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Development of an Inquiry-Based
Activity from a Content Intensive Curriculum
by Amanda Heddle,
Environmental Science, Policy and Management
Teaching Problem: The
main objective of General Entomology Laboratory is to train students to
recognize different groups of insects. Insects are phenomenally diverse
so there is a great deal of material to cover, even if only a relatively
brief survey is presented. This is traditionally accomplished through
the study of dried insect specimens and the main characteristics for identification,
which involves a great deal of rote memorization. The characteristics
are often hard to discern and students get easily frustrated without a
lot of assistance. Although interest levels can be maintained by using
live insect demonstrations and incorporating field trips into the class,
the problem still remains that students must learn to recognize these
animals and that straightforward memorization does not lend itself to
the retention of information. In the semester I taught the laboratory
section for General Entomology, there were twenty-eight students enrolled
which, in a content intensive course, presents a problem for developing
activities that are inquiry-based. The immediate problems I faced as a
teacher for this class were how to take the content of the class and facilitate
learning through inquiry rather than memorization, and how to make sure
that students received personal assistance with specific problems they
faced when trying to identify their specimens.
Solution: In order to
overcome these problems, I designed a scavenger hunt that was focused
on collecting many different insects. The hunt focused on biological attributes
of the insects rather than identification. For example students were asked
to find and identify insects that live under water, are mimics or predators
of other insects, or represent immature stages of insects (for example,
caterpillars or maggots). The students were divided into teams of 4-5
people and time was allotted during lab sessions for this activity. Students
with different levels of experience were placed together, and I directed
students with specific questions to students whom I had already assisted
with the same problem. This approach accomplished several goals:
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Students learned through
their own inquiries and formed a connection between the insects they
found and the ecology of that insect. This led to much greater motivation
for discovering the identity of the specimen; they were learning to
identify for the purpose of the task itself, rather than for the purpose
of an examination.
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Students were motivated
to "win" the hunt, and worked on their projects outside
of classroom time in order to finish collecting all the specimens
from the scavenger hunt.
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Frustration levels were
reduced considerably and added to the collaborative atmosphere of
the classroom. In addition to these qualities of the exercise, students
learned more about local insects, the ecology of insects and improved
and enhanced their collecting techniques.
Evaluation: There were
two methods by which I evaluated the success of this teaching method.
Firstly, the collections were graded on the basis of whether the correct
insect had been found and correctly identified. These grades contributed
to the overall grading for the lab. Secondly, student evaluations reflected
their own perception that this was a successful and highly enjoyable exercise.
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