From K-12 to higher education, context plays an important role in our ability to teach and learn new concepts. Communicating the real-world application of knowledge is an important part of learning, and one of the most effective ways of achieving this is through storytelling.
The power of stories as teaching tools permeates all academic disciplines 鈥 from a retelling of history to a mathematics word problem and even, as it turns out, the journey of a molecule.
Dr. Caleb Trujillo explores the benefits of molecular storytelling in teaching biology and chemistry in his latest research, 鈥,鈥 recently published in the Frontiers in Education journal.
鈥淭here are some really big benefits to teaching with case studies, such as supporting problem-based learning,鈥 said Trujillo, assistant professor in the 糖心vlog视频鈥檚 School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences. 鈥淢olecular storytelling is really about being able to help students explain the living world and how it works through the relationships of various molecules.鈥
Creating a tool for educators
Trujillo first became involved in molecular storytelling research when he was approached in 2020 by Dr. Shuchismita Dutta, associate research professor at Rutgers University and principal investigator of the Molecular CaseNet project. The five-year project, funded by a National Science Foundation grant, aims to create a network of educators interested in using and developing molecular case studies for teaching biochemistry.
Trujillo聽was advising Dutta on another project in 2018 when he expressed interest in the CaseNet research. Trujillo then joined the team as a co-principal investigator and put his background in developmental molecular biology and teaching experience to work.聽
鈥淐aleb is an education researcher and is focused on understanding how the teachers are evolving as they participate in Molecular CaseNet activities,鈥 Dutta said. 鈥淲e each bring different skills and experiences to the table, so I think that this is a great collaboration.鈥
While she works with educators to develop the case studies, Dutta added, Trujillo is focused on the educators鈥 confidence in using biomolecular structures and other resources in their teaching. As part of his role, Trujillo said, he interviews participating educators to learn about their current experiences.
鈥淎 big thing in science education today is that we鈥檙e trying to get students to do the practice of science in the classroom and get away from book memorization,鈥 Trujillo said. 鈥淢oving to a more practice-oriented teaching method with structured exercises that engage students can better prepare them to do problem-solving work.鈥
Developing case studies
What makes molecular storytelling unique, Trujillo said, is that it鈥檚 a teaching practice that leverages a narrative view, rather than the more traditional approach of rote memorization.
鈥淎t the center of these narratives are the relationships that molecules go through in order to work inside the cell and create life as we know it,鈥 he said. 鈥淗elping students see molecules as characters 鈥 with their own actions, relationships and journeys 鈥 through impactful and engaging case studies can draw them in and motivate them to learn.鈥
The case studies developed by the team center the structure of proteins and other biomolecules. An example of these narratives is one called the 鈥淗appy Blue Baby.鈥 In this study, a baby that has turned blue in color is brought in for a series of diagnostic tests. The students are challenged to look for the cause and hopefully find a mutation in the molecule, leading to an understanding of what is making the baby turn blue.
By going through the process of finding the mutation and visualizing where it exists in the structure, students are also able to start conceptualizing ways to solve the problem. 鈥淚n doing that, they start to realize that a lot of the variations we see in people 鈥 including the disabilities and diseases we might experience 鈥 come down to these very small changes at the molecular level,鈥 said Trujillo.
Another narrative example of that is the COVID-19 virus and its variants.
Making them relevant
鈥淭he COVID-19 variations come from small mutations that happen in the viral code. These variations can mean the difference between a strain that is more contagious or a strain that is more dangerous and able to gain access to our lungs,鈥 Trujillo said. 鈥淭hose variants make us vulnerable, and it can be quite scary to think that something so small can have a drastic impact on human health and society.鈥
While these small differences in viral code can be detrimental to human health, Trujillo added that the ability to manipulate the viral code is one of the greatest advances in modern medicine 鈥 allowing vaccinations and immunizations to rewire the immune system to better fight the virus.
The Molecular CaseNet project launched at the beginning of the pandemic so there was a pressing need to create a practice-based curriculum suitable for a virtual learning environment. This sparked interest from educators looking for innovative ways to engage students during remote learning.
Educators who participate in the network are tasked with using a case study and then compensated for creating the materials they need to bring it into their classroom. 鈥淎 lot of people want to change the way they teach, but they don鈥檛 have the capacity or the resources or the community to do it,鈥 Trujillo said. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 wonderful about this group is that we teach toward a major gap. Biology and chemistry are siloed, and we need opportunities and instructors who can work across disciplines to teach biomolecules.鈥
An evolving framework
Together with undergraduate researcher Kit Thompson, a junior majoring in Psychology and minoring in Neuroscience, Trujillo is currently analyzing interviews from various educators in the network who have begun implementing the case studies into their teaching.
Thompson is quite hopeful the project will make a real difference in students鈥 classroom experiences. 鈥淗earing how the instructors have grown more confident in both the material they鈥檙e teaching and the technology they鈥檙e using is really encouraging when I think about how this project can have an impact on teaching and learning long term,鈥 he said.
Trujillo noted that while implementing molecular storytelling into the classroom is an important step, it is an ongoing process to discover what actually works and to adapt to the needs of different educators and their students.
鈥淲e鈥檙e evolving because we鈥檙e listening to the participants and understanding what鈥檚 working in the classroom and also what students might be getting tripped up on,鈥 he said. 鈥淓ach course is going to have its own nuances for learning and its own technology to support that.
鈥淎 person who鈥檚 able to navigate those spaces can really help us develop a better framework for teaching as we collaborate together.鈥
