This lesson sought to engage students in data interpretation and to encourage critical thinking about neurophysiology in the context of temperature sensation. A family of receptors called Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) channels are activated in response to specific temperatures. Upon activation, TRP channels can trigger sensory neurons to signal the perception of temperature. In this lesson, that we have tested with nearly 1000 students in 12 class sections over four years, students worked in groups of three to identify a "mystery" TRP channel by interpreting five different sets of data. In this activity, we used an approach that we call Sequential Interpretation of Data in an Envelope (SIDE), where students sequentially analyze primary source-like data that are on folded pieces of paper in an envelope. Students analyzed data and hypothesized which TRP channel(s) might be their mystery TRP channel. Students then analyzed four additional sets of data from different experiments and revised their hypotheses about their mystery TRP channel after each experiment. There are four different mystery TRP channels so different groups of three students each analyzed different data and came to different conclusions. This lesson gave students the opportunity to analyze data from multiple experiments. We assessed learning through an in-class worksheet, which students completed as they interpreted each data set and a post-class homework assignment, which students completed online.
- Subject:
- Anatomy/Physiology
- Life Science
- Material Type:
- Lesson
- Provider:
- CourseSource
- Author:
- Jacquline M. Cala
- Katelyn M. Cooper
- Sara E. Brownell
- Date Added:
- 06/26/2019