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Pathways to Scientific Teaching, Chapter 1 of 7: The first day of class--the most important

How motivated, empowered, and confident are students when they walk into a science course with 250 (or more) other students? Often students’ expectations are limited to taking notes on lectures, reading assigned text chapters, and struggling through exams in a subject that is often perceived by them as more challenging than many of their other courses. Students readily assume the role of passive participant because they are not called upon to do anything else. In an active, learner-centered classroom, a shift occurs from the instructor, as the primary deliverer of information and controller of grades, towards students, as active participants in the learning process. Maryellen Weimer (2002) eloquently describes how theories of education and social change (Freire 1993) inspired her to give students in her courses some control over those learning processes that directly affected them. Within a short period of time, she saw a change in students’ motivation, confidence, and enthusiasm for learning. If scientific teaching is a pathway to move us toward learner-centered instruction and the reallocation of power—from teacher as sole authority in the classroom to a balance of power with students—we must begin by building the classroom community.
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Resource Group "Pathways to Scientific Teaching" is based on a series of two-page articles published in "Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment" from August 2004 to June 2006 that illustrated effective instructional methods to help students gain conceptual understanding in ecology (Diane Ebert-May and Janet Hodder, 2008).

Note that in addition to undergraduate faculty, many high school teachers can use these articles as well in their biology courses.
Resource Group Link http://ecoed.esa.org/index.php?P=AdvancedSearch&Q=Y&FK=%22Pathways+to+...
Primary or BEN resource type
Secondary resource type
Discipline Specific Core Concepts
Life science discipline (subject)
Keywords learner-centered, student-active
Audience
Intended End User Role
Language
Educational Language
Pedagogical Use Category
Pedagogical Use Description This chapter is intended to introduce faculty to student-active and learner-centered education, and approaches to creating a classroom community.

Note that in addition to undergraduate faculty, many high school teachers can use these articles as well in their biology courses.
Aggregation Level
Structure
Full Name of Primary Author n/a
Primary Author Controlled Name
Primary Author Affiliation Michigan State University
Primary Author email ebertmay@msu.edu
Secondary Author Name(s) Janet Hodder
Secondary Author Affiliation(s) University of Oregon
Added By Id
  • Celia
Rights Copyright 2008 Ecological Society of America
License
Publisher
Review type
Drought and Water Ecosystem Services Collection Off
Conservation Targets Under Global Change Collection Off
Big Data Collection Off
Editors Choice No
Resource Status
Date Of Record Submission 1969-12-31
I Agree to EcoEdDL's Copyright Policy & Terms of Use No
Date Of Record Release 2012-03-05 11:36:55
Last Modified By Id
  • mcmilla
Date Last Modified 2013-05-23 10:18:41
Release Flag Published

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