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Archive: Science Update: Is Cancer Inevitable? July 14, 2022

What should teachers, their students, and the general public know about the current state of cancer diagnoses, research, and treatments, and what opportunities exist for studies that could lead to contributing careers? Join Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Cancer Biology Dr. Ashiani Weeraratna for an inside look at what this top five cancer researcher* knows, and how her work, and that of others, is prompting whispers of a cure. (*National Cancer Institute, 2021).

What should teachers, their students, and the general public know about the current state of cancer diagnoses, research, and treatments, and what opportunities exist for studies that could lead to contributing careers? Join Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Cancer Biology Dr. Ashiani Weeraratna for an inside look at what this top five cancer researcher* knows, and how her work, and that of others, is prompting whispers of a cure. (*National Cancer Institute, 2021).

What should teachers, their students, and the general public know about the current state of cancer diagnoses, research, and treatments, and what opportunities exist for studies that could lead to contributing careers? Join Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Cancer Biology Dr. Ashiani Weeraratna for an inside look at what this top five cancer researcher* knows, and how her work, and that of others, is prompting whispers of a cure. (*National Cancer Institute, 2021).

What should teachers, their students, and the general public know about the current state of cancer diagnoses, research, and treatments, and what opportunities exist for studies that could lead to contributing careers? Join Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Cancer Biology Dr. Ashiani Weeraratna for an inside look at what this top five cancer researcher* knows, and how her work, and that of others, is prompting whispers of a cure. (*National Cancer Institute, 2021).

 

Feature

Using Human-Centered Design to Enhance the Guest Experience at the Dallas Arboretum

Connected Science Learning May-June 2022 (Volume 4, Issue 3)

By Rob Rouse, Dara Rossi, and Dustin Miller

Using Human-Centered Design to Enhance the Guest Experience at the Dallas Arboretum

 

Freebies for Science and STEM Teachers/From the Field, May 24, 2022

By Debra Shapiro

Freebies for Science and STEM Teachers/From the Field, May 24, 2022

 

Press Release

Shell USA Inc. and NSTA Announce 2022 Shell Urban Science Educator Development Award Winners

 

What’s the Catch?

Understanding and Managing Fisheries in Response to Climate Change

By Margaret A. Holzer, Carrie A. Ferraro, Malin L. Pinsky, Rebecca L. Selden, Eva A. Papaioannou

What’s the Catch?

 

Brief

Connecting Educators Through Equitable and Reflective Practice

Connected Science Learning May-June 2022 (Volume 4, Issue 3)

By Karen A. Woodruff

Connecting Educators Through Equitable and Reflective Practice

 

Freebies for Science and STEM Teachers/From the Field, May 17, 2022

By Debra Shapiro

Freebies for Science and STEM Teachers/From the Field, May 17, 2022

 

Research & Teaching

An Adapted Journal Club Approach

Integrating Contemporary Literature Into the Undergraduate Classroom

Journal of College Science Teaching—May/June 2022 (Volume 51, Issue 5)

By Melissa Eslinger, Sydney Alekseyev, and Helen Schroeder

Students must be able to evaluate primary literature, yet few options exist within the undergraduate curriculum to develop the necessary skills. In this article, we offer an adapted journal club that provides students opportunities to critically analyze selected research articles, emphasizing scientific communication, critical thinking, and practical application of coursework. We include the primary instruments of the adapted journal club, teaching tips, and guided implementation recommendations, including tools to pre-designate student roles to examine specific aspects of the article. Using their preclass homework as a guide, students present their respective portions to the class as the class gains a collective understanding of the research design, experimental approach, and relative merits. This student-centric learning approach achieved significant gains in scientific literacy. Our data show a 37% increase in student abilities to analyze study design, a 61% gain in discerning primary from secondary sources, and gains of between 61% and 76% in the confidence to lead content-specific scientific discussions. We present this approach and suggest that grades, self-assessments, and surveys illustrate the benefits of the adapted journal club for the undergraduate learning experience.

 

Students must be able to evaluate primary literature, yet few options exist within the undergraduate curriculum to develop the necessary skills. In this article, we offer an adapted journal club that provides students opportunities to critically analyze selected research articles, emphasizing scientific communication, critical thinking, and practical application of coursework.
Students must be able to evaluate primary literature, yet few options exist within the undergraduate curriculum to develop the necessary skills. In this article, we offer an adapted journal club that provides students opportunities to critically analyze selected research articles, emphasizing scientific communication, critical thinking, and practical application of coursework.
 

Research & Teaching

Developing a Classroom Assessment Rubric

An Example From a Research-Based Undergraduate Course

Journal of College Science Teaching—May/June 2022 (Volume 51, Issue 5)

By Chandrani Mishra, Loran Carleton Parker, and Kari L. Clase

The development and implementation of varied assessment practices is a major focus in higher education. Assessment benefits both students and teachers; it informs teachers about students’ learning and misconceptions, thereby helping teachers improve teaching practices and students assess their current state of understanding. In general, the field lacks a rubric or an assessment model for assessing students’ understanding of science content and their representations, which was the impetus for this study. The rubric developed in this study will help instructors assess students’ representational competence in a course-based research experience (CURE) and could also be adapted to assess students’ understanding of other scientific concepts and misconceptions. The rubric will enable teachers to collect evidence of students’ understanding so they can make their science teaching more authentic, support students’ learning of the core scientific concepts, and provide an opportunity for teachers to modify their instruction accordingly across science disciplines, benefitting science teaching and learning overall.

 

The development and implementation of varied assessment practices is a major focus in higher education. Assessment benefits both students and teachers; it informs teachers about students’ learning and misconceptions, thereby helping teachers improve teaching practices and students assess their current state of understanding. In general, the field lacks a rubric or an assessment model for assessing students’ understanding of science content and their representations, which was the impetus for this study.
The development and implementation of varied assessment practices is a major focus in higher education. Assessment benefits both students and teachers; it informs teachers about students’ learning and misconceptions, thereby helping teachers improve teaching practices and students assess their current state of understanding. In general, the field lacks a rubric or an assessment model for assessing students’ understanding of science content and their representations, which was the impetus for this study.
 

Research & Teaching

New Community Creation Through a Shared Biology-Chemistry-Communication Laboratory Model for First-Year STEM Majors

Journal of College Science Teaching—May/June 2022 (Volume 51, Issue 5)

By Margery Gardner, Neal Abrams, Gregory McGee, and Elizabeth Hogan

This article explores results from a 3-year model of laboratory instruction, Project Synapse, that synthesized biology, chemistry, and communication curricula for first-year science majors at a STEM-focused university. Laboratory biology-chemistry integration was featured at natural intersections where disciplines used similar tools, such as microscopy, or areas where content naturally overlapped, such as the biochemistry of photosynthesis. Communication-related proficiencies, such as lab report writing, were featured across disciplines and in stand-alone writing courses. Faculty perspectives are also part of model analysis using an autoethnographic approach. Primarily qualitative methods were implemented to better understand the participant experience, using Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) as a guiding framework. The most prominent themes that emerged from the data and aligned with statistical findings included the following: (i) The instructors were positioned as collegial teaching and learning partners; (ii) formative lab experiences are pivotal for understanding interdisciplinary nature of science content; and (iii) students viewed communication skills as embedded within science learning.

 

This article explores results from a 3-year model of laboratory instruction, Project Synapse, that synthesized biology, chemistry, and communication curricula for first-year science majors at a STEM-focused university. Laboratory biology-chemistry integration was featured at natural intersections where disciplines used similar tools, such as microscopy, or areas where content naturally overlapped, such as the biochemistry of photosynthesis. Communication-related proficiencies, such as lab report writing, were featured across disciplines and in stand-alone writing courses.
This article explores results from a 3-year model of laboratory instruction, Project Synapse, that synthesized biology, chemistry, and communication curricula for first-year science majors at a STEM-focused university. Laboratory biology-chemistry integration was featured at natural intersections where disciplines used similar tools, such as microscopy, or areas where content naturally overlapped, such as the biochemistry of photosynthesis. Communication-related proficiencies, such as lab report writing, were featured across disciplines and in stand-alone writing courses.
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