Discovery, Discussion, and Reflection
In the year 2000 I had the opportunity to develop a new biology course for Honors students. I determined that the course would not only focus on biological content, but would emphasize the student’s ability to read and think critically, to integrate information from various sources, to communicate effectively, and to work collaboratively with others. In addition, it was, and still is, my belief that as an Honors course an innovative instructional approach would best accomplish those goals.
Consequently, I developed an approach that I believed was particularly significant to the teaching of science, although I think it will work well for any course in which an objective is to encourage students to think critically. I considered how biologists come to know what they know. How did the body of knowledge that constitutes biological information come to be? First and foremost is an innate curiosity; a desire to discover the basis for an observed phenomena. This involves asking questions, proposing a hypothesis or hypotheses, and then developing ways to test those hypotheses. This is a discovery process. It is based, in part, in what has already been discovered, and in part on questions that invariably arise out of those previous discoveries.
Thus, in teaching, the first introduction to a body of biological information should entail a discovery process; an activity that involves the students in a hands-on process either in the laboratory or in the field that will provide them with some insight to the topic. Thus, unlike traditional biological laboratories which are typically the confirmation of what the student has already learned, this approach allows the student to discover information they may not have previously been aware of.
This new knowledge must then be placed into a broader framework. How does this correlate with what is already known? What does the author or authors of the text book have to say about the topic? What new information has been provided by biologists through publication in leading biological journals? What can be found through a search of the internet? Such information, in my view, is best understood if it is shared with others. This leads to the second meeting of the week; discussion.
In many college and university courses this is where the learning process ends. Yet, it is my belief that to become more informed is not the most significant goal. Why should the student know this information? Of what significance is it to the student’s personal life, ethos, or frame of reference? Of what significance is this information to society as a whole? Therefore, I determined that the third class of the week should entail reflection. The student needs to step back from the information a bit and consider why it is significant, in what way it is significant, and how it intercalates into their total cognitive and affective base. Biology does not exist in a silo; it impacts upon and interacts with many if not most of the areas of humanities and the social sciences. That interaction needs to be recognized and considered if the student is to be considered educated in the liberal tradition.
The approach is very much a student-centered approach. Given the considerable emphasis on discussion, there is a “critical mass” of students required. I have found it difficult to have an engaging and informative discussion when only a handful of students are present. It also requires, if it is to be most effective, students who have considerable intellectual curiosity – a burning desire to know – and the intellectual maturity to take responsibility for their own learning. I have found that unfortunately too many students take the view that they are paying good money, or their parents are, to GWU to be taught, and by gum they expect to be taught. It is the instructor’s responsibility to instruct; theirs to “learn” that information.
For teachers that feel uncomfortable with a strongly student-centered approach to instruction, the DDR approach can certainly be incorporated within a more teacher-centered approach, with the teacher being more directly involved in the discussion process. I use a more middle of the road approach to instruction in Honors Biology. However, in 2002 I developed a non-majors biology course through a University grant from the Hewlett-Packer Foundation. This course was almost entirely student-centered, and for a new course with no “trial” run, it was moderately successful. Thus, I feel DDR is an effective way to engage students in the learning process and encourage them to be active rather than passive learners.
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