Teaching neurobiology to students can often be challenging. In fact, neurophysiological topics are some of the most difficult concepts that students and teachers in school are confronted with. With topics this complex, many teachers tend to switch on ‘here are the facts, just memorise them’ mode. For that, we use textbooks, in which the electrochemical processes are reduced to a mere list of numerous steps, often accompanied by figures with overwhelming complexity.

In the activity presented in the paper, students take on the roles of different components of a synapse to act out synaptic transmission.

It is generally accepted that active learning increases students’ motivation and leads to better performance in various scientific disciplines. Moreover, moving around in a classroom, taking part in a role play involving interactions with other students, can enhance the level of activity to the point where students are, in general, more attentive.

This activity allows teachers to differentiate between students who need more guidance and those already familiar with active teaching methods. It is a valuable way to investigate synaptic transmission alongside the classic learning track and can be easily incorporated into a traditional teaching unit with hardly any additional costs.

Andersen-Gassner, Matthias & Möller, Andrea (2023). Hold your nerve: acting out chemical synaptic transmission. Science in School (63).

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