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Title: Hands-on Activities to Engage Students in Muscle Cell Structure and Function
Student-centered learning of biology concepts through hands-on tactile approaches is one of the important themes in inclusive and equitable STEM teaching. In our article, we describe the development of clay Velcro origami models for students to explore the molecular and cellular process of muscle fiber formation. We repurposed dollar store items and recyclable items used to construct a variety of textures in the clay Velcro model of early and late stages of muscle fiber formation. These hands-on activities are linked to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) on using a model to explore the cell and structure changes to form a multinucleated muscle fiber or the formation of a syncytium. Finally, we also illustrate how students can utilize the clay Velcro model to make predictions if key molecules in cell fusion do not work during the process of syncytial formation during muscle fiber development.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1852032
PAR ID:
10630052
Author(s) / Creator(s):
;
Publisher / Repository:
University of California Press
Date Published:
Journal Name:
The American Biology Teacher
Volume:
86
Issue:
7
ISSN:
0002-7685
Page Range / eLocation ID:
441 to 446
Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
syncytium cell fusion Velcro clay models access integrative biology inclusion
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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