Teaching Resources

Cartoons

Extensive research on alternative conceptions in biology is beneficial in knowing where pedagogical problems exist, but often comes up short in terms of providing effective classroom tools to help students learn the scientific conceptions. Kathleen Fisher and Dianne Anderson, as well as PLNU graduate students including Melissa Hedgecock, Mary Ann Rall, and Michael Rall, have developed cartoons for classroom use on the topics of: genetics, natural selection, mitosis/meiosis, and cell division. Cartoons may be used to stimulate class discussions, or as individual homework assignments. Most of these cartoons have been field tested in middle school, high school, and college (non-major) biology courses.

• Why are Rhinos Larger Than Birds?
• Number of Chromosomes
• Class Looking at Chromosomes
• Family Genetics
• Mitosis Meiosis
• Differential Survival in Flowers
• Ladybug Variation
• Panda Competition
• Random Variation
• Evolution Concepts (Link to SDSU Website)

You are welcome to use the cartoons, and we appreciate your feedback sent to dianneanderson@pointloma.edu

Biology Diagnostic Tests

Extensive research on alternative conceptions in biology is beneficial in knowing where pedagogical problems exist, but often comes up short in terms of providing effective classroom tools to help students learn the scientific conceptions. Individual interviews are great for finding out what students understand, but are not practical for most teachers and/or researchers. Carefully constructed multiple-choice tests in which the distractors are based on alternative conception research have been constructed in several areas of biology. Dianne Anderson and Kathleen Fisher developed the Conceptual Inventory of Natural Selection (CINS) in 2002. Click below to see a revised version (2004) here along with a key.

• Conceptual Inventory of Natural Selection (CINS)
• Conceptual Inventory of Natural Selection (CINS) Key

This test has been field tested with thousands of students in a variety of college biology classrooms, as well as some high school biology classrooms. Since it is a criterion-referenced, and not a norm-referenced test, it is best used as a formative, rather than a summative assessment. The individual questions also make excellent small group activities.

You are welcome to use the CINS, and we appreciate your feedback sent to dianneanderson@pointloma.edu .