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Measure, Then Show: “Grasping” Human Evolution Through an Inquiry-based, Data-driven Hominin Skulls Lab

The inquiry-based Be a Paleoanthropologist for a Day lab placed a dozen hominin skulls into the hands of high-school students.  Upon measuring three variables of human evolution, students explain what they have observed and discuss findings.  In the 2013/14 school year, 11 biology classes in 7 schools in the Greater New Orleans area participated in this lab.

Structured interviews were conducted with biology teachers serving as key informants.  These interviews were held toward the end of the Spring 2014 semester, such that the teachers would have had the time to reflect upon the lab and place it in the appropriate context of the course.