<!doctype html public "-//W3C//DTD W3 HTML//EN">
<html><head><style type="text/css"><!--
blockquote, dl, ul, ol, li { padding-top: 0 ; padding-bottom: 0 }
--></style><title>7.391: Concept-Centered
Teaching</title></head><body>
<div><b>7.391 Special Topics in Biology for Undergraduates</b></div>
<div><b><br></b></div>
<div><b>Spring 2006: Concept-Centered Teaching</b></div>
<div>Instructor: Melissa Kosinski-Collins (kosinski@mit.edu)</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>Do you like teaching, but find yourself frustrated by how little
students seem to learn? Would you like to try teaching, but are
nervous about whether you will be any good at it? Are you
interested in new research on science education? If so, 7.391 is
the course for you!</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>7.391 is a weekly seminar on science education open to both
graduate and undergraduate students. Participants will read
primary literature on science education, uncover basic concepts often
overlooked when teaching biology, and lead a small weekly discussion
session for students in 7.014 or 7.02. Students will be
encouraged to attend lecture for 7.014 or weekly review sessions for
7.02 to obtain a first-hand view of the material being covered and
will be paired with mentors from last semester?s course.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>Research in science education shows that the greatest obstacle to
student learning is the failure to identify and confront the
misconceptions with which the students enter the class or those that
they acquire during their studies. This course focuses on
developing the participants' ability to uncover and confront student
misconceptions and to foster student understanding and retention of
key concepts.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>Participants are encouraged to remain in the program as mentors
for the fall semester.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><br></div>
</body>
</html>