The Sailing Iguanas: A Mini Case in Speciation
At a Glance
Discipline
- Biology
- STEM
Instructional Level
- College & CEGEP
- University
Course
- General Biology I
Tasks in Workflow
Social Plane(s)
- Individual
- Group
Type of Tasks
- Creating & designing
- Revising & improving
- Reading
- Taking a quiz & test
Technical Details
Useful Technologies
- Clicker System
Time
- Single class period (< 90 mins)
Instructional Purpose
- Assessment & knowledge refinement
- Application & knowledge building
Overview
In this peer-instruction case study, students will learn about macroevolution and microevolution through iguanas speciation. Students take the role of evolutionary biologists and are tasked to predict the evolutionary forces that will act on a group of iguanas.
These iguanas have been living on an island until two hurricanes led them to drift and land on a different island. The students are tasked to design an experiment to test their predictions. This case study uses the flipped-classroom strategy in which students will prepare for the task by watching videos, reading the assigned sections of the book and performing a quiz before entering the classroom. Assigned videos to watch: Species concepts, Speciation. In the classroom, students will provide their predictions, design the experiment to test these predictions and answer clicker questions to strengthen their understanding of evolutionary forces.
Instructional Objectives
- To provide an application on macro and micro evolution;
- To design experiments to test predictions based on a situation.
Workflow & Materials
Activity Workflow
Contributor's Notes
Benefits
Challenges
Tips
Benefits
- Students get to see how macro evolution is linked to micro evolution;
- They learn how to design biological experiments.
Challenges
- The students tend to have difficulty with designing an experiment;
- The students often forget to include controls.
Tips
- When they are designing the experiment, prompt them often and guide them in the right direction.
Applied Strategies
Published: 13/06/2019
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