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.
How to translate text using browser tools
1 January 2011
Challenging a “Why Should I Care” Attitude by Incorporating Societal Issues in the Classroom
Sean Hoban,
Jeanne Romero-Severson
ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE
It is not available for individual sale.
This article is only available to subscribers.
It is not available for individual sale.
It is not available for individual sale.
The American Biology Teacher
Vol. 73 • No. 1
January 2011
Vol. 73 • No. 1
January 2011
Active learning
extra credit
public policy