How-To-Do-It

Role-Playing MitosisMark A. Wyn Steven J. Stegink

Biology instruction is effective whenstudents are actively involved in thelearning process (Igelsrud & Leonard1988). Therefore, biology teachers needto reduce their reliance on the lecturemode of teaching and use strategiesthat encourage student inquiry/dis-covery, hands-on experience, andinteractive group work in order toprovide concrete learning situations(Costenson & Lawson 1986; Igelsrud& Leonard 1988, Lapp et al. 1989).For example, in using sweat socks toillustrate nuclear division, Oakley(1994) demonstrates a teacher’s com-mitment to actively involving studentsin the process of learning. She says,‘‘The more I teach, the more I realizethe importance of having a student be‘physical’ in the learning process . . .The more senses involved in learning,the easier it is for the student to learnthe material.’’

Role-playing is a useful method forgetting students involved in their ownlearning. Some teachers apply the role-play method to help students under-stand abstract biological concepts. Forexample, Stencel and Barkoff (1993)teach protein synthesis through stu-dent role-play. In their role-play,Stencel and Barkoff choreograph pro-tein synthesis to accompaniment withTchaikovsky’s ‘‘Dance of the SugarPlum Fairy.’’

Other teachers employ role-playingto engage students in problem-solvingsituations that integrate science andsociety. Cherif and Somervill (1995)use role-playing in their classrooms tomaximize learning in a setting wherestudents simulate competing commu-nity and industrial interests. Studentsportray city council members, commu-nity representatives and industrial del-egates debating whether or not tobuild a biotechnology company in

Mark A. Wyn , M.A., i s a scienceteacher at Fremont Middle School,Fremont, MI 49412. Steven J. Stegink,Ph.D., is Professor of Science Educa-tion and Biology at Calvin College,Grand Rapids, MI 49546.

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their community. In another class-room, debate about nuclear poweroccurs as students role-play SenateEnergy Committee Hearings on a pro-posal to build a nuclear power plantin a community (Arce 1992).

In an effort to involve our studentsactively in learning biology, wedesigned a role-play for mitosis. Therole-play was easy to conduct, did notrequire extravagant materials, and gotstudents involved physically in thelearning process. We tailored the activ-ity to fit various objectives. By varyingthe amount of material introduced, wealtered the activity to meet differentintellectual levels with particulargroups of students. For example, witha middle school class the objectivewas to have the students describe inwriting and with pictures the processof genetic material duplication and cel-lular division after the role-play. Inhigh school and college freshmen biol-ogy classes, students showed masteryin understanding mitosis by makingcorrect drawings (in structure and insequence) while using correct termsto describe and label the processesof mitosis.

Setting the StageTo introduce role-playing mitosis, at

least one same-sex pair of students(two girls or two boys) in the classare given identically colored athleticjerseys— the number of studentsselected to wear jerseys can be adjusteddepending on the class size and thenumber of different pairs of jerseysavailable. If dealing with more thanone pair of students, it is important toobtain as many pairs of different col-ored jerseys as possible, so that manystudents can be involved in the ‘‘mov-ing’’ part of the procedure. We recom-mend starting with four students, twofemale and two male, each person ina pair wearing a jersey color similarto each other but different from theother pair of students (Figure 1). Forexample, red and yellow jerseys may

be used. Overhead bib-type, tie-on jer-seys can be borrowed from the athleticor physical education department ofthe school. Alternatively, a teacher maychoose to purchase some pullover jer-seys for permanent addition to the biol-ogy classroom. Students could bringtheir favorite Womens’ National Bas-ketball Association or National Basket-ball Association jerseys to class and ateacher might use the jerseys to makenecessary paired-combinations fromthe student contributions.

Students without jerseys form alarge ring (a circle of 10 to 20 studentsdepending on class size, minus stu-dents with colored jerseys). The stu-dent pair(s) wearing the athletic jerseysenter the ring. The instructor explainsthat the students forming the circleare the boundary of a cell, the cellmembrane. The students wearing thejerseys carry information that controlsactivities in the cell; those studentsrepresent chromosomes containinggenes. Together all the students repre-sent a normal mature cell, a parentcell (Figure 2).

Continuing the Role-playActivity

The instructor poses a problem forthe parent cell: produce another celllike yourself, that although smaller insize, could control the same activitiesthat you control—this is the key ques-tion of the activity (Figure 3). Aftersome discussion and trial and error atregrouping, the class makes two circlesof students (two new cell membranesare represented). But there is half thenumber of students wearing jerseysinside each circle compared to thenumber in the parent cell (initial singlecircle). Here the teacher guides theclass toward proposing that the stu-dents with jerseys need to be doubled.The teacher should make sure thatstudents suggest that the doublingcould occur in the parent cell circlebefore the two new cell circles form(Figure 1). Additionally, studentsmight suggest that the doubling of

Figure 1. Tenth-grade students role-play sister chromatids in a cell. Together thetwo girls with light jerseys are a single chromosome from one pair; together thetwo boys with dark jerseys are a single chromosome from a second pair. The circleof classmates simulates a cell membrane. Note: Students who simulate homologouschromosomes during mitosis should not be linked together. A teacher should becareful not to introduce a misconception that homologs join physically duringmitosis (Merten & Walker 1992).

jerseys occur after the new cells form.This suggestion provides a goodspringboard for talking with studentsabout a different model or alternativehypothesis for cell reproduction.

The term mitosis is introduced afterthe class is guided toward the acceptedhypothesis that chromosomes dupli-cate and separate in a parent cellbefore two new virtually identicalcells (daughter cells) form. The term

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cytokinesis might be introduced aftermitosis to differentiate the duplicationand separation of chromosomes fromthe physical separation of the parentcell membrane needed to form thedaughter cell membranes. Followingthe term introduction(s), jerseys areredistributed to other students in theclass and the class practices mitosis,at least once, maybe more dependingon student interest.

Following the introductory role-playing mitosis activity the instructormay extend the lesson, according toher objectives. During the lesson exten-sion a teacher may introduce termssuch as homologous chromosomes, sisterchromatids, centromere, etc. Having pre-labeled cards for students to hold ordrape with string over their heads isuseful in linking the structure a stu-dent is role-playing with the wordsymbol given by biologists. Wearingthe labels and calling out what is hap-pening and where structures are, stu-dents do more ro le -p lays . Thisextended mode may be elaborated toalmost any level, depending on theteacher and class.

After a few rounds of practice eitherin the introductory or extended mode,students return to their classroom orseats and watch a presentation of time-lapse photography of mitosis in livingcells. Commercially available films,videotapes or laserdiscs are possibleformats for the presentations (we usean old-faithful Ealing film loop, Mitosisin the Endosperm of Haemanthus kateri-naes). Given the amount of terminol-ogy an instructor wishes to introduceand reinforce, students may return tothe role-playing mitosis activity toform fixed phases of mitosis. Eitherteacher or students may call out phasesof mitosis for simulation.

Students close the lesson by summa-rizing visually and in writing theteacher-introduced terms, phrases andevents encountered during the roundsof role-play. We think written andvisual summary by students is essen-tial. This connects the physical activi-ties of the role-play with the mentalimages constructed by students as theydid the role-play.

A student-prepared Mitosis Bookletis one method we use for creating apermanent record for assessment andevaluation. The booklet contains atleast four 8.5� � 11� sheets of paper.The first sheet has Mitosis Booklet typedor handwritten on it. On the secondsheet, a student writes the teacher-selected objectives for role-playingmitosis followed by a personally writ-ten statement explaining how the par-ent cell solved the problem to maketwo daughter cells that, althoughsmaller in diameter, look and act likethe parent cell. On a following page,titled Mitosis Vocabulary, a studentwrites the terms associated with mito-sis. These terms are those introducedby the teacher and by the time-lapsephotography video, as the teacherchooses. On the fourth page a studentdraws five or more different picturesthat show the structures and events

occurring in a parent cell as simulatedduring role-play mitosis. The picturesshould at least have labels identifyingcell membrane and chromosomes. Otherlabels could be required at the discre-tion of the teacher. For additional rein-forcement, a teacher may ask studentsto write descriptions of chromosomeactivity alongside the drawings. Stu-dents are encouraged to work, thinkand talk quietly in small groups asthey each complete individual book-lets. During student summary time,the teacher circulates through the classassessing the quality and quantity ofwork being done. The teacher cancheck students’ written and visualdescriptions of mitosis while answer-ing and asking questions.

Concluding CommentsRole-play mitosis was first used by

one of the authors as a preserviceteaching project with two separatem i d d l e s c h o o l s c i e n c e c l a s s e s .Although the preservice instructor hadonly a few weeks of experience as anaide in the two middle school class-rooms where the role-play was done,classroom management was not aproblem and the regular classroomteacher judged the activity successful.The activity was completed during ausual 50-minute class period.

Subsequently, role-playing mitosiswas used successfully with tenth-gradehigh school and freshman-level collegestudents. During a directed studentteaching assignment the role-play wasdone with tenth-grade biology stu-dents. The classroom teacher whomentored the student teacher had nineyears’ experience in biology teachingand was impressed with the activityand enthusiastic about using it in fol-lowing years. Interestingly, during thehigh school experience, quiz scoresfrom different biology classes taughtby the student teacher correlated withdifferences in method of instructionused. On ident ical quizzes thatincluded short answer, matching, anddrawing questions, a class that role-played mitosis performed better thana class that did not experience role-play mitosis as part of the instructionalstrategy. The mean score for the role-play class (25 students) was 34.5 outof 40; the mean score for the non-role-playing class (27 students) was 29.3out of 40. Although the sampling wassmall and the purpose of the role-playwas not to test the significance of thatmethod on student learning, the differ-ence in class scores was encouraging.The enthusiasm and testimony of theregular classroom teacher, coupled

380 THE AMERICAN BIOLOGY TEACHER, VOLUME 62, NO. 5, MAY 2000

Figure 2. A circle of students around students wearing colored athletic jerseyssimulates a normal cell.

Figure 3. Instructor (MAW) explains the problem that the normal cell faces: repro-duce another cell like yourself having the ability to control and carry out the samefunctions in each new cell as in the normal cell before division.

with the difference in quiz scores, gavecredibility to a conclusion that role-play mitosis had a positive effect onstudents’ understanding of mitosis.

In our own classrooms (in highschool and in college), we continue touse the role-playing mitosis activity.Whether in a laboratory setting withcollege freshmen enrolled in an intro-ductory majors-level biology course or

in a tenth-grade biology classroom, theactivity is successful and fun to do(Figure 4). Of course, there is hesitancyby some students to get out of theirseats and join hand-to-hand as a ‘‘cellmembrane,’’ but with light-heartedhumor and teacher encouragement, theclass does the activity and experiencesmitosis as concretely as possible froma problem-solving perspective.

Figure 4. Students have fun role-playing mitosis.

Mitosis is not easy for students tounderstand concretely. Teachersemploy different techniques and mate-rials in helping students learn mitosis.Paper-and-pencil strategies duringwhich students portray cells with col-ored-pencil drawn chromosomes helpidentify student misunderstandingsand misconceptions (Bajema 1984;Merten & Walker 1992). Learningcycles that use picture cut-outs to teachthe logical sequence of mitosis areavailable (Daniely 1990). Lawson(1991) recommends a learning cyclewith living material prepared formicroscopy. Some instructors directstudents to pull Pop-It Bead� stringson a floor or table-top in a type ofhands-on method for simulating mito-sis. A commercially produced kit,Chromosome Simulation BioKit, is avail-able from Carolina Biological SupplyCompany (Burlington, NC 27215).

Although a teacher must weigh theusefulness of an activity against class-

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room constraints of time, space, classsize and interest, we think that theadvantages of role-playing mitosisshould be seriously considered. Intro-ducing mitosis to students through arole-play gives students a concreteexperience that will help them appreci-ate the logical sequence of mitosis. Wesuggest that students make better useof prepared slides, videos and work-sheets after physically experiencing thesequence of mitosis and how it pro-vides for duplication of a parent cellto daughter cells. The role-play activityprovides students with a sensory expe-rience of the events in mitosis. Thesensory experience is reinforced inwriting and in pictures prepared bystudents. Another advantage of theactivity is facilitation of group learn-ing, both in the actual role-playingactivity and during completion of sum-mary record booklets.

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