Students in Kathy Gallucci’s General Biology class enjoyed ice cream sundaes Thursday, Sept. 22, using the tasty treats as a way to learn about tropical plants.
Gallucci uses ice cream sundaes to introduce the diversity and unique features of tropical plants to her students. Many key ingredients in a sundae come from tropical plants, such as vanilla, cocoa, coconut, pineapple, bananas and sugar cane. “The purpose is to introduce tropical plants from a familiar point of view,” says Gallucci. “Students tend to have misconceptions about each of these plants, and many introductory textbooks don’t discuss them.”
In addition to the 31 students in Gallucci’s morning section of General Biology, another 63 students in the afternoon section sampled sundaes.
Gallucci says the method takes hands-on, student-centered teaching to another level. “In addition to sight and hearing, it also incorporates the sense of taste.”