Styrofoam-and-Velcro: An Alternative to Ball-and-Stick Models <sup> </sup>

For students learning biology at introductory levels, one of the most significant instructional barriers is their lack of preparation in chemistry. In upper-division college chemistry and biology courses, students employ ball-and-stick models in order to visualize molecular structures, but at the in...

Descripción completa

Guardado en:
Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Sawyer R. Masonjones, Heather D. Masonjones, Megan C. Malone, Ann H. Williams, Margaret M. Beemer, Rebecca J. Waggett
Formato: article
Lenguaje:EN
Publicado: American Society for Microbiology 2014
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://doaj.org/article/a0f9ddabb42d4047b60e8812e2ad9b28
Etiquetas: Agregar Etiqueta
Sin Etiquetas, Sea el primero en etiquetar este registro!
id oai:doaj.org-article:a0f9ddabb42d4047b60e8812e2ad9b28
record_format dspace
spelling oai:doaj.org-article:a0f9ddabb42d4047b60e8812e2ad9b282021-11-15T15:15:37ZStyrofoam-and-Velcro: An Alternative to Ball-and-Stick Models <sup> </sup>10.1128/jmbe.v15i2.6511935-78851935-7877https://doaj.org/article/a0f9ddabb42d4047b60e8812e2ad9b282014-12-01T00:00:00Zhttps://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/jmbe.v15i2.651https://doaj.org/toc/1935-7877https://doaj.org/toc/1935-7885For students learning biology at introductory levels, one of the most significant instructional barriers is their lack of preparation in chemistry. In upper-division college chemistry and biology courses, students employ ball-and-stick models in order to visualize molecular structures, but at the introductory biology level, models are inconsistently used and at the secondary level they are avoided altogether. Traditional ball-and-stick models perform poorly at all levels because they only show bonds, never valence electrons. This poses a problem for students who are visual or kinesthetic learners, as modeling electrons in the bonding process may be critical to understanding the mechanisms behind the biochemical reactions that serve as a foundation for biological concepts. Our molecular modeling kits show the action of valence electrons and correctly deal with the issue of polarity and partial charge, while still illustrating structure and function similarly to ball-and-stick models, allowing students to model nearly every reaction or molecule they may need to learn. Additionally, this kit will foster model building exercises required as part of the Next Generation Science Standards (http://www.nextgenscience.org/next-generation-science-standards). This model was devloped in conjunction with 'Molecular Twister: A Game for Exploring Solution Chemistry' (JMBE Vol 15, No 1; http://jmbe.asm.org/index.php/jmbe/article/view/652) by the same authors, which uses principles derived from the present paper.Sawyer R. MasonjonesHeather D. MasonjonesMegan C. MaloneAnn H. WilliamsMargaret M. BeemerRebecca J. WaggettAmerican Society for MicrobiologyarticleSpecial aspects of educationLC8-6691Biology (General)QH301-705.5ENJournal of Microbiology & Biology Education, Vol 15, Iss 2, Pp 295-296 (2014)
institution DOAJ
collection DOAJ
language EN
topic Special aspects of education
LC8-6691
Biology (General)
QH301-705.5
spellingShingle Special aspects of education
LC8-6691
Biology (General)
QH301-705.5
Sawyer R. Masonjones
Heather D. Masonjones
Megan C. Malone
Ann H. Williams
Margaret M. Beemer
Rebecca J. Waggett
Styrofoam-and-Velcro: An Alternative to Ball-and-Stick Models <sup> </sup>
description For students learning biology at introductory levels, one of the most significant instructional barriers is their lack of preparation in chemistry. In upper-division college chemistry and biology courses, students employ ball-and-stick models in order to visualize molecular structures, but at the introductory biology level, models are inconsistently used and at the secondary level they are avoided altogether. Traditional ball-and-stick models perform poorly at all levels because they only show bonds, never valence electrons. This poses a problem for students who are visual or kinesthetic learners, as modeling electrons in the bonding process may be critical to understanding the mechanisms behind the biochemical reactions that serve as a foundation for biological concepts. Our molecular modeling kits show the action of valence electrons and correctly deal with the issue of polarity and partial charge, while still illustrating structure and function similarly to ball-and-stick models, allowing students to model nearly every reaction or molecule they may need to learn. Additionally, this kit will foster model building exercises required as part of the Next Generation Science Standards (http://www.nextgenscience.org/next-generation-science-standards). This model was devloped in conjunction with 'Molecular Twister: A Game for Exploring Solution Chemistry' (JMBE Vol 15, No 1; http://jmbe.asm.org/index.php/jmbe/article/view/652) by the same authors, which uses principles derived from the present paper.
format article
author Sawyer R. Masonjones
Heather D. Masonjones
Megan C. Malone
Ann H. Williams
Margaret M. Beemer
Rebecca J. Waggett
author_facet Sawyer R. Masonjones
Heather D. Masonjones
Megan C. Malone
Ann H. Williams
Margaret M. Beemer
Rebecca J. Waggett
author_sort Sawyer R. Masonjones
title Styrofoam-and-Velcro: An Alternative to Ball-and-Stick Models <sup> </sup>
title_short Styrofoam-and-Velcro: An Alternative to Ball-and-Stick Models <sup> </sup>
title_full Styrofoam-and-Velcro: An Alternative to Ball-and-Stick Models <sup> </sup>
title_fullStr Styrofoam-and-Velcro: An Alternative to Ball-and-Stick Models <sup> </sup>
title_full_unstemmed Styrofoam-and-Velcro: An Alternative to Ball-and-Stick Models <sup> </sup>
title_sort styrofoam-and-velcro: an alternative to ball-and-stick models <sup> </sup>
publisher American Society for Microbiology
publishDate 2014
url https://doaj.org/article/a0f9ddabb42d4047b60e8812e2ad9b28
work_keys_str_mv AT sawyerrmasonjones styrofoamandvelcroanalternativetoballandstickmodelssupsup
AT heatherdmasonjones styrofoamandvelcroanalternativetoballandstickmodelssupsup
AT megancmalone styrofoamandvelcroanalternativetoballandstickmodelssupsup
AT annhwilliams styrofoamandvelcroanalternativetoballandstickmodelssupsup
AT margaretmbeemer styrofoamandvelcroanalternativetoballandstickmodelssupsup
AT rebeccajwaggett styrofoamandvelcroanalternativetoballandstickmodelssupsup
_version_ 1718428208101064704