Self-discovery has been shown to be a profoundly effective means of learning for which there is no effective alternative. Dissection involves cooperative learning, a skill that is necessary in the world of work and proven to be a sound teaching technique.
Dissection involves the visual, kinesthetic, and concrete learning styles .
Through the physical manipulation of anatomical structures, both the visual and kinesthetic modes of learning are supported as structures are exposed and identified. Color, shape, size, and many other spatial relationships among structures often can be discovered only through the direct tactile examination of those structures. Dissection is a practical application of parallel material covered in the lecture component of the course . Whereas the lecture component of courses in the biological sciences often focuses on the factual and theoretical aspects of the discipline, the laboratory setting, including dissection, provides the working knowledge needed to succeed in the discipline. Dissection can enhance a life-long appreciation of living things .