Teacher Guide

Gene Flow Mapper teacher guide

Use this guide to turn the app into a structured lesson about dispersal, fragmentation, and landscape-driven divergence rather than a map-only activity.

Open application Learner guide Standards

Quick Start

Recommended band

Upper high school through introductory college evolution, ecology, or conservation genetics.

Typical duration

One 25-40 minute investigation or a longer paired lesson with map comparison and CER writing.

Device assumptions

Laptop or tablet preferred. The workbench is responsive, but the legacy map is more informative on a wider screen.

Teacher Moves

Set up the question

Ask what movement without barriers should look like across a landscape.
Have learners predict what a new barrier should change.
Keep distance effects separate from barrier effects.

During the run

Require one-factor changes at a time.
Have learners defend whether the separation they see is gradual or abrupt.
Use the legacy map when learners need richer spatial inspection than the summary chart provides.

Suggested Evidence Tasks

Prompt

Which matters more in your comparison: dispersal distance, barrier position, or barrier permeability? Use the run outputs as evidence.

Listen for

Recognition that similar divergence can arise for different reasons.
Willingness to compare summary and map views when available.
Clear separation of observed pattern from inferred evolutionary story.