The 'system of pasta': an introduction to dichotomous keys
Issue 330 | Page 89 | Published Sep 2008
Description
This article introduces a dichotomous key based on the identification of 'species' of pasta, familiar to pupils from their everyday life. Their task is to learn how the key itself works rather than focusing on identification. In a subsequent lesson, pupils focus on amphibian identification. Pupils who had used the pasta system performed significantly better than a control group, suggesting that training on dichotomous keys should be fostered by using familiar items.
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