A Working Model of Protein Synthesis Using Lego^TMBuilding Blocks

Although they found no differences in achievement of factual knowledge, most students who used the hands-on protein synthesis models gave accurate and detailed written descriptions of transcription and translation processes.

Abstract

The effectiveness of instruction about protein synthesis can be greatly improved by using a handson model. Mensch and Rubba (1991) found that using two hands-on models of protein synthesis as instructional activities helped students develop significantly more positive attitudes towards biology and biochemistry than lecture teaching methods covering the same topic. Although they found no differences in achievement of factual knowledge, most students who used the hands-on protein synthesis models gave accurate and detailed written descriptions of transcription and translation processes. Essays of the control group students, in contrast, often did not mention transcription or translation...[and] tended to recall pieces of factual information in isolation from the protein synthesis process (p. 168). Thus, using hands-on models of protein synthesis tended to increase students' depth of knowledge of this topic.