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STAV VCE BIOLOGY CONFERENCE 2008

STAV VCE BIOLOGY CONFERENCE 2008. Engaging activities for teaching VCE Biology Vojtech Markus The King David School vojtech.markus@kds.vic.edu.au. Engaging activities for VCE biology. Challenge students’ understanding Need to communicate their thoughts Apply their understanding

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STAV VCE BIOLOGY CONFERENCE 2008

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  1. STAV VCE BIOLOGY CONFERENCE 2008 Engaging activities for teaching VCE Biology Vojtech Markus The King David School vojtech.markus@kds.vic.edu.au

  2. Engaging activities for VCE biology • Challenge students’ understanding • Need to communicate their thoughts • Apply their understanding • Become familiar with terminology • Provide fun and varied activities • Find out what they know

  3. Guess the picture! • Context: units 1 and 3-cell biology • Knowledge of cell structure and familiarity with diagrams • Students required to search through their biological knowledge • Allows for lots of discussion, clarifying misconceptions • Highlights the need to apply their knowledge EXAMPLE

  4. Ecological issue conference • Context: unit 2-changes in ecosystems • Students required to research and present at a ‘mock” conference, portraying a particular viewpoint in society • PowerPoint provides background information to task and assessment • Allows for lots of discussion, highlights the complexity of ecological issues • Students enjoy the role-playing nature

  5. Analogies • Context: unit 3-enzyme interactions • Receptor-ligand binding is fundamental to biology • Example 1: bucket, basketball, football, golf ball • Example 2: baseball glove, baseball, basketball, tennis ball • Allows students to visualise interactions such as lock & key, induced fit and competitive inhibitor • Followed by analysis of weaknesses and strengths of analogy (most important)

  6. Linking terminology to label diagrams • Context: unit 4 revision • Lots of terminology and concepts • Students required to sort terms (180 of them!) according to headings, eg meiosis, linked genes, gene expression, molecular cloning, patterns of inheritance • Followed by labelling a series of diagrams • Groups compared each others finished products • Lots of discussion and allowed for identification of misconceptions EXAMPLE

  7. Simulations & analogies • Context: unit 4-gene expression • Linking DNA sequence to protein formation is difficult for students to make sense of • Use the analogy of a clothing manufacturer • Simulate process with laminated diagrams • Other simulations include liquorice, jelly babies, toothpicks and chocolates (“Favourites”) • Simulations foster discussion and provide another perspective to lecturing, animations, diagrams

  8. Summary of activities • Encourage students to explore their knowledge base and then USE IT • Develop skills in communicating their ideas, verbally and in written form • Encourage students to search for links between terms and concepts • Provide the opportunity for fun as well as diversity in lesson activities

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