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Online Course for Teachers: Teaching Evolution

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SESSION 7

SESSION 7: How Can You Use Active Learning to Teach Evolution?

Elaborate Part B: Comparing Classroom Climates

Watch these brief Evolution Case Study video segments of each classroom.

Image of a group of students.  Image of Marilyn Havlik at a chalk board.

Bingman's
Research Question

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Havlik's Instructions
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Image of Marilyn Havlik's students engaged in discussion.  Image of Bonnie Chen

Havlik: Sickle Cell
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Making Beaks/Feeding
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Image of Bonnie Chen handing out materials to her class.  Image of a student engaged in conversation with Ken Bingman

Student Asking for Help
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Student Question
on Creationism

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QuickTime | Real Player

Think about the following questions.

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How would you describe the learning environment in these three classrooms?

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What is the classroom climate like in terms of respect, asking questions, taking risks, learning from mistakes, etc.?

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What characteristics do these students demonstrate to show their ability to work together?

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How does the classroom environment contribute to this interaction?

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What is the balance of individual and team learning?

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How do students use resources?

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What is the teacher's role in relation to students?

Based on these examples and your own experience, what does it take to develop a respectful, productive learning environment? Describe some initial steps you would take to do this.

 
 

Next: Evaluate Part A: The Overall Learning Experience

 

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