Category Archives: Teaching

Antibiotic resistance in the lab … with actual bacteria!

Posted on April 1, 2018 by

Apparently my post on the antibiotic resistance activity using green, yellow, and red beads was a big hit with instructors, because lots of people want a copy of the worksheet. I have been happy to oblige, and now I want … Continue reading →

Posted in Evolution, Laboratory activities, Microbiology, Teaching | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Selling the laptop ban: An activity

Posted on September 9, 2017 by

In my last blog post, I reported introducing a new no-laptop policy in my nonmajors biology class. We just finished week 3, and things are going well — there has been no pushback, and I really enjoy looking out at … Continue reading →

Posted in Teaching | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

A laptop ban at last

Posted on August 29, 2017 by

More than three years ago, I wrote a blog post about the debate over allowing cell phones and laptops in class. In the blog post, I summarized a study by Mueller and Oppenheimer showing that students who took notes on … Continue reading →

Posted in Instructional technology, Teaching | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Radiometric Dating: Need to Practice?

Posted on May 18, 2017 by

Last year, we posted a video explaining how to do three types of radiometric dating problems; we wrote about it in this blog post. I am pleased to report that the prodigious Matt Taylor has now released an activity with … Continue reading →

Posted in Assessment, Chemistry, Instructional technology, Teaching, Videos | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

One Good Clicker Tip

Posted on April 26, 2017 by

The end of the semester is not a great time to introduce a tip for using clickers; I am sure this post would have been more useful in January! But I can’t control when ideas for blog posts drop into … Continue reading →

Posted in Active learning, Engaging students, Teaching | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Cultivating a Growth Mindset in Your Students

Posted on April 7, 2017 by

This semester, I’ve been reading a lot about teaching with a growth mindset. I wrote about this topic at the end of last semester in a blog post called At the End, I’m Looking to the Start. Since that time, … Continue reading →

Posted in Study skills, Teaching | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Reblogging: GMOs vs. Artificial Selection

Posted on March 28, 2017 by

The Ricochet Science blog post below—written by a talented college senior—is an interesting introduction to the difference between GMOs and organisms that are the products of artificial selection. I want to share it with you because it’s informative and entertaining, … Continue reading →

Posted in Engaging students, Teaching | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

TED-Ed video: The Cancer Gene We All Have

Posted on February 28, 2017 by

My friend and colleague Michael Windelspecht recently produced a useful video about cancer. Complete with compelling animations, narration, and analogies, it’s a great launching point for in-class group work or for a homework assignment. The video’s explanations span from genetics … Continue reading →

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Teaching cell chemistry with Legos

Posted on January 24, 2017 by

Behold, my trusty bag of Legos … well they’re not actually Legos because I couldn’t find a bag of plain old Legos. All of the Legos nowadays are sold in kits with wheels and roofs and other things I don’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Active learning, Chemistry, Teaching | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

At the End, I’m Looking to the Start

Posted on December 19, 2016 by

I turned in my course grades yesterday and thought I’d spend some time looking back at something that my TAs asked our students in lab to write about during week 1. After the TAs introduced themselves and talked about their … Continue reading →

Posted in Study skills, Teaching | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment