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The Teaching Pentagon
A quantitative, integrative approach to teaching Ecology
Bryan DewsburyFlorida International University, Miami, Florida
A call for change
New ways to integrate disciplines and quantify Biology
Integration issues
• Integrative biology lecture classes sometimes light on content
• Adding literature component to lecture class time consuming
• Instructor training needed for the addition of other disciplines as well as quantitative techniques
• Integration strategies typically integrate topics not learning mechanisms
Explicit Aims
• Contextualization• Reinforcement• Integration
Lecture
The Teaching Pentagon
General Biology
PLTLStatistics I/II
Lab Journal Club
General Biology Lecture
Peer-Led Team-Learning
Journal Club
General Biology Lab
Statistics I (sophomore)
UNIT IV: ALLIGATOR TALES – Population ecology, community ecology and the American Alligator
LECTUREJOURNAL CLUB
(readings class) PLTL LAB
24-Oct Exam IIIHornbach and Childers 1986 PLTL
Let every man, woman and child be counted - The
population demographics of mosquitofish (Data analysis
HW)26-Oct
The Census - Population Ecology (Ch. 56)
28-Oct EDCs and Ecotoxicology
31-OctThe American Alligator - niches and interactions
Milnes and Gillette Jr. 2008 PLTL
It takes a village - Nutrient and energy dynamics in a contained community (Lab Report II due;
HW- Data analysis)2-Nov
It takes a village - Community Ecology (Ch.
57)
4-NovEcosystems Dynamics (Ch.
58)
7-Nov Food Inc.VETERAN'S DAY PLTL
May the best plant win - Competition and adaptation in
plants 9-Nov Food Inc. II
11-Nov VETERAN'S DAY
LECTURE JC PLTL LAB
Lecture
The Teaching Pentagon
General Biology
PLTLStatistics I/II
Lab Journal Club
Alligator tales lecture
• General discussion about niche effects and interspecies interactions
• Community effects of changes in species abundance
• Role of alligators as keystone species in Everglades ecosystem
Lecture
The Teaching Pentagon
General Biology
PLTLStatistics I/II
Lab Journal Club
PLTL session
• Guided discussion of tricky concepts
• Led by a biology major upperclassman
• Relaxed, pressure-free environment
Lecture
The Teaching Pentagon
General Biology
PLTLStatistics I/II
Lab Journal Club
Journal Club
Lecture
The Teaching Pentagon
General Biology
PLTLStatistics I/II
Lab Journal Club
Community Ecology Lab
• Guided-inquiry• Focus on experimental design and data interpretation
Lecture
The Teaching Pentagon
General Biology
PLTLStatistics I/II
Lab Journal Club
Calculus/Statistics
• Creation of modules in calculus that combines biological and mathematical solutions
• Use of data set to teach statistical analysis in Statistics 1
• Data has both statistical and biological meaning
Benefits
• Allows lecture to focus on concepts• Lab can focus on experimental design and not
have to “re-lecture”• Students who learn differently can benefit
from multi-pronged approach• Training tool for graduate student TAs
Future
• Assessment scheme has just been fully implemented
• Upscaling philosophy to high-enrollment classes