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Category Archives: Teaching
The power of study questions, and groups: Class 2
The second day of class with no lecturing has passed. We had no gripping videos today, but we had a lot to do. The students had turned in their photo releases and their get to know you sheets. Their first … Continue reading
Posted in Teaching, Undergraduates
Tagged Dawkins, evolution, quizzes, Selfish Gene, study questions
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What to do in class if you don’t lecture? Class 1
When the students walk into the room there are videos playing on the monitors, one at the end of each 6 person table in our cavernous basement classroom divided by pillars. They find a seat and see there is already … Continue reading
Posted in Teaching, The joy of teaching, Undergraduates
2 Comments
Can you do an ideas sandbox in 90 minutes?
I’m going to the BEACON: Evolution in Action meeting at Michigan State University next month. They asked me to run a sandbox in 90 minutes, giving me flexibility on the topic. Below is my plan. Who knows what we can … Continue reading
Posted in Creativity, Teaching, Workshops
Tagged creativity, innovation, new ideas, sandbox, workshop
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Do you need to name the scientists in intro biology?
Meghan Duffy on the terrific blog Dynamic Ecology asks whether we can’t just teach the concepts and not worry about the researchers. After all, there are so many things we have figured out in biology that really don’t need to … Continue reading
Posted in Teaching, The joy of teaching, Undergraduates
Tagged concepts, discovery, inspiration, science, scientific process, STEM, teaching
3 Comments
Teach to do not to know
Last week a student came to talk to me. In the course of discussion he said that he learned a lot from a class in the business school here at Wash U, even though he wasn’t particularly interested in the … Continue reading
Posted in Teaching, The joy of teaching
Tagged action, Active learning, application, knowledge, teach
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Don’t you hate Blackboard for managing courses?
Last September in the same email we got told both that our university had just signed a three-year contract with Blackboard and we got asked what we thought of Blackboard. Doesn’t that seem backward to you? Clearly they don’t really … Continue reading
Surprising best gift to my undergraduate students
This is the time of year when I start to wonder if I’ve done a good enough job with my large undergraduate class. Have I really shaped a great learning experience for the 46 students in Biology 472, Behavioral Ecology? … Continue reading
Posted in Teaching
Tagged colleagues, friends, high school, learn, teach, teams, Wikipedia
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Do mouse people talk outside their group? Do you?
Creativity research says to reach outside your group to come up with innovative ideas. I’ve written before on this topic, referencing Burt‘s work on structural holes and who is at risk for a new idea. Right now I’m at Janelia … Continue reading
Posted in New ideas, Presentations and seminars, Teaching
Tagged communication, creativity, HHMI, Janelia Farms, mice, Research, science
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Giddy with the success of our undergrads and their posters
Today our six research undergraduates, Kai, Alicia, Libby, Stephanie, Olivia, and Daniela, presented their research on posters at the Fall Undergraduate Poster Session, scheduled to fall on parent’s weekend. We began planning at the beginning of the semester how they … Continue reading
Posted in Posters, Research, Teaching, The joy of teaching, Undergraduates
Tagged meetings, posters, Research, Undergrads, undergraduates
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How to stop grading unfairly: 9 ways
It may be only the second week of class, but I have a stack of 45 tests to grade. The students had to answer 10 of 20 questions that generally could be answered in 3 to 5 sentences. Now I … Continue reading
Posted in Teaching, Undergraduates
Tagged bias, exams, fairness, quizzes, student ID, testing
6 Comments
Sociobiology 