Tag Archives: American Biology Teacher

Another Way to Connect Selection, Phenotype, and Genotype

Posted on May 31, 2018 by

Now that it’s summer, I’m catching up on my American Biology Teacher backlog. I found this interesting-looking activity by Janina Jördens and three coauthors in the February 2018 issue. The title of the article says it all: “Interrelating Concepts from … Continue reading →

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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 →

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Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria: A Simple, Realistic Lab Activity

Posted on December 20, 2017 by

Every now and then I write a blog post about lab activities that worked in my nonmajors biology class. For example, I have written about reptilobirds (an activity combining meiosis and inheritance), staining banana cells to illustrate digestion in plants, … Continue reading →

Posted in Evolution, Laboratory activities | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 328 Comments

Growing a Thicker Skin: A Borrowed Lab Activity

Posted on January 27, 2016 by

Skimming through the August 2015 issue of The American Biology Teacher, I found a lab activity that I am eager to try. It’s by Troy R. Nash, Suann Yang, and John C. Inman of Presbyterian College, and it’s called “Growing a Thicker … Continue reading →

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A Cheap and Wonderful Way to Use Bananas in Lab

Posted on December 10, 2015 by

I’d like to report on another great idea from a recent issue of The American Biology Teacher. This time it’s from the October 2015 issue. Dawn A. Tamarkin from Springfield Technical Community College wrote a wonderful article called “Exploring Carbohydrates … Continue reading →

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What Good Is It to Know Biology? Study Says: Not Much!

Posted on April 3, 2015 by

The March 2015 edition of The American Biology Teacher features a research article by Alla Keselman et al., entitled “The Relationship between Biology Classes and Biological Reasoning and Common Health Misconceptions.” (ABT has kindly posted a free PDF of the … Continue reading →

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Making “Reptilobird” Babies: An Action Center Success Story

Posted on March 5, 2014 by

I have frequently struggled to help students connect the events of meiosis with the adaptive value of sexual reproduction; it’s hard to get students to look away from the stages of meiosis to see the “big picture” of genetic variability. … Continue reading →

Posted in Active learning, Assignments, Collaboration, Engaging students, Evolution, Laboratory activities, Teaching | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 84 Comments

The Incredibly Stretchy Condom: A Lab Success Story

Posted on September 3, 2013 by

In my nonmajors biology class, our first lab of the semester is about the process and tools of science. Students get to practice with hypothesis-testing, the elements of an experiment, showing data in graphs, and metric units of measure. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Active learning, Assignments, Collaboration, Engaging students, Instructional technology, Laboratory activities, Teaching | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments