Synthesis
of
Scientific
Concepts Across Courses
I have demonstrated
synthesis of a key program idea across the program content
The use of models helps students
learn scientific concepts in both physical and non-physical sciences.
When I think about a common thread that stitches the fields of science
together, I think of the different models that instructors have used to
help me understand concepts. The models came in various
forms: three-dimensional and tangible, computer generated, and
words and symbols. In biology, we used punnett squares and
illustrations of alleles to learn genetics and the mitotic and meiotic
processes. In biochemisty, we used toober and computer
simulations, to name a few, to learn about polypeptides, and different
ways to represent molecules were used in chemistry. In the second
physics course, we built our own detailed explanations of electric
circuits. Through the use of these different models, I have
gained a firm grasp of many concepts in both physical and non-physical
sciences.
During the biology course, models for genetics were
used to explain inheritance patterns. We used punnett squares to
determine possible genotypes and therefore phenotypes of the offspring,
and the use of capital and lowercase letters to represent the dominant,
recessive, and pairing of alleles help to explain inheritance
patterns. The representation provided a visualization of the
interaction of alleles and how it dominance and codominance determine
the phenotypes or physical appearance of offspring.
In the first chemistry course, we were introduced to
various ways to represent molecules. The concepts of Lewis
structures and three-dimensional configurations of a molecule were
reinforced in the second chemistry course as I began to realize that
different representations offer different characteristics of a
molecule. The three-dimensional shape of a molecule shows the
spatial orientation covalent bonds of the atoms and shows how the
molecule is shaped. The Lewis structures also show the bonding
between atoms, but they also show where lone pairs of electrons
are. Different representations of molecules can help students to
learn specific concepts in chemistry.
During the second chemistry course, we learned about
polypeptides in depth through the use of computer simulations and
toober models. Both the computer simulations and toober models
showed the folding of proteins. At first, the toober model seemed
very cumbersome, but after understanding what the various attachments
represented, I found that it clarified two-dimensional illustrations
and computer animations of how the sequence of nucleotides determine
the amino acids sequence in polypeptides. Manipulating, bending,
and seeing the toober model helped me to better understand how the
secondary and tertiary structures
of
a protein look. If I have the opportunity to teach chemistry
in the future, I would definitely make use of this tangible model to
explain how proteins are shaped.
In the second physics course, models were very
different from the models I used to understand concepts in chemistry
and biology. In this course, we learned about electric circuits
through inquiry, and the representations and descriptively written
models were developed by the student. I found this very
interesting, and I learned more about electric circuits than I ever
thought I could grasp. We were given supplies of light bulbs,
wires, batteries, and light bulb holders to explore how electricity
worked and flowed. In just a few meetings, I was able to develop
a model based on the activities we did in class. In the working
model of how electric circuits work, concepts of current flow,
resistance, and parallel and series circuits. The electric
circuit model is unlike the other models I experienced, but its value
to my conceptual understanding is just as valuable.
Models that I have encountered during the MISE
program helped me to understand and internalize scientific
concepts. They have introduced me to a world of tools that I
never considered in my classroom and have made concepts more meaningful
to me. Though each model and representation has its limitations,
I believe the use of varied models and tools will increase student
learning.
Excerpts
from Blackboard discussion during Chemistry of Living Organisms course
Excerpts
from Chemistry of Living Organisms, quiz 3
Excerpts from
Chemistry of Living Organisms, pre-class assignment--a review of the
first chemistry course
Excepts from
Physics II, Paper 1: Electric Circuits
Back to
E-portfolio
