Science of Learning in Anatomy and Physiology
Instructor Manual for
Anatomy & Physiology 1st Edition Elizabeth Co
Chapter 1-28
Elizabeth Co, Anatomy and Physiology, First Edition 2023, Core ISBN 9780357802212; Chapter 1:
The Art and Science of Learning in Anatomy and Physiology
Table of Contents
Purpose and Perspective of the Chapter .................................................................................... 2
Key Terms ................................................................................................................................. 2
Chapter Outline .......................................................................................................................... 2
Discussion Questions................................................................................................................. 3
Additional Activities and Assignments ........................................................................................ 4
Additional Resources ................................................................................................................. 4
External Videos or Playlist ......................................................................................................................... 4
Internet Resources .................................................................................................................................... 4
Appendix .................................................................................................................................... 5
Generic Rubrics ......................................................................................................................................... 5
Standard Writing Rubric ............................................................................................................................ 5
Standard Discussion Rubric ....................................................................................................................... 5
© 2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible 1
website, in whole or in part.
, Instructor Manual: Elizabeth Co, Anatomy and Physiology, First Edition 2023, Core ISBN 9780357802212; Chapter 1: The Art and
Science of Learning in Anatomy and Physiology
Purpose and Perspective of the Chapter
The purpose of this chapter is to introduce the student to methods and techniques that will help
them understand the concepts related to anatomy and physiology. This chapter begins with a
discussion centered around the science of learning and the stages of the learning process.
Additionally, this chapter defines a learning objective and helps students to understand how
learning objectives can help them to know what their instructor feels is important and wants
them to know. This knowledge, along with the methods and techniques, will help students to
devise a process to assist with honing their skills in preparing to give back information learned
on differing types of assessments. Finally, this chapter teaches students how to read and
transfer anatomical knowledge learned from viewing one image to various other images, as
opposed to trying to memorize the original image. Similarly students are taught how to
understand the images of physiological processes by first understanding the symbols used in
the image and then incorporating that understanding into what they know about physiological
processes. Each section of this chapter focuses on metacognitive approaches that students
can use to be successful in this course.
Key Terms
Log in to cengage.com as an instructor to download a list of key terms separated by chapter.
The textbook and eBook include a detailed glossary, and the MindTap course has a glossary
app.
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Chapter Outline
I. The Science of Learning
a. There is a science to learning and mastering content. Thinking critically and applying
the information you learn is the aim of this process.
b. There are three stages of learning:
1. Foreign
2. Familiar
3. Mastery
c. During the foreign stage, a beginning learner is exposed to the information for the first
time. In many cases, this occurs in a classroom setting. Through a variety of learning
strategies, knowledge of the information or subject can be achieved. These
strategies include story-telling, mnemonic devices, chunking, and retrieval practice.
1. Story-telling—creating stories to help remember information
2. Mnemonic devices —using a rhyme or song to remember information
3. Chunking—grouping items together
4. Retrieval practice—memory strengthening
d. A learner can transition from the foreign stage to the familiar stage through repetitive
exposure to the material. This can occur by:
1. Reading/rereading the notes
2. Copying the notes a second time
3. Watching and rewatching lectures
4. Reading and rereading the textbook
5. Using flashcards to memorize terminology
e. The transition from familiarity to the mastery stage occurs through practice. This
happens through teaching or explaining the material to someone else, drawing a
structure or structures, writing an explanation of a concept, recreating a graph with
© 2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible 2
website, in whole or in part.
, Instructor Manual: Elizabeth Co, Anatomy and Physiology, First Edition 2023, Core ISBN 9780357802212; Chapter 1: The Art and
Science of Learning in Anatomy and Physiology
explanations, completing practice problems, or answering the question ―what
happens if these components don’t work?”.
II. Bloom’s Taxonomy of Cognitive Learning
a. Bloom’s Taxonomy is an educational framework for evaluating the skills used in a
question or task. It is based on the concept that different question types require
different skills. Additionally, the skills build on one another. For example, you cannot
apply information if you cannot remember it first.
b. Bloom’s taxonomy levels begin with remembering information. Remembering can lead
to higher levels, such as understanding and applying (see figure 1.03).
III. Learning objectives
a. Learning objectives (LOs) are goals assigned by an instructor that help students to
understand what they are expected to know. They can also improve transparency
between student and instructor. In this text, they are located at the beginning of each
section and the end of each chapter. Students should be aware that an instructor
may provide additional learning objectives.
b. For details regarding the anatomy of a learning objective please see figure 1.04.
IV. The Anatomy of Art
a. Image transference in an anatomy and physiology course is valuable. Understanding
anatomy and physiology requires visual learning. One example is recognizing three-
dimensional gross anatomy through diagrams, then applying this information to other
visuals (x-rays and other medical imaging).
b. To understand the gross anatomy diagrams, start with a point of reference and build
from there.
c. Histological images are used to understand microscopic anatomy.
d. Diagrams are also helpful to understand physiological processes. The best approach is
to start with understanding what the diagram is showing overall. From there, students
should follow arrows or other symbols as they show progression through the
process.
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Discussion Questions
You can assign these questions in several ways: as a discussion forum in your LMS; as a
whole-class discussion in person; or as a partner or group activity in class.
1. Discussion: How to learn. Duration 5–10 minutes.
a. Question: What techniques or practices have helped you learn in the past?
i. There’s no right or wrong answer to this question. The students should
spend some time thinking and reflecting on techniques that have helped
them learn in the past. Emphasize that if it has worked for them in the
past, then they should try to continue those techniques in their anatomy
and physiology course.
2. Discussion: Learning in anatomy and physiology. Duration 5–10 minutes.
a. Question: What practices and techniques do you think work best for learning
concepts in anatomy and physiology?
i. Answer: There is no right or wrong answer. The goal is to get students to
brainstorm different learning techniques that may benefit them during
their anatomy and physiology course. If there is a technique or approach
that they have not tried before, encourage them to attempt to use it if they
think it sounds like it could be beneficial. You could also suggest
techniques that have worked for you in your own academic pursuits.
© 2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible 3
website, in whole or in part.
, Instructor Manual: Elizabeth Co, Anatomy and Physiology, First Edition 2023, Core ISBN 9780357802212; Chapter 1: The Art and
Science of Learning in Anatomy and Physiology
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Additional Activities and Assignments
1. Using Bloom’s Taxonomy: This activity will allow students to gain a better
understanding of Bloom’s taxonomy.
a. Divide students into small groups and have them look over Bloom’s taxonomy.
They should begin by defining the various levels. After defining each level, have
the students suggest different verbs that relate to each level. These can be
recorded for the students and displayed so that they can see their own
suggestions. Have them compare their suggestions to common verbs that are
listed in the following form. Adapt this activity for online use by using a discussion
board.
b. Bloom’s Taxonomy Action Verbs
2. Creating your own learning objectives: This activity will allow students to experience
the anatomy of a learning objective.
a. Students should think about an activity that they do every day. This could be
something as simple as brushing their teeth or putting on clothes. Have the
students list a few steps involved in accomplishing the task. Next, have them
write learning objectives related to the steps of the task that they chose. Allow
them to exchange their lists with other students. To adapt this to an online
classroom, this activity could be turned into a group project, or a discussion
board could be used.
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Additional Resources
External Videos or Playlist
Cengage A&P YouTube Playlist
Internet Resources
What is Bloom’s Taxonomy? article
How to write a learning objective article
Learning styles article
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website, in whole or in part.