assignment in which students write to a local representative concerning a current social or environmental problem. In their letters, students present the scientific basis of the problem, evaluate opposing viewpoints, and describe their own science-based recommendation. This assignment empowers students by recognizing their ability to build connections and contribute insight. By fostering student engagement and interdisciplinary understanding, this can be a useful and exciting complement to classroom learning. © 2011 by National Association of Biology Teachers. All rights reserved.
Challenging a "Why Should I Care" Attitude by Incorporating Societal Issues in the Classroom
HOBAN, Sean Michael;
2011
Abstract
A continuing challenge in life-science education is to foster student engagement with complex, occasionally dry material. One approach to this challenge is to build connections between classroom topics and the "real world." We outline here an active-learning assignment in which students write to a local representative concerning a current social or environmental problem. In their letters, students present the scientific basis of the problem, evaluate opposing viewpoints, and describe their own science-based recommendation. This assignment empowers students by recognizing their ability to build connections and contribute insight. By fostering student engagement and interdisciplinary understanding, this can be a useful and exciting complement to classroom learning. © 2011 by National Association of Biology Teachers. All rights reserved.I documenti in SFERA sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
