Student-Generated Analogies for Learning about Information Flow

Using analogies is a standard practice for both teaching and communicating ideas in science. Here we upend the traditional lesson, where the instructor provides a fully constructed analogy and explains it, by having the students develop a complex analogy themselves. This high engagement, peer learning activity engages students in critical thinking and analogical reasoning to foster deeper understanding of molecular processes and their interconnection. In this lesson, groups of students are asked to relate given items to DNA and to decide which level it best represents (nucleotide, gene, chromosome, or genome). Next they are tasked with extending the analogy to include other actors in the central dogma of molecular biology (RNA, protein, polymerases, ribosomes, etc.), and then to extend it even further (introns/exons, mutations, evolution, etc.). Finally, each group presents their analogy to the class, and they evaluate each other. We provide multiple examples of items that can be used in the activity, but others can be identified with some creativity. This exercise is also an excellent tool for instructors to discover where their students have gaps and need help making connections to bridge their understanding of processes in molecular biology. Primary Image: Items to compare to DNA. Is each most similar to a gene, a chromosome, or a genome?