Week 11 The FINAL Blog

'Final Reflection on the value and use of blogs in the senior Biology classroom.'

Okay so first things first.  This whole experience has allowed me to say what i feel and understand, it has also given us the chance to compare notes and create great conversation.  
Although initially i was quite confused as to the whole experience  i have now been able to see how the benefits far out weigh the negatives.  

I found that sharing ideas through the virtual world of blogging allows for us to always to refer back to it whenever we need to.  It also helps us open up our mind and not be afraid of what someone may think about our thoughts.  The other great thing was to see where some students (Sylvie's in particular) mind set was at.  

I have been able to discover a side of myself knowing that there will always be a new way to teach things, an inventive way of keeping students engaged and active, but the most important thing is discovering ways to enhance the students learning which is a beneficial factor for them and myself as a teacher.  

I feel that within a senior biology classroom, the use of blogs will help keep track of students learning and understanding of content.  We as teachers could use it as an effective tool to assist those who do not feel confident to ask particular questions within class, or even show off their knowledge.  This will become so effective just as it has done so within our own class.  
As a class group we have come together through these blogs and developed friendships which we will carry through for many years to come.

If this effective class teaching tool was half as effective as it was within our classrooms, i believe that the benefits of it will encourage students within their senior years at high school.

Thank you everyone for your comments and words of encouragement it has been a ball, and i feel that i have learnt so much through this activity, and i will continue to use this for years to come.

Week 10 8.2 A Local Ecosystem

'Develop a question, sample answer and a marking guideline for an exam style question that is related to your slowmation. (original question) 

When it comes time to write up question for students we must keep in mind who we are teaching.
This is essential because we must allow for a range of 'Bloom' questions to test the knowledge of a range of students abilities.  
Thus for example both my slowmation and this weeks assigned module is A Local Ecosystem.
My Question would state the following.

Evaluate the need for decomposers within an ecosystem in reference to gas exchange and nutrients.  (4 marks)

To evaluate states to : Make a judgement based on criteria; determine the value of.

Therefore 

Sample answer should state the following: Decomposers are essential for an ecosystem.  They are responsible for the break down of organic matter through biochemical reactions.  This causes the release of nutrient back into the ecosystem which are taken up by other organisms. The cycle of decomposition also allows for the circulation of gases within our atmosphere.  Carbon and nitrogen are found within all organic matter and it is the decomposers which use the carbon and nitrogen to undergo these biochemical reactions.  
Therefore without decomposers within our ecosystem, no reactions for gas exchange will occur or essential nutrients will not be created for the survival of many plants and animals which will make it difficult for any organisms to survive.  

1 mark to identify the process of decomposers
2 marks to discuss the process of decomposers
3 marks to discuss process and make a judgement
4 marks to evaluate the process making a connection between the decomposers within an ecosystem and due to their understanding make a judgment on the importance of them.

This will allow for many students to obtain marks depending on their ability to answer the VERB in question.

Week 8, 9.2 Maintaining a Balance

'Discuss how you could use STANSW Young Scientist Awards or a similar award system (e.g. CREST or BHP Awards) to assist teachers and students with open-ended investigations and apply holistic marking criteria. (May draw relationships to your MyScience project)'.

Open ended investigation also known as SRP have come a great tool in teaching students essential skills within Science.  Not only does it prepare them for future endeavors within science but also helps them assess content and investigate research through secondary sources.  Therefore the positive aspects of working towards such awards will give students independence within the research fields.

Although keeping in mind there are some negative aspects when it comes to individual investigations.  Not only are many students inclined on doing the work themselves that they do not seek out advice nor help from teachers or professional within their fields.  This can tarnish students scientific mindset and confused their understanding. Therefore it becomes a real complications when they bring their understanding to a class from what they have taught themselves outside of class. 
Within the module 9.2 Maintaining a balance students could look at plant temperature regulations.  The fact of the matter is that they could research relevant information but investigate an inference which they assume could be the case.  

Finally awards such as Young scientist gives students an opportunity to actually get out there and work towards a specific goal which improves their scientific investigation skills and their independence.  These should be guided by teachers and professionals in order to maintaining some scientific value.  This becomes essential during marking such awards because there can be quite a variation between markers when it comes to holistic marking.  Things such as grammar and spelling should not play a role in marking.  Simply the students effort and scientific mind for an investigation are the key.  The more the student submits the greater the evidence of their investigation.  This is what markers should keep in mind when marking holistically   

Week 7 8.5 Evolution of Australian Biota

'Assess one useful web site that you would use for a practical activity for your Syllabus point.'

In this blog I will focus on dot point 8.5.2.3.2 which states

'gather information from secondary sources to describe some Australian fossils, where these fossils were found and use available evidence to explain how they contribute to the development of understanding about the evolution of species in Australia'

Upon researching a decent webpage resource I found it difficult to find one page which had all the information necessary to cover the dot point. Then i thought to myself that it was going to be quite impossible to find just one due to the fact that when it comes to research, a main skill which requires students to actually find more than just one.

For the purpose of this blog i will be using the following webpage titled 

Australia's fossil past

Australia, the world's oldest visible geology

http://australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/australias-fossil-past

When i was going through the page i found that it contained a lot of relevant information for the specific dot point.  It also ties in well with the module by the terminology that was used, such as Gondwana,  fossil record, fossil sites and the different eras in which they were from.  
It enables students to gain a firm understanding of the content.  It will also enhance students interest since there are quality visuals to accompany the text.  
The layout also makes it easier to read and stay focus, as opposed to a large text format. Since it is also an Australian government website it does have high credibility along with reliability.  They have references their sources but what also makes it easier for students to use is the links to key words and topics around the page.  In a sense it is designed as a web-quest, for those students who are unfamiliar with specific words it allows them to quickly checkup on their understanding.  
Therefore this web resource, not only is reliable due to its credible organisation, but it is also easy to navigate, fun to visually see specific samples, and helpful with the use of keywords being highlighted and connected to other links.
This is a great resource for students to use upon researching sources for this specific dot point.

Week 6 8.4 Life on Earth

'Select any Biology website relevant to a column 2 content and evaluate it for reliability and validity.'

Well once again I find myself writing down my thoughts and opinions about something rather interesting. This thought actually helped me think about a focus point on this weeks blog questions.  How is what i am writing any bit reliable or valid for that of fact. Who am I to say as a pass/credit student have any credibility what so ever? 
So upon researching a rather controversial dot point within 8.4; 
describe some of the palaeontological and geological evidence that suggests when life originated on Earth.
I found it too tempting to use a religious webpage to make any form of comment.  Therefore i stumbled upon this page (example of a bad resource).
http://www.ladeenyon.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=172&t=31927


Firstly, not only is this source in a different language originally (Arabic), therefore it must be questioned- is this being translated correctly? Another key point to question its reliability was in refernce to its actual URL. When searching for reliable/ credible sources we should always look to journal articles, .org, .gov, .edu type websites. These have been produced for education and information purposes.  Finally their sentence structure and grammar is poor.  This could potentially be due to the automatic translation.  It also gives us information in a poorly formatted way.  This confuses students and could take several items out of context.  This is how misconceptions are made and simply confused students with poorly written content.  Another key issue is that there are practically no references used within their writing.  This usually means it has come from their understanding or their guess.  Always use cited and peer reviewed work. On the note of validity it is questioned whether or not their work has any purpose to the readers.  It is simply written in the form of a blog almost.  Therefore the question of 'who the intended audience is, must be asked. 

These few comments are essential for students to understand before they can master the use of reliable and valid sources   

Week 5. 8.3 Patterns in Nature

'Describe one assessment tool you would use in the Biology classroom – examples of good practice.'

According to the syllabus the Patterns in nature module dives deep into the genetics of what students should already have a grasp of the understand, (only if their previous teachers actually did their jobs properly).  If all had gone according to plan then i would do exactly what i did on my previous prac.  i found that in order for them to actually get back into the focus topic, i tested them with a set of question including definitions, multiple choice and short answer.  As students tend to get nervous and worried before a test i would surprise them with this "Assumed knowledge revision sheet". Definitions including gene, DNA, chromosomes, mitosis, meiosis etc. From this i would give them the same quiz later on in the module, but without them knowing therefore they would be able to see their progress, and i too would be able to track their understanding.  Its funny to see how students become quite impressed with their progress, as for those who 'fail' to do well...... i guess there is always next year (just kidding).    I find multiple choice is a quick and easy way to see students' progression and to see what (as a class) they struggle (either due to my teaching or their intelligence level :)).
MC is easy to mark as well therefore they can get feedback sooner.  In this module a lot of diagrams are needed therefore i would expect them to be able to complete diagrams within their "assumed knowledge revision sheets".  There are great resources out there and i was quite fortunate in that my colleague teacher gave me a lot of material.
There are so many assessment tools out there finding the right one of the unique class is the challenge, but MC never has failed me as of yet.

Week 4 - 8.2 A Local Ecosystem

Describe one learning cycle activity you would use in a Biology lesson. Give reasons why you chose this for your particular syllabus point.'

Module 8.2 A Local Ecosystem.

When it comes to learning cycle activities within a Biology lesson we must keep in mind our time limitations but also whether or not the activities which we plan actually have some core knowledge and understanding behind them.  That way the students actually are able to take something away from the lesson and not see it as a big waste of time.

The very first dot point in the module 8.2.1.2.1 Compare the abiotic characteristics, of aquatic and terrestrial environments.   In order to build the field it is essential to get the terminology across before even getting into the content.  The term abiotic must be explained and its association with terrestrial and aquatic environments.  

Modelling would be acted upon by the teacher when it comes time to split the class into groups and giving them the research task of either abiotic aquatic or abiotic terrestrial. The teacher would model the first example of what is required for each on the board. 

Jointly deconstructing would be effective once each student has contributed to their group and written their answer down on butches’ paper.  One it comes time to bring the class together to compare the two environments, I would then get the students to independently construct their knowledge and understanding by getting them to write down 2 characteristics of the environment which they did not research.

This would be able to cover the required learning cycles and get the students thinking in a proactive manner about the lesson.