Poster: Late and Moved Abstracts
Abs #
951: Photosynthesis: A Play in Two Acts and a Grand Finale
Photosynthesis is one of the most difficult processes for students to grasp. Despite extensive lecture and laboratory coverage of the material and review sessions prior to exams, students in general botany classes still show numerous misconceptions and confusion about the process. Furthermore, they do not view photosynthesis as a continuous process, with all reactions occurring simultaneously. Rather, they see it as a set of discrete steps, each waiting for all of the subsequent steps to be completed before the sequence starts again. To address these problems, we designed a role playing exercise to involve students directly in the photosynthesis process. The two acts of the play depict the light reactions and the carboxylation and reduction steps of the Calvin cycle; the finale is the regeneration phase of the Calvin cycle. To perform the play, students wear signs around their necks to indicate which molecule or thylakoid membrane complex they are representing. As these components, the students go through a minimalist version of photosynthesis, the objective being to help the students visualize the main reactions, the connections between the light reactions and the Calvin cycle, the spatial arrangement of the reactions within the chloroplast, and the continuous flow of activity. After several performances, we have the students review what they have just done. We have found that students have a much better grasp of the basics of photosynthesis after participating in the play. Their answers on the subsequent exam show a more thorough understanding than that of previous classes. Students have enjoyed the activity, and many have commented on how helpful it was to physically act out this complicated process.
