Abstract:Increasing public concern over the use of animal dissection in education is driving development and testing of alternatives to animal use. Clay modeling has proven successful in achieving comparable or superior learning at postsecondary levels, but it has not yet been tested at secondary levels. This study tested the effectiveness and appeal of clay models vs. cat cadaver dissection in teaching human anatomy to high school students. Student performance on a content knowledge assessment increased following both… Show more
“…However, without the right instructional aid the attainment of the objectives of teaching may not be successfully achieved (Okenyi, 2022;Olumorin et al, 2022). Previous studies have indicated that modelling clay is an effective teaching aid for facilitating learning through pedagogies that is based on cooperative approach (Grigg et al, 2020;Sanchez-Acevedo, M., & Kao, 2022). However, most existing literature did not consider the cognitive abilities of learners in consonance with their usage of modelling clay for knowledge construction.…”
Cell division has been identified in literature as a hard-to-learn biology process due to poor instructional strategies and students’ inability to delineate between mitosis and meiosis. Hence, there is need to explore alternative strategy such as modelling clay for the concretization of cell division processes. Therefore, this study, conducted to analyse the effects of modelling clay on the performance of field-dependent and field-independent senior school students in cell division. The study is experimental research. Data was collected using observations, adopted and researchers designed tests. Qualitative and quantitative techniques were used for data analysis. The research subject was modelling clay used by 97 intact class students for learning cell division. The findings revealed that there was no significant difference in the performance of field-dependent and field-independent students. Also, there was no interaction between treatment and students’ cognitive styles. Therefore, it was concluded that modelling clay facilitated students learning of cell division irrespective of cognitive styles. The pedagogical implication is that modelling clay can enhance students’ understanding of the life processes taking place in the cell and by extension other biological processes.
“…However, without the right instructional aid the attainment of the objectives of teaching may not be successfully achieved (Okenyi, 2022;Olumorin et al, 2022). Previous studies have indicated that modelling clay is an effective teaching aid for facilitating learning through pedagogies that is based on cooperative approach (Grigg et al, 2020;Sanchez-Acevedo, M., & Kao, 2022). However, most existing literature did not consider the cognitive abilities of learners in consonance with their usage of modelling clay for knowledge construction.…”
Cell division has been identified in literature as a hard-to-learn biology process due to poor instructional strategies and students’ inability to delineate between mitosis and meiosis. Hence, there is need to explore alternative strategy such as modelling clay for the concretization of cell division processes. Therefore, this study, conducted to analyse the effects of modelling clay on the performance of field-dependent and field-independent senior school students in cell division. The study is experimental research. Data was collected using observations, adopted and researchers designed tests. Qualitative and quantitative techniques were used for data analysis. The research subject was modelling clay used by 97 intact class students for learning cell division. The findings revealed that there was no significant difference in the performance of field-dependent and field-independent students. Also, there was no interaction between treatment and students’ cognitive styles. Therefore, it was concluded that modelling clay facilitated students learning of cell division irrespective of cognitive styles. The pedagogical implication is that modelling clay can enhance students’ understanding of the life processes taking place in the cell and by extension other biological processes.
In light of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), recent clinical research has demonstrated that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) affects breathing and internal organs, especially the kidneys and liver function. It is evident that the kidneys are induced by the virus through the course of the medication treatments, such as the side effects that lead to kidney and liver damage. In order to scaffold kidney pathophysiology with normal kidney development and function in a virtual class or lab setting during the COVID-19 pandemic, we have developed a hands-on and cost-effective clay modeling teaching tool at the undergraduate level for learning about kidney anatomy and development. Given remote teaching, this innovative tool can be used to link the structure to molecular and cellular function through an easy hands-on model for both learning and teaching demonstration for all students.
Animal dissection is practiced to varying degrees around the world and is particularly prevalent in North America throughout all levels of education. However, a growing number of studies suggest that non-animal teaching methods (NAMs) (e.g., virtual anatomy tools and three-dimensional models) are better for achieving learning goals compared to dissection. We conducted a systematic review of studies published between 2005 and 2020 that evaluated the pedagogical value of NAMs versus animal dissection. Our results from 20 published studies show that in 95% of the studies (19/20) students at all education levels (secondary, postsecondary, and medical school) performed at least as well—and in most of those studies better (14/19)—when they used NAMs compared to animal dissection. These results provide compelling evidence in support of the 3Rs’ principle of replacement. Given that NAMs have been demonstrated as effective for science education, steps should be taken by educational institutions to phase out animal dissection.
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