PARENT SESSION
Poster Session # 3: Ecological Education.
Monday, August 4 Presentation from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM. SITCC Exhibit Hall B.
Fatal Flower frailties: Addressing misconceptions about evolutionary theory found in nature films.
Bright, Kerry1, Brewer, Carol*,1, Snetsinger, Carol1, Perkins, Alison1, 1 University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA
ABSTRACT- Science and nature films often are used in instruction because they engage students through appealing visual and sound effects. Educators must use these media with caution, however, because they often are produced to meet entertainment rather than educational goals. How can conceptually flawed, but beautifully produced, media be used in the classroom without promoting misconceptions? We present a method that uses flaws in educational videos to promote conceptual change in students. In this study, we used a visually stimulating, but conceptually flawed, video to help college students confront their conceptions about evolutionary theory. After watching a video about co-evolution between orchids and their pollinators, students were asked to do two things: predict how Darwin would have explained this phenomenon; and examine prepared explanations, some of which contained evolutionary misconceptions. Initially, a significant proportion of students proposed Lamarckian explanations, and, when evaluating the prepared explanations, students considered teleological (need- or goal-based) explanations acceptable. After class discussions, students re-examined the prepared explanations, and this time many students identified the inconsistencies with evolutionary theory. Ultimately, students were asked to apply their understanding on an exam by evaluating the supposition that bat wings evolved because shrew-like ancestors needed to fly to catch food. Indeed, most students now recognized the flaws in this explanation of bat wing evolution. At the end of this unit, students were surveyed to explore what classroom experiences influenced any changes they had in understanding evolutionary concepts. Discussions in lecture were reported the most influential, followed by critiquing the prepared answers.
Key words: nature films, education, misconceptions of evolution, conceptual change