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Books > Earth & environment > Earth sciences > Palaeontology
Research on learning and cognition in geoscience education research
and other discipline-based education communities suggests that
effective instruction should include three key components: a)
activation of students' prior knowledge on the subject, b) an
active learning pedagogy that allows students to address any
existing misconceptions and then build a new understanding of the
concept, and c) metacognitive reflections that require students to
evaluate their own learning processes during the lesson. This
Element provides an overview of the research on student-centered
pedagogy in introductory geoscience and paleontology courses and
gives examples of these instructional approaches. Student-centered
learning shifts the power and attention in a classroom from the
instructor to the students. In a student-centered classroom,
students are in control of their learning experience and the
instructor functions primarily as a guide. Student-centered
classrooms trade traditional lecture for conceptually-oriented
tasks, collaborative learning activities, new technology,
inquiry-based learning, and metacognitive reflection.
Hands-on learning in paleontology, and geology in general, is
fairly common practice. Students regularly use rocks, fossils, and
data in the classroom throughout their undergraduate career, but
they typically do it sitting in a chair in a lab. Kinesthetic
learning is a teaching model that requires students to be
physically active while learning. Students may be involved in a
physical activity during class or might be using their own bodies
to model some important concept. This Element briefly discusses the
theory behind kinesthetic learning and how it fits into a
student-centered, active-learning classroom. It then describes in
detail methods for incorporating it into student exercises on
biostratigraphy, assessment of sampling completeness, and modeling
evolutionary processes. Assessment data demonstrates that these
exercises have led to significantly improved student learning
outcomes tied to these concepts.
Integration of research experiences into the undergraduate
classroom can result in increased recruitment, retention, and
motivation of science students. 'Big data' science initiatives,
such as the Paleobiology Database (PBDB), can provide inexpensive
and accessible research opportunities. This Element provides an
introduction to what the PBDB is, how to use it, how it can be
deployed in introductory and advanced courses, and examples of how
it has been used in undergraduate research. The PBDB aims to
provide information on all fossil organisms, across the tree of
life, around the world, and through all of geologic time. The PBDB
Resource Page contains a range of PBDB tutorials and activities for
use in physical geology, historical geology, paleontology,
sedimentology, and stratigraphy courses. As two-year colleges,
universities, and distance-based learning initiatives seek
research-based alternatives to traditional lab exercises, the PBDB
can provide opportunities for hands-on science activities.
People hold a variety of prior conceptions that impact their
learning. Prior conceptions that include erroneous or incomplete
understandings represent a significant barrier to durable learning,
as they are often difficult to change. While researchers have
documented students' prior conceptions in many areas of geoscience,
little is known about prior conceptions involving paleontology. In
this Element, data on student prior conceptions from two
introductory undergraduate paleontology courses are presented. In
addition to more general misunderstandings about the nature of
science, many students hold incorrect ideas about methods of
historical geology, Earth history, ancient life, and evolution. Of
special note are student perceptions of the limits of paleontology
as scientific inquiry. By intentionally eliciting students' prior
conceptions and implementing the pedagogical strategies described
in other Elements in this series, lecturers can shape instruction
to challenge this negative view of paleontology and improve student
learning.
Lecturing has been a staple of university pedagogy, but a shift is
ongoing because of evidence that active engagement with content
helps strengthen learning and build more advanced skills. The
flipped classroom, which delivers content to students outside of
the class meeting, is one approach to maximize time for active
learning. The fundamental benefit of a flipped class is that
students learn more, but ensuring student preparation and
engagement can be challenging. Evaluation policies can provide
incentives to guide student effort. Flipping a class requires an
initial time commitment, but the workload associated with
evaluating student work during the course can be mitigated. The
personal interactions from active learning are extremely rewarding
for students and instructors, especially when class sizes are small
and suitable room layouts are available. Overall, flipping a course
doesn't require special training, just a willingness to experiment,
reflect, and adjust.
Research-led, research-oriented, and research-based teaching
incorporate research into teaching to different degrees.
Research-led teaching focuses on content and informs students about
current research findings, while research-oriented teaching focuses
on techniques and often occurs in research methods courses. In
research-based teaching, students participate in research. Through
this involvement, they benefit from improved content knowledge,
research skills, and life skills, as well as enhanced personal
development. Research-embedded courses can make such benefits
available to a wide range of students. Best practices in
experiential learning and the incorporation of research in teaching
include intentionality, planning, authenticity, reflection,
training, monitoring, assessment, and acknowledgment. In this
Element, these principles of best practice are illustrated by
courses with embedded student research. Guidelines are presented
for how to plan and execute a semester-long course-embedded
research project, as well as alternative and shorter-term
approaches. Research-based teaching provides challenges for
students and faculty, but the benefits for all stakeholders are
strong.
The educational benefits of replacing in-class lectures with
hands-on activities are clear. Such active learning is a natural
fit for paleontology, which can provide opportunities for examining
fossils, analyzing data and writing. Additionally, there are a
number of topics in the field that are exciting to geology majors
and non-majors alike: very few can resist the lure of dinosaurs,
huge meteor impacts, vicious Cretaceous sharks or a giant
Pleistocene land mammal. However, it can seem difficult to
introduce these techniques into a large general education class
full of non-majors: paleontological specimens provide a natural
starting point for hands-on classroom activities, but in a large
class it is not always practical or possible to provide enough
fossil material for all students. The Element introduces different
types of active learning approaches, and then explains how they
have been applied to a large introductory paleontology class for
non-majors.
University dinosaur courses provide an influential venue for
developing aptitude beyond knowledge of terrestrial Mesozoic
reptiles. Passion for dinosaurs, when properly directed, can
trigger interest in science and be used to develop critical
thinking skills. Examination of dinosaur paleontology can develop
competence in information analysis, perception of flawed arguments,
recognition of persuasion techniques, and application of
disciplined thought processes. Three methods for developing
critical thought are outlined in this Element. The first uses
dinosaur paleontology to illustrate logical fallacies and flawed
arguments. The second is a method for evaluating primary dinosaur
literature by students of any major. The final example entails
critique of dinosaur documentaries based on the appearance of
dinosaurs and the disconnect between scientific fact and
storytelling techniques. Students are owed more than dinosaur
facts; lecturers should foster a set of skills that equips students
with the tools necessary to be perceptive citizens and science
advocates.
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