In September 2011, PhD candidate Christina Lord writes: “An article written by Crowe et al. (2008) entitled  ‘Biology in Bloom: Implementing Bloom’s Taxonomy to Enhance Student  Learning in Biology’ in the Journal CBE Life Sciences Education has sparked my interest as an assessment tool. This article details the  implementation of the Blooming Biology Tool (BBT); an assessment tool  based on Blooms Taxonomy and used to help faculty, instructors and  TAs better align their assessments with their teaching activities. 

The article provides a rubric detailing how to assess your level of  questioning within exams, quizzes or assignments. Questions are  assessed on a scale, based on the level of thinking the question requires. Lower order cognitive skills (LOCS) are used in questions  that require you to only remember or understand while high order  cognitive skills (HOCS) are used in questions that require you to  analyze, create or evaluate. Both types of thinking are thought to be  required for questions involving material application. The BBT was  also adapted within the article to benefit students directly. Once students have identified which level of questioning they are having  problems with they can then implement Blooms-based Learning Activities  for students (BLASt). These activities provide students with the  practice to reach success at each level of Blooms taxonomy.

I have seen lots of ‘takes’on blooms taxonomy in the past but think this version is particularly interesting for those in the biological  sciences. I meet with a teaching and learning journal club here at Dalhousie once a month and am going to design a session around this  article, where instructors, professors and TA?s can bring their own  multiple choice questions to the session and we can assess what level  of reasoning/ critical thinking they are accomplishing. Hope you enjoy  the article as much as I have.”

 Please see the attachment below.

Please see the pdf attachments below. Frederique Guinel spoke to the Teaching Section at Plant Canada 2011 in Halifax. Her abstract and presentation are attached.

Also submitted by a Section member is a paper by Diane Ebert-May on evaluating faculty professional development programs.

See attachments below.

Attention: Postdoctoral researchers in any field of biology are invited to participate in Faculty Institutes for Reforming Science Teaching (FIRST IV) for Postdoctoral Scholars, funded by the National Science Foundation and associated with five regional field station networks throughout the United States (locations and dates described on www.firstiv.org). FIRST IV focuses on reform of undergraduate biology education through professional development of postdocs. Participating postdocs will design an inquiry-based, student-centered undergraduate biology course.

Key elements of FIRST IV include active learning, assessment and diversity in teaching. Postdocs will attend two workshops during consecutive summers, a four-day workshop in 2011 followed by a three-day workshop in 2012. During the academic year between the two workshops, postdocs will teach all or part of an introductory biology course (e.g., cell biology, genetics, ecology, organisms, populations, evolution) at their home institution using the course framework they designed during the workshop. A team of scientists who are expert innovators, teachers, and professional developers will conduct the workshops at the field stations and mentor the postdocs during the academic year.

Who should apply? Postdoctoral researchers who have an interest in and commitment to teaching. We encourage individuals or teams of two postdocs from one institution to apply.

Cost? The NSF is sponsoring all expenses for workshop participants at field stations, including room, board, and instructional materials and will provide up to $400 in travel expenses for each postdoctoral fellow for each workshop attended.

Questions? Contact Diane Ebert-May, Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, ebertmay@msu.edu

Application is on the FIRST IV web site: www.firstiv.org

Please name your completed application file: LastnameFirstname_FIRSTIVapp.pdf Send all application materials as one PDF document to:apply@firstiv.org

Plant Taxonomy and Systematic Botany

For course outlines see the following

http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/tfp/tfphome1.html

http://www.life.uiuc.edu/plantbio/260/