Identify desired results
The Big Idea: Teaching for Aesthetic Understanding in Biology
Goals; Students will understand that cellular function is determined by structure of the organelles present in both plants and animal cell. Students will demonstrate aesthetic understanding of biology ideas and their world.
Objectives:
According to Mansilla & Gardner (2008), ”All disciplines embody distinct ways of thinking about the world”. Biology is a science that studies living things. Biological ideas and theories are grounded in inquiry approach. Students make observations about their natural environment, conduct investigations to test hypotheses, collect and analyze data, and form conclusions. Biological discipline is based on facts and evidence from observations and investigation.
Metha and keenan (2016) suggested that “science is not a dispassionate activity. It is as much about facts as it is about wonder, passion, emotion, and beauty. This is what we call an aesthetic perspective”.
Students will use aesthetic learning to bring biological concepts to life and increase perception their environment. Science can be taught through methods of aesthetic and artistic ways of knowing, engaging more students with the beauty, power, and value of science ideas ( Girod and Rau, 2000). They suggested three ways by which aesthetic understanding causes transformation
They suggested 5 main guidelines to artistically craft pedagogy followed by an extensive example of pedagogy to foster aesthetic understanding
Essential questions to be answered are:
2, Determine Acceptable evidence ( Performances of Understanding)
According to Bloom (1956) cited by McTighe and Wiggins, “understanding is the ability to marshal skills and facts wisely and appropriately, through effective application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Answering questions correctly does not mean that students understand ideas or concepts”. Understanding is displayed when students are able transfer learning to problem solving and creativity of new knowledge.
Students will demonstrate understanding of biology ideas and their perception of the world through aesthetic teaching.
According to McTighe and Wiggins (1998)
The six facets of understanding are: Explain, interpret, apply, have perspective, empathize, and have self knowledge. This six facets of understanding correlates with Bloom's taxonomy as stated above.
The facets of understanding that I plan to focus on are: Interpret, apply, and have perspective,
Interpret: students will asked to use “re-seeing’ to make sense of biology ideas and perception of their world ( Girod, M, Twyman, T, & Wojcikiewicz, S 2010)
Apply: students will personalize experiences of science ideas and their world.
Have perspective: students will explore, wonder, and ask questions about biology ideas and their world by taking walks around the school ( Girod, M, Twyman, T, & Wojcikiewicz, S 2010)
According to ALPS Teaching for Understanding, “Performances of understanding, or understanding performances require students to go beyond the information given to create something new in reshaping, expanding, extrapolating from, applying, and building on what they already know”. Performances of understanding are activities that lead to mastery of objectives.
Performances of Understanding that students will demonstrate on unit
(Cellular structure and Function )
In the past, I started by teaching content vocabulary and administer a vocabulary quiz at the end of each section. Next, students engage in inquiry by viewing and drawing plant and animal cells under the microscope. Students read and take notes on cellular organelles and functions. Students are administered a formative assessment on cellular structure and functions at the end of the chapter (summative assessment). Feedback from assessment is considered in planning enrichment activities. Students use analogy of a city to construct a cell city. This activity requires that students relate the functions of city departments to that of cell organelles. I use this activity to correct misconceptions students might have about how cell organelles function independently.
Revised performances of understanding for unit on cellular structure and function
Introductory activity:
I am the science department chair and biology teacher at Carver Military Academy in Chicago. Carver is a selective enrolment school that integrates college preparatory and JROTC instructional model. I teach three classes of biology, and two classes of forensics, both classes meet daily for 51minutes. All biology students have access to their own chromebooks for instructional use. The school have 4 well equipped computer labs with a capacity of 30 desktop per room. Technology support staff is available to teachers and students at all time.
Biology is a year long content offered to ninth grade students. The content is divided into thematic units. The units are: Cellular Structure and Function, Cellular Energy, Cellular Transport, Reproduction and Genetics, History of the Earth, Evolution and Ecology.
The units are mapped out throughout the school year, lesson scope and sequence, objectives, essential questions and lesson plans are uploaded on curriculum maps.
Some of the challenges that students encounter in learning biology is application and making connection to self and their world. Some challenging concepts students have problems understanding are cellular structure and function, cellular energy and cellular transport. Students find these concept difficult because of the language. Cellular energy involves basic knowledge of chemistry, which students take in their sophomore year.
“Re-seeing” ( aesthetic understanding) pedagogy will be implemented in teaching biology units throughout the school year.
Students will use their senses ( sight, sound, touch, smell, and hearing) to demonstrate their perception of biology ideas and world. Performances of understanding includes skits, info-graphics, modeling, communicating facts, and creative methods that probes higher order
thinking skills.
Students will use technology to convey learning. Technologies that will be used throughout the school year includes chromebooks with downloaded applications for students to create artifacts of understanding. Students will use materials such as construction papers, colored pencils, yarns, play-doh to construct structures found on plant and animal cell for unit 1. Technology will be an integral part of performances of understanding, but will not be the focus of learning. Students will use technology to conduct scientific investigations such as microscopes, spectrophotometer and applicable technology will be used throughout the school year to teach content.
References
Girod, M., Rau, C., & Schepige, A. (2003). Appreciating the beauty of science ideas: Teaching for aesthetic understanding. Science Education, 87(4), 574-587.
Girod, M., Twyman, T., & Wojcikiewicz, S. (2010). Teaching and learning science for transformative, aesthetic experience. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 21, 801-824
Mansilla, V,B.,& Gardner, H.(2008). Disciplining the mind. Educational Leadership.65(5),p.14-19
Mehta, R.,& keenan, S (n.d) Why Teachers Should care About Beauty in Science Education.
Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. Understanding understanding. In Understanding by Design, expanded 2nd Edition, ASCD
The Big Idea: Teaching for Aesthetic Understanding in Biology
Goals; Students will understand that cellular function is determined by structure of the organelles present in both plants and animal cell. Students will demonstrate aesthetic understanding of biology ideas and their world.
Objectives:
- To increase student motivation/interest in learning biology through aesthetic learning
- To create aesthetic aligned lesson units (cellular structure and function)
- To increase HOTS through aesthetic teaching
- To increase student engagement through aesthetic learning
According to Mansilla & Gardner (2008), ”All disciplines embody distinct ways of thinking about the world”. Biology is a science that studies living things. Biological ideas and theories are grounded in inquiry approach. Students make observations about their natural environment, conduct investigations to test hypotheses, collect and analyze data, and form conclusions. Biological discipline is based on facts and evidence from observations and investigation.
Metha and keenan (2016) suggested that “science is not a dispassionate activity. It is as much about facts as it is about wonder, passion, emotion, and beauty. This is what we call an aesthetic perspective”.
Students will use aesthetic learning to bring biological concepts to life and increase perception their environment. Science can be taught through methods of aesthetic and artistic ways of knowing, engaging more students with the beauty, power, and value of science ideas ( Girod and Rau, 2000). They suggested three ways by which aesthetic understanding causes transformation
- Aesthetic understanding is transformative- reshapes how we see the world
- Aesthetic understanding is unifying-developing coherence of parts, pieces, ideas, and concepts. For example, teaching cellular energy in biology. Students learn parts of the plants, leaves, stem, roots, in relation to sunlight energy used by plants to produce food.
- Aesthetic understanding is compelling and dramatic- students are drawn to their environment through intellectual interactions and explorations- students become more “wide-awake” to the world, appreciating beauty and structure in new ways.
They suggested 5 main guidelines to artistically craft pedagogy followed by an extensive example of pedagogy to foster aesthetic understanding
- Craft content-teaching for aesthetic understanding. Science has always been taught from a conceptual perspective rather than experiences to be enjoyed. The first step is to recapture or re-animate existing content into artful and compelling ideas .
- Crafting dispositions- teaching for aesthetic understanding requires that students become more imaginative and creative as they wonder about the potential of ideas.
Essential questions to be answered are:
- What is Re-seeing?
- How does Re-seeing transform students perception of biology and their world?
2, Determine Acceptable evidence ( Performances of Understanding)
According to Bloom (1956) cited by McTighe and Wiggins, “understanding is the ability to marshal skills and facts wisely and appropriately, through effective application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Answering questions correctly does not mean that students understand ideas or concepts”. Understanding is displayed when students are able transfer learning to problem solving and creativity of new knowledge.
Students will demonstrate understanding of biology ideas and their perception of the world through aesthetic teaching.
According to McTighe and Wiggins (1998)
The six facets of understanding are: Explain, interpret, apply, have perspective, empathize, and have self knowledge. This six facets of understanding correlates with Bloom's taxonomy as stated above.
The facets of understanding that I plan to focus on are: Interpret, apply, and have perspective,
Interpret: students will asked to use “re-seeing’ to make sense of biology ideas and perception of their world ( Girod, M, Twyman, T, & Wojcikiewicz, S 2010)
Apply: students will personalize experiences of science ideas and their world.
Have perspective: students will explore, wonder, and ask questions about biology ideas and their world by taking walks around the school ( Girod, M, Twyman, T, & Wojcikiewicz, S 2010)
According to ALPS Teaching for Understanding, “Performances of understanding, or understanding performances require students to go beyond the information given to create something new in reshaping, expanding, extrapolating from, applying, and building on what they already know”. Performances of understanding are activities that lead to mastery of objectives.
Performances of Understanding that students will demonstrate on unit
(Cellular structure and Function )
In the past, I started by teaching content vocabulary and administer a vocabulary quiz at the end of each section. Next, students engage in inquiry by viewing and drawing plant and animal cells under the microscope. Students read and take notes on cellular organelles and functions. Students are administered a formative assessment on cellular structure and functions at the end of the chapter (summative assessment). Feedback from assessment is considered in planning enrichment activities. Students use analogy of a city to construct a cell city. This activity requires that students relate the functions of city departments to that of cell organelles. I use this activity to correct misconceptions students might have about how cell organelles function independently.
Revised performances of understanding for unit on cellular structure and function
Introductory activity:
- Determining prior-knowledge of concept ( pre-test)/ discussion
- Students collaboratively engage in discussions on why cells need organelles and what might happen to a cell that lack certain organelles. Students will make predictions and form conclusions.
- Use “Re-seeing” to describe cellular organelles
- Use guided reading literacy strategies to organize information on cellular structure and function
I am the science department chair and biology teacher at Carver Military Academy in Chicago. Carver is a selective enrolment school that integrates college preparatory and JROTC instructional model. I teach three classes of biology, and two classes of forensics, both classes meet daily for 51minutes. All biology students have access to their own chromebooks for instructional use. The school have 4 well equipped computer labs with a capacity of 30 desktop per room. Technology support staff is available to teachers and students at all time.
Biology is a year long content offered to ninth grade students. The content is divided into thematic units. The units are: Cellular Structure and Function, Cellular Energy, Cellular Transport, Reproduction and Genetics, History of the Earth, Evolution and Ecology.
The units are mapped out throughout the school year, lesson scope and sequence, objectives, essential questions and lesson plans are uploaded on curriculum maps.
Some of the challenges that students encounter in learning biology is application and making connection to self and their world. Some challenging concepts students have problems understanding are cellular structure and function, cellular energy and cellular transport. Students find these concept difficult because of the language. Cellular energy involves basic knowledge of chemistry, which students take in their sophomore year.
“Re-seeing” ( aesthetic understanding) pedagogy will be implemented in teaching biology units throughout the school year.
Students will use their senses ( sight, sound, touch, smell, and hearing) to demonstrate their perception of biology ideas and world. Performances of understanding includes skits, info-graphics, modeling, communicating facts, and creative methods that probes higher order
thinking skills.
Students will use technology to convey learning. Technologies that will be used throughout the school year includes chromebooks with downloaded applications for students to create artifacts of understanding. Students will use materials such as construction papers, colored pencils, yarns, play-doh to construct structures found on plant and animal cell for unit 1. Technology will be an integral part of performances of understanding, but will not be the focus of learning. Students will use technology to conduct scientific investigations such as microscopes, spectrophotometer and applicable technology will be used throughout the school year to teach content.
References
Girod, M., Rau, C., & Schepige, A. (2003). Appreciating the beauty of science ideas: Teaching for aesthetic understanding. Science Education, 87(4), 574-587.
Girod, M., Twyman, T., & Wojcikiewicz, S. (2010). Teaching and learning science for transformative, aesthetic experience. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 21, 801-824
Mansilla, V,B.,& Gardner, H.(2008). Disciplining the mind. Educational Leadership.65(5),p.14-19
Mehta, R.,& keenan, S (n.d) Why Teachers Should care About Beauty in Science Education.
Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. Understanding understanding. In Understanding by Design, expanded 2nd Edition, ASCD