One ASU professor has designed a creative approach to demonstrate how DNA works, taking science teaching to a new level.
Pamela Marshall, an assistant life sciences professor in the Division of Mathematical and Natural Sciences on the West campus, recently created an interactive DNA activity for high school students that was featured on The American Society for Microbiology’s Web site.
“In order to understand anything in genetics at the DNA level, you’ve got to understand the structure of DNA,” Marshall said.
The activity helps students understand the structure by allowing them to mimic DNA using their own bodies.
“As students pretend to be nucleotides, they line up as if they were in the DNA,” she said.
Students learn the different parts and aspects of DNA, including the fact that one end of the DNA is different than the other.
Though the activity is meant for high school students, Marshall has used the demonstration in some of her college courses when students don’t understand the concept of DNA.
This type of activity is not new, but it is now available as a creative resource for high school teachers, she said.
“The idea really is to … catch their eye and get [students] to think, ‘Oh, this is really important and it’s something I should remember,’” Marshall said.
For the activity, Marshall said she has done pre- and post-testing, and most students learned more after participating.
Jessica Prentice, a life sciences senior, has taken a few classes from Marshall and participated in the DNA activity a year ago.
“It was definitely something that we weren’t expecting,” Prentice said. “It was a unique approach. It worked — we remembered the material overall.”
Anthony Witten, a biology senior, also participated in Marshall’s DNA activity in a genetics class a year ago.
“You could tell people perked up and started paying attention because something unusual was going on and they wanted to know what it was,” Witten said.
Marshall not only created a new activity — she also has won teaching and mentoring awards in the past few years, along with publishing research and other accomplishments.
Elizabeth Langland, dean of the New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences on the West campus, nominated Marshall for a University-wide mentoring award and presented her with a teaching excellence award from her college.
“She’s got an extraordinary passion for teaching and for science and she communicates that to everyone,” she said.
Jane Kruchowsky, a life sciences and psychology senior, is currently enrolled in her second class with Marshall and has worked in one of her labs for about a year.
Marshall is always willing to explain concepts to students and helps them succeed, either in classes or research labs, she said.
“She makes you want to learn, and she makes sure you’re understanding what’s going on,” Kruchowsky said.
Reach the reporter at reweaver@asu.edu
