“Bloomifying”

MC question: Licking a newt is a bad idea for which of the following reasons

Steve Jurvetson CCL Attribution 2.0

Licking a newt is a bad idea for which of the following reasons:

a) Newts are similar to cacti: they have tiny spines on their skin.

b) A little known fact about newts is that if you lick them, they will follow you around for one year.

c) Newts secrete a neurotoxin called tetrodotoxin, the same toxin found in puffer fish.

d) Newt skin contains lead, a neurotoxin.

Disclaimer: I am a physicist, not a biologist. My apologies if I’m a little off on any of the biology!

Can we “Bloomify” it up to the Apply Level?

Graph from the National Park Servicehttp://www.nps.gov/crla/naturescience/newtstoxicity.htm

Bloom’s Taxonomy Verbs for Writing Learning Objectives Lower Order Skills

I. Remember (Knowledge) (shallow processing: drawing out factual answers, testing recall and recognition)

II. Understand (Comprehension)(translating, interpreting and extrapolating)

III. Apply(Knowing when to apply; why to apply; and recognizing patterns of transfer to new situations)

arrangechoose describe define findidentifylabellistlocatematch memorizenameorderomit reciterecognizerelaterecallreproduceselect state

classifydescribedefenddemonstratedistinguishexplainexpressextendgive exampleidentifyillustrateindicateinterrelateinterpretinferlocatematchparaphraserepresentrestaterewriteselectshowsummarizetelltranslate

applycalculateclassifyconstructcompletechoosedramatizeemployexplaingeneralizeillustrateinterpretmanipulateorganizeoperatepaintpracticeprepareproduceselectshowsketchsolvetranslateuse

Slide courtesy of the Science Education Initiative, University of Colorado Boulder

Bloom’s Taxonomy Verbs for Writing Learning Objectives Lower Order Skills

I. Remember (Knowledge) (shallow processing: drawing out factual answers, testing recall and recognition)

II. Understand (Comprehension)(translating, interpreting and extrapolating)

III. Apply(Knowing when to apply; why to apply; and recognizing patterns of transfer to new situations)

arrangechoose describe define findidentifylabellistlocatematch memorizenameorderomit reciterecognizerelaterecallreproduceselect state

classifydescribedefenddemonstratedistinguishexplainexpressextendgive exampleidentifyillustrateindicateinterrelateinterpretinferlocatematchparaphraserepresentrestaterewriteselectshowsummarizetelltranslate

applycalculateclassifyconstructcompletechoosedramatizeemployexplaingeneralizeillustrateinterpretmanipulateorganizeoperatepaintpracticeprepareproduceselectshowsketchsolvetranslateuse

New slide

“Bloomified” Question1. Examine this graph of newt toxicity levels in four Oregon lakes. Which of the following statements are likely to have caused toxicity differences between Crater Lake and Soap Creek newts?a) Crater Lake newts currently have

fewer predators and/or a less abundant food supply than Soap Creek newts

b) In the past, Crater Lake newts had fewer predators and/or a less abundant food supply than Soap Creek newts

c) Both a) and b)

Seeking Feedback From ColleaguesExcerpt from an email that I received from biologist colleague Cynthia Brame:If you ask a more knowledgeable student, who either doesn't know the context of the class or is a worrywort (they do pop up...), then she starts thinking things like: "We can turn expression of enzymes on and off relatively rapidly, and do so all the time. If the predators are secreting a pheromone, it could act as a signaling molecule in this well-adapted population such that it starts expressing the enzyme that makes TTX. Alternatively, if the presence of the higher concentration of predators is causing increased stress and this cortisol, a downstream effect could be increased expression of the enzyme that makes TTX. ....but maybe since the teacher is giving "whole body TTX”, she's looking for less of a targeted effect...I wonder what she wants me to say....”

So I guess I'm saying that it is a perfectly reasonable question for a novice who doesn't know much about other fields of biology (e.g.,genetics or endocrinology), but maybe stickier for students who have other knowledge to bring to the table.

Could you turn it around and tell the students about different environments and ask which newt population is likely to have the lowest TTX? the fewest copies of a TTX-producing enzyme?

Seeking Feedback From ColleaguesExcerpt from an email that I received from biologist colleague Cynthia Brame:If you ask a more knowledgeable student, who either doesn't know the context of the class or is a worrywort (they do pop up...), then she starts thinking things like: "We can turn expression of enzymes on and off relatively rapidly, and do so all the time. If the predators are secreting a pheromone, it could act as a signaling molecule in this well-adapted population such that it starts expressing the enzyme that makes TTX. Alternatively, if the presence of the higher concentration of predators is causing increased stress and this cortisol, a downstream effect could be increased expression of the enzyme that makes TTX. ....but maybe since the teacher is giving "whole body TTX”, she's looking for less of a targeted effect...I wonder what she wants me to say....”

So I guess I'm saying that it is a perfectly reasonable question for a novice who doesn't know much about other fields of biology (e.g.,genetics or endocrinology), but maybe stickier for students who have other knowledge to bring to the table.

Could you turn it around and tell the students about different environments and ask which newt population is likely to have the lowest TTX? the fewest copies of a TTX-producing enzyme?

So I guess I'm saying that it is a perfectly reasonable question for a novice who doesn't know much about other fields of biology (e.g.,genetics or endocrinology), but maybe stickier for students who have other knowledge to bring to the table.

Could you turn it around and tell the students about different environments and ask which newt population is likely to have the lowest TTX? the fewest copies of a TTX-producing enzyme?

STEM Education Research Literature

Start with a Rough Draft

• Iterate• Develop a network of peers: share questions

and provide one another with feedback

Comparing Multiple Choice Question Responses to Open Ended Ones

Jenny Knight

Citations

• Koch, J. (2009). Science stories: Science methods for elementary and middle school teachers. Cengage Learning.

What Percentage of Undergraduate Course Assessment Items are “Lower Level” (i.e. 1,2, or 3) According to the

Paper Jenny Mentions? Roughly:A) 20%B) 50%C) 99%D) 90%

Which of these tools do you think you’ll most likely try to use in the future?

A) Use the bloom’s levels list of verbsB) Find data sets in your disciplineC) Adding additional wording to traditional

textbook questionsD) None of the above