Forum Higher Ed & Training Forum: Re: Re: Using LAMS in Science

By: Peter Miller

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Today I tried using an analogy to stimulate discussion on the evolution of proteins. The analogy was one of those word puzzles where one word changes into another by altering one letter at a time, each intermediate also being a word. I then asked the students how similar this might be to the evolution of the amino acid sequence of proteins. I suspect they had more fun trying to dream up "inappropriate" intermediates but, not pressed too far, I think analogies can sometimes be useful starting points for discussion.

Of course, scientific papers also serve as a good starting point, especially if the students are challenged with the unexpected. The recent discovery of "giant" viruses such as Mimivirus formed the basis for a discussion of whether we needed to reexamine our definition of such entities.

I think the tricky aspect is finding a suitable subject. I think it fair to say that I probably under-utilise discussion (I have strong instructivist genes) but LAMS has encouraged me to be a little more adventurous.

Posted by Peter Miller