Workshop Support: Vision, Change and the Case Studies Approach (Bloomington, IN; 25-30 July)

Kent State University, Kent OH

Investigators

Abstract

This proposal is for funding for a daylong education workshop, Vision, Change and the Case Studies Approach, prior to the joint annual meeting of the Animal Behavior Society and the International Ethological Conference (July 25-30, 2011, University of Indiana, Bloomington, Indiana). The workshop has two parts: Part one addresses the general issues of change in science education and how they apply to the teaching of animal behavior. Jay Labov, Senior Advisor for Education and Communications at the National Academies of Science (NAS), will be the main speaker. His presentation will set up break-out sessions in which participants will deal with specific issues confronting the teaching of biology in general and animal behavior in particular. Part two focuses on one effective approach to improving science education, the case study method. Kipp Herreid, one of the founders of this method and director of the National Center (SUNY-Buffalo), will lead a workshop during which participants will learn the essentials of case study teaching and begin developing their own cases. The workshop responds to a growing interest in the animal behavior community for dialogue about teaching and learning and a call for recommendations for best practices and a collection of useful teaching materials.