biologist's+thoughts+2

It is my intention that I will keep a record of my thoughts after each lesson. Feel free to repsond to anything I have written. Hopefully my thoughts will inspire, motivate and allow you to improve your understanding of biology as well as get the most out of our classes. Link back to inside the mind of the biol guru Link to biologist's thoughts week 1& 2 biologist's thoughts week 5 & 6 biologist's thoughts week 7 & 8 biologist's thoughts week 9 & 10

**Lesson 8 (Monday 9th February 2009)** Period zero is always a challenge in that it is only 40min long but also because of the early start. How many of them are awake and ready to learn? Well they arrived in dribs and drabs so that put an end to me running the 2nd quiz that I had planned. But this was not unexpected and I knew that my timing would be an issue this lesson. It is always a difficult decision when deciding how much time do I give them to do an activity before we move on. Anyway, the little bit of extra time allowed me and them to concentrate on the group activity relating to enzymes. It was fantastic to see them discuss with each other the questions. They were really thinking about the possible answers, clarifying with each other meanings and interpetations of the information. What was even more pleasing was that they were answering questions on an area of enzymes that I hadn't covered yet. So they were relying on their unit 1 knowledge or any background reading that may have done and also their growing skills in making sense of unfamiliar contexts. The presentations of their answers were also good. It is important that I give them opportunities to orally express their thoughts and practise communicating ideas using terminology. I was satisfied that I was able to get them to hopefully learn an area more effectively than if I would have just explained things to them. They also got to experience some exam-type questions. Hmmm... I don't think I would have changed anything, maybe if i ran this activity in a double lesson I would have given them more time to read all the questions but I felt it was an effective use of 40min.

Well what can I say. I was overwhelmed by the birthday wishes from the entire class. So much so that it resulted in me making a blunder that I cannot quite explain. Thanks to an astute student who picked up on my inaccurate ramblings, the mistake was addressed. As a result there was a fair amount of humour, at my expense yet again. But it didn't concern me as I have confidence that this class will question and query things I say (so very important). But there is a lesson for them that may not be so evident. The state of my thinking was undoubtedly affected by their thoughtful presentation and so they must realise that if they are going to learn and understand the work covered in class they also must be clear in their thinking and therefore try to forget any troubles or issues that might be on their mind from the "outside world" during theis challenging final year of schooling. Ok back to the actual lesson. As I had anticipated, they struggled with the membrane quiz. Hopefully it was an eye-opener for them. The questions were challenging but ones that they need to be able to cope with by exam time. They should never be satisified with the understanding they think they have, they must always try to strengthen it. On the other hand I don't want to destroy their confidence or them to lack in it (also so important). If they work they will be rewarded accordingly. So I was very pleased to be able to praise one of the students who did get a question correct that almost the entire class got wrong. Especially as that student explained their reasoning of the answer to the class so beautifully. I can only hope that this boosted the confidence of the student greatly. If they read this, then I am sure they will feel that now. It is in this way that the use of the IWB and the "clickers" to do a quiz really allows for some successful classroom experiences that would otherwise not occur. I wasn't happy with my explanation of cofactors and coenzymes, my early blunder didn't help. Terminology is such a stumbling block not just for the students but also me as the teacher. I will come back to these terms later in the course so hopefully they will make more sense of them then. That's the thing about this unit, as the weeks go by they will inevitably increase (quite dramatically) there knowledge and understanding simply through reading and talkinga bout the biology more. The animations and explanations of how DNA links with proteins was OK (so much of this is unit 4). I really think the protein structure one helped, it was short, clear and avoided using too much "irrelevant" terminology. Hmmm...interesting lesson in many ways, unique like no other. It seems that every lesson holds something new and different for them and me and sometimes unintentionally. Next lesson we will start to focus on the upcoming SAC. I wonder how they feel about it. Nervous, anxious, quietly confident. I will certainly getter a better idea of their capabilties under pressure as well as how focussed they are on excelling in biology.
 * Lesson 9 (Tuesday 10th February 2009) **

I had planned a different sort of lesson for today. No new content really but more about SAC preparation and highlighting the need for them to also be aware of the biology skills that are examinable. It was my intention to initially get them a little worried when I said they would be starting the SAC today and doing it on their own. I think it worked because their response was very quiet. The posing of a question to get them to come up with a question had them stumped to some extent. And why wouldn't it because it requires some deep thinking on their part and perhaps their emotional state may have been affected by the prospect of starting the SAC now. They sort of had to think in reverse and put themselves in my shoes, thinking about what sort of questions would test their understanding. I chose my "guinea-pigs" (intentionally) to start us off, and it was great to see that one of them was able to contribute a vauable idea. Woohoo! Not only that but this relatively quiet student then eagerly answered another question later on in class, communicating the biology accurately. Woohoo! What a boost to confidence. I wonder if they realise that sometime the goal(s) of a lesson are not just about getting them to learn some content but can be in other areas and very specific. In relation to the other goals for the lesson I think I was able to achieve them. There was excellent discussion relating to the experiment and the scientific method involved. I saw some of them making notes and copying things down. Good for them because everything that was covered will be helpful for the SAC. I was surprised yet again by the relatively minor winge when I announced they were doing a surprise test on biomolecules and membranes. I have only marked the MC part but already I have come across too many mistakes. Better now than a week before the mid-year exam. I don't want them to be too scared but better they feel it now, do something about it now rather than later. The next lesson is lost due to a school function so I hope they use this wiki or see me (or talk to each other) about any concerns (and for some there are a few) before tuesday's SAC. Hmm...
 * Lesson 10 (Friday 13th February 2009) **

**Lesson 11 (Tuesday 17th February 2009)** The first SAC, an experiment involving osmosis in celery pieces. I gave them a handout yesterday in the hope that they could think about the prac, post any questions (one did) and ensure that they come intro the class prepared. I knew time would be an issue given that they needed to leave the experiment run for 40min at least. It didn't help that I was under prepared in that I hadn't prepared the sucrose solutions prior to today. I thought I would be able to do it lunchtime but ex-year 12s came for a visit and along with having a full day, it didn't happen. But, although I had the solutions prepared pretty quickly, I was surprised by the time taken for them to get into groups and work out who was doing which temperature. Surely they would have done this already! Never assume anything. Lots of questions were being thrown at me and I know they are keen to make sure they answer things correctly but I am not here to do the prac or SAC for them. But and a big BUT, once they were in their groups they work incredibly well. All were involved, they discussed ideas, they got themselves organsied and carried out the experiment in an impressive manner. I felt that they were really learning from this experience (and each other) and it will certainly help them for later SACs (the first one is always an eye-opener anyway) but more importantly they should also have a goood foundation for dealing with the remaining SAC questions on Friday. As to the results they got, well a little unexpected. But it doesn't matter, the key is for them to think about whatever they got, make sense of it and compare it to the theory that underlies the SAC. Hmmm... it was tiring and occasionally frustrating but I guess it was the first SAC for the year for me too. It will be interesting to see how they go on Friday. Sitting there quietly trying to communicate the best possible understanding they can. That's the way they need to look at it. If they have checked out last year's wiki and the comments I wrote, then hopefully they will avoid some of the usual errors. I am now starting to see how the wiki can be so beneficial. This group has such an advantage as last year's wiki provides them with an accurate record of what the biology course holds in store for them. They can learn from last year's group, even though they aren't at the school anymore. I have also found that it can save time in class because their questions can be answered through the wiki. And if they still don't understand then the questioning is inevitably more deeper and searching for an even greater understanding. I wasn't sure if it was worth keeping last year's wiki available to them but I am convinced now and satisfied that this might be a fantastic opportunity for me and them.

**Lesson 12 (Friday 20th February 2009)** Prior to their SAC I did think about what I would write for this lesson. I thought I would write about observing them write, commenting on any questions they had during the SAC (there weren't many). Instead I find myself writing about their reactions and my feelings. Why am I doing this? I guess I see value in them better understanding the nature of SACs, particularly in Biology, and in relation to the whole year. So many different reactions from them (smiles, tears, worried looks, relief and despair). It took me a bit by surprise. As a result I felt varying emotions such as frustration and unhapiness. Probably because I feel everything they feel. Probably because I put some much thought into the planning of the SAC and preparing them for it and it affects me if there is a possibility that I may not have done things well. So, I am torn between the amount of support that I want to give them and the resilience that they need to have in this final year. For ultimately in the exam, they will have no-one to turn to other than themself. They must find a self belief in their knowledge. They do know concepts, I have no doubts here but they cannot allow themself to doubt their understanding. Doubt leads to confusion, this will not allow them to think clearly and produce their best work. Well they have now experienced a Biology SAC, and they are different to all other subjects, the variety of skills required is diverse and I don't necessarily write easy questions. It is one of eight for the year, so their is a long journey ahead. They will worry about their result I know. How can I get them to realise and acknolwedge that SACs are a learning experience in biology. What mark I give them doesn't really matter and I do allow mistakes to be made. How strict I will be is up to me, I will read them all and get a feel for how the class has gone but there mark will be more to do with how much understanding they have shown. The SACs are also there to make sure same mistakes aren't made in the exam but more importantly strengthen their understanding and communication of biology under pressure. Oh well, my weekend will probably be one of highs and lows (more highs I would like to think) as I work through their responses. My final message is that they must not dwell on it anymore for the SAC is done and more concepts and interesting biology awaits. VM