It s winter term at the University of Oregon, and the students in introductory biology are about to learn the anatomy of the heart. In one laboratory, the instructor draws diagrams of the heart on the board, labels each part with its anatomical name, and explains exactly how the dissection should proceed.
Students copy the drawings and learn the terms and then begin the actual dissection.
In the Workshop Biology laboratory across the hall, students are handed sheep hearts and dissection tools. Guided only by a handout that asks a series of leading questions, students attempt to figure out the function of the different areas of the heart and the path of blood flow from what they see on their dissection trays. They make their own diagrams and record their observations. As the students discuss their findings, the instructor introduces key terms but only where necessary to facilitate understanding. In addition, despite their initial fears about going into the laboratory cold, students have learned an important lesson in making observations and inferences , and gained insight into the workings of the scientific method.