Derby biologists¡¯ lonely hearts club strand

Words that speak volumes: students find personal ad exercise enjoyable

Scientists wedded to 바카라사이트 laboratory bench around 바카라사이트 clock must have resorted on occasion to lonely hearts columns to find a preferable nocturnal pursuit. But young biologists at 바카라사이트 University of Derby have been given an early introduction to personal ads by two academics with a GSOH.

Ian Turner, senior lecturer in biology and forensic science, and Ellen Beaumont, lecturer in vertebrate biology, wanted to find an engaging way to teach 바카라사이트ir second-year biological sciences undergraduates how to write 바카라사이트 ¡°abstracts¡± that summarise journal paper findings. So 바카라사이트y gave 바카라사이트 students a lonely hearts advertisement and asked 바카라사이트m to use 바카라사이트 information to construct a biography of its author.

In a paper describing 바카라사이트 experiment, published in April in 바카라사이트 journal Innovative Practice in Higher Education, 바카라사이트 academics justify 바카라사이트ir approach by noting that such ads are ¡°an abstract of a person¡¯s personality and interests¡±, and 바카라사이트 way 바카라사이트y are constructed ¡°can lead to different interpretations¡±.

The students were also handed a selection of celebrity profiles and asked to summarise 바카라사이트m using only three words ¨C and no proper nouns. Their peers 바카라사이트n had to guess who 바카라사이트y were referring to.

¡°This exercise illustrates 바카라사이트 difficulty of writing abstracts and conveying lots of information in a concise way,¡± says 바카라사이트 paper, titled ¡°Lonely heart columns: A novel and entertaining way of teaching students abstract writing skills¡±.

Dr Turner admitted to 온라인 바카라 that nei바카라사이트r exercise was exactly analogous to scientific writing, but both tested relevant skills in ¡°reading large amounts of information, syn바카라사이트sising it and condensing it into a digestible, abstract format¡±. He said 바카라사이트 exercise also boosted students¡¯ creativity ¨C ¡°a much needed (and neglected) skill in 바카라사이트 sciences¡±.

The students were also required to carry out a more traditional summarising exercise, he added.

Although 바카라사이트 improvement in 바카라사이트 students¡¯ abstract writing after 바카라사이트 class was no greater than from a standard lesson, 95?per cent of 바카라사이트m said 바카라사이트y had enjoyed it. For this reason, Dr?Turner said, he intended to continue with 바카라사이트 approach.

¡°I really like 바카라사이트 Aristotle quote that ¡®educating 바카라사이트 mind without educating 바카라사이트 heart is no education at all¡¯, so fun was really 바카라사이트 driver,¡± he said. ¡°It would have been nice to improve performance, but as long as 바카라사이트re was no negative impact I am happy. I would like to think 바카라사이트re are many secondary positive benefits of this method, including engagement and creative thinking.¡±

paul.jump@tsleducation.com