Tenom 30 April 2010

Biology : This was one subject I never liked while in school. Perhaps because the teacher presented it in a boring way. We had this fat textbook and she would just read out the lessons aloud and after each sentence she would pause and utter one word "Underline!" and we would underline! My Bio textbook was filled with underlines. Sometimes we would feel like asking, Maamwhat not to underline? Bio truly made me fall asleep.

Fun and effective ways to teach biology

1. Conduct Demonstrations & Investigations (experiments)

Experimental and practical investigations encourage learners to develop into thinkers and problem-solvers prepared to meet the challenges of an ever-changing world.

Fun and effective ways to teach biology

1. Conduct Demonstrations & Investigations (experiments)

Experimental and practical investigations encourage learners to develop into thinkers Children learn from experience and problem-solvers prepared to meet the challenges of an ever-changing world.

What is the hypothesis

You want to find out how light intensity affect the rate of photosynthesis, what is the hypothesis?

You want to find out what your blood group is, what is the hypothesis?
You want to use the quadrant method to determine the population of earthworm in your garden, what is the hypothesis?

Do not assume that every lab activity have a hypothesis

 Set up an osmometer to demonstrate osmosis Write out a hypothesis.

 Set up an osmometer to Write out a hypothesis.

Remember not every demonstrate osmosis lab activity has hypothesis?

 Set up an osmometer to demonstrate osmosis Write out a hypothesis. What are the usual problems?

This was my first experiment in teaching biology 29 years ago

Set up an osmometer to demonstrate osmosis Write out a hypothesis. What are the usual problems?

Make sure you try out the experiment first Murphys Law anything that can go wrong will go wrong.

What are the problems you face when setting up a potometer?

Can you improve this apparatus?

Try to improve the

Semi permeable membrane

Semi permeable membrane

Look for alternatives, Simplify

How can you simulate a capture recapture experiment?

How can you simulate a an activity to determine the frequency of a plant specie?

Yeast and Cabon dioxide

Prepare dough Place in different conditions Write out a suitable hypothesis

Yeast and Cabon dioxide

Prepare dough Do not assume Place in different conditions that all your students have the same past experience Write out a suitable hypothesis

Plasmolysis
Set up microscope and slides to observe plasmolysis

Use jelly cube to demonstrate diffusion of materials into cells

Plan an experiment using jelly cubes
Hypothesis Variables Procedure

Fun and effective ways to teach biology

1. Conduct Demonstrations & Investigations (experiments) 2. Use lots of pictures, animations and movies

A Picture is worth a thousand words

A Picture is worth a thousand words

A Picture is worth a thousand words

Some sample animations

Fun and effective ways to teach biology

1. Conduct Demonstrations & Investigations (experiments) 2. Use lots of pictures, animations and movies 3. Relate to daily experiences.

Relate to daily experiences

Why doesnt a cooked marine fish taste salty like a salted fish? Why does a bowl of porridge go bad after being left in the open for a few days but a bowl of honey does not? Why do you urinate more often on a cold day?

How can you investigate the effect of water intake and urine production?
Hypothesis? Technique? Procedure? Data?

Fun and effective ways to teach biology

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Conduct Demonstrations & Investigations (experiments) Use lots of pictures, animations and movies Relate to daily experiences. Conduct nature walks Demonstrate drawing technique and skills Help students write notes in full short sentences. Ask questions to clarify thinking or misconception Teach to make students understand biology, not just to answer exam questions 9. Make you own power point presentations

Fun and effective ways to teach biology

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Conduct Demonstrations & Investigations (experiments) Use lots of pictures, animations and movies Relate to daily experiences. Conduct nature walks Demonstrate drawing technique and skills

draw and label the cross section of a leaf.

draw and label the cross section of a leaf.

Now you draw it

Now you draw it

A student in biology must be able to produce a good line drawing

Fun and effective ways to teach biology

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Conduct Demonstrations & Investigations (experiments) Use lots of pictures, animations and movies Relate to daily experiences. Conduct nature walks Demonstrate drawing technique and skills Help students write notes in full short sentences. Ask questions to clarify thinking or misconception Teach to make students understand biology, not just to answer exam questions 9. Make you own power point presentations

Fun and effective ways to teach biology

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Conduct Demonstrations & Investigations (experiments) Use lots of pictures, animations and movies Relate to daily experiences. Conduct nature walks Demonstrate drawing technique and skills Help students write notes in full short sentences. Ask questions to clarify thinking or misconception

Divide you students into groups and get them to plan an investigation for PEKA.
Then ask questions

Fun and effective ways to teach biology

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Conduct Demonstrations & Investigations (experiments) Use lots of pictures, animations and movies Relate to daily experiences. Conduct nature walks Demonstrate drawing technique and skills Help students write notes in full short sentences. Ask questions to clarify thinking or misconception Teach to make students understand biology, not just to answer exam questions

Fun and effective ways to teach biology

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Conduct Demonstrations & Investigations (experiments) Use lots of pictures, animations and movies Relate to daily experiences. Conduct nature walks Demonstrate drawing technique and skills Help students write notes in full short sentences. Ask questions to clarify thinking or misconception Teach to make students understand biology, not just to answer exam questions 9. Make you own power point presentations

Learning that lasts

COGNITIVE

PSYCHOMOTOR

AFFECTIVE

The End