My School PICS

Constructivism: planning

Constructivist teaching techniques are based on the constructivist learning theory. This theoretical framework relies on an the earlier framework of cognitivism, which holds that learning should build upon knowledge that a student already knows. Constructivists suggest that learning is more effective when a student is actively engaged in the construction of knowledge rather than passively receiving it. In a constructivist classroom, the learners are actively involved, the environment is democratic, the activities are interactive and student-centered where the teacher facilitates a process of learning in which students are encouraged to be responsible and autonomous.

The use of constructivist theory in teaching the new curriculum, especially sciences, is a must since it is the approach of teaching which guides the students to explore and discover which in turn contribute to the further development of the students’ cognitivi abilities as well as their performance, skills and creative abilities.

Lesson plan

Grade Level: 7
Textbook used: Life and Earth Sciences Basic Education, 7^th grade (National Textbook)
Chapter 3, Activity 1: Pulmonary Respiration
Time required: 3 periods (45 minutes each)

Pulmonary Respiration:
a. Organs of the respiratory system
b. Path of air
c. Constituents of the inhaled and exhaled air
d. Exchange of gases between air and blood
Note: a & b will be introduced in 1 period or class hour (45 minutes), c & d will be introduced in another period or class hour (45 minutes)

Goal of the lesson: This lesson is student centered-activity oriented in it constructivist approach is used, its goal is to direct the students to the level of the experiencing thus, critical thinking.

Rational behind the lesson: To let the students be familiar to the respiratory system (its anatomy) and know its functions.

Materials used in the lesson:-text book, chalkboard, posters, card board, colorful pencils, watch, human body torso, mouse, dissection set, dissection tray, a plastic bottle, balloons, straw, modeling clay, papers.

A. Summary:

-Respiration is a mechanical process, during which a living thing takes in oxygen from the surrounding and gives out carbon dioxide,

-Living things have respiratory organs adapted to the conditions of the surroundings in which they live.
-Organs of the respiratory system are: Nasal cavities, Pharynx, Larynx, Trachea, Bronchus, Bronchi, Bronchioles, Alveoli.
- Alveoli, which are also known as air sacs, are surrounded by blood vessels which let the occurrence of the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between the air in the alveoli and the blood.
- The respiratory system is protected by the rib cage.

- The diaphragm is a muscle which contracts and relaxes to control the size of the lungs.
- The position of the diaphragm or its movement is always opposite to that of the rib cage.

-During inhalation, the diaphragm moves down, the rib cage moves up. Since the volume of the chest increases, the air finds more vacant space to fill inside the body, so the lungs enlarge.

- During exhalation, the diaphragm moves up, the cage moves down. Since the volume of the chest decreases, the air escapes out, so the lungs decrease in size.

- The exhaled air is rich in carbon dioxide and water vapor.

B. Objectives: The students should be able to:
- Define the process of respiration. (Cognitive « knowledge »)
- Know about that the organs involved in respiration form the respiratory system. (Cognitive « knowledge »)
-Label a drawing of the respiratory system of a human being

-Trace the path of air. (Cognitive « knowledge »)
-Guess that the nose is a safe pathway for inhalation since it helps in filtering the air from dust and regulates its temperature, that’s why we inhale by the nose and not the mouth.. (Cognitive « analysis »)

-Guess, upon observation, that epiglottis is a small muscle that separates the respiratory and the digestive systems from one another. (Cognitive « knowledge »)

-Do a simple experiment

by using balloons, to explore the movement of the chest during inhalation and exhalation.

(Cognitive « application »/Psychomotor)

-Notice that the chest moves up during inhalation, and moves down during exhalation. (Cognitive « comprehension »)
-Understand that absorption of air is the passage of oxygen into the blood and carbon dioxide into the alveoli. (Cognitive « knowledge »)
-Relate the respiratory system to the circulatory system. (Cognitive « comprehension and synthesis »)
-Know that absorbed carbon dioxide is eliminated from the alveoli, by exhalation. (Cognitive «knowledge »)

-Notice, after experimentation, that exhaled air contains carbon dioxide and water vapor. (Cognitive « analysis » and psychomotor)
-Know how to dissect a small mammal (such as a mouse) to observe the organs of its respiratory system (Psychomotor)
-Know that the purpose of dissecting a mammal is for the benefit of the scientific and medical development as well as for the survival of human race. (Affective)
-Know that anesthetizing and decapitating are important processes in dissection, in order to avoid animal’s torture (Affective)

- Prepare a laboratory report (Cognitive « evaluation »)
-Solve analytical exercises (Cognitive « analysis »)
-Prepare a poster of the digestive system (Cognitive « application and evaluation» )
-Rebuild a human body torso. (Cognitive « application and evaluation »/ Psychomotor)

-Create a project (group work): An apparatus representing the respiratory system, by using a plastic bottle, modeling clay, 2 balloons, a rubber membrane and a straw. (Synthesis)

C. Learning activities:
-Rebuilding human body torso
-Preparing a poster of the respiratory system
-experimenting the inhalation and exhalation process by using balloons, and observing the movement of the chest.

-Measuring the respiratory frequency, before and after physical exercise

-Dissecting a mammal

-Preparing a group work project: An apparatus representing the circulatory system

D. Discussion:

1. First period:

At the beginning of the first period, I will introduce the lesson by using different posters. One representing the organs of the digestive system, the other, representing the processes of inhalation and exhalation. Then, I’ll give place for discussion among students. at the same time I’ll guide their discussion

By doing this, I’ll be able to diagnose their previous knowledge about the subject matter, so that I determine where to start from.

After observing the posters and discussing among themselves, the students will be familiar with the organs of the human respiratory system. To reinforce this knowledge part, I’ll do two similar activities. First, I’ll ask them to rebuild the respiratory system of a human body torso. Then, I’ll ask them to draw and label human respiratory system (I’ll let this activity be a cooperative learning process, by dividing the class into four different groups and asking each group to trace the body of one of the group members on a large card board, later fill in the body by drawing the different organs of the respiratory system)

At the end of the first period, the students will be divided into groups and have an experience in dissecting a mammal. By doing this, they will be able to visualize the real organs and have the natural schema of the respiratory organs in their minds.

Evaluation: Informal evaluation (in identifying the organs throughout the activities)

Homework: Preparing a laboratory report (Which will be evaluated)

2. Second period:

Now that they perfectly know the organs, I’ll let them explore what happens during inhalation and exhalation. At the beginning of the second period, I’ll ask two male students to take their shirts off, give a balloon to each one of them, ask them to take deep breath and then blow the balloon. The other students will watch and guess that when the students take deep breath, their chest moves up (this is inhalation), and when they blow the balloon, their chests move down and the air goes out and fills in the balloon (this is exhalation).

After knowing what happens during inhalation and exhalation, I would like to let them know that the respiratory frequency changes before and after physical exercise. To do this, I’ll ask a student to leave the classroom, go to the playground and have a run for few minutes. When he returns, I’ll take a sample of the resting students and the one who just had a run, and ask them count their respiratory movements. Meanwhile, I’ll ask another student to scale one minute on his watch. At the end of 1 minute, we’ll ask the students the number of the respiratory movements they counted, and find out that the one who had a run had more respiratory movements per minute then the resting students.

To know what happens inside the body during inhalation and exhalation, I’ll divide the classroom into groups and ask them to prepare an apparatus representing the respiratory system. The materials needed for this apparatus are a plastic bottle, a rubber membrane, a straw, two balloons and modeling clay. I’ll guide and help them while working. To prepare this apparatus, first, the students cut the base of the bottle and cover it by a rubber membrane, then the take off the cup of the bottle, insert in it a straw having on it the two balloons, and fix it by a modeling clay to avoid the entrance of air from the opening. Now that the apparatus is ready, the class, collectively try it. When they pull the rubber membrane down, the air enters from the straw and enlarges the size of the balloons (this is inhalation) and when they push the rubber membrane up, the air leaves the balloon and goes out from the straw (this is exhalation). The students relate this to the respiratory system, and discuss together to find out that the rubber membrane represents the diaphragm (when goes down, the air enters in…) the two balloons represent the lungs, where as the straw represents the trachea and the bronchus.

Evaluation: Informal evaluation (In preparing the apparatus and identifying each of its parts)

Homework: Write a story, in which you can reflect on the different aspects of respiration that an athlete may experience before and during his sports act. (very good idea)

3. Third period: Formal test (45 minutes)

It will surely include a figure to be titled and labeled, an exercise which includes the apparatus that they prepared in the classroom, true/false exercise, questions concerning the respiratory rhythm and its changes, a figure based question concerning the movement of the diaphragm and that of the chest-lungs during inhalation and exhalation…

E. Reflection:

For me, the most difficult aspect of planning is finding the appropriate activities that have the ability to overcome or fulfill the learning objective I set, especially when constructivist approach is used, since in it activities play a very crucial or even primary role.

Planning a constructivist activity is different from other types of lessons, since the students have to be active learners who are directly involved in the lesson. The students shouldn’t be passive learners or listeners, but explorers who are constantly engaged and involved. In constructivist activity, the knowledge isn’t simply given to the students, but means ? to help them derive or guess the knowledge ? are provided, where the students try to grasp the information in an indirect manner. In this way, the students add new information on previous ones, and through experimentation, live examples and cooperative learning, the students experience the knowledge and have it focused in their minds.

As a science teacher, I find the constructivist approach very effective, although it is sometimes time consuming. By using live examples and experimentations, a teacher may awaken the students curiosity and the love of exploration… he or she can make the learning fun and at the same time achieve his/her objectives in a cooperative and exciting ways.

The only disadvantage I see in constructivism is that it is time consuming. To let the students guess a simple mechanism of inhalation and exhalation, many activities are directed which consume 2 class hours, meanwhile if it’s going to be given in the direct method, it doesn’t take more than 15 minutes.

Personally I would like to use the constructivist approach throughout all my teaching years, if I’m not forced to avoid it sometimes so that I can fulfill the curriculum.

Increasing learning through student involvement

This activity is related to the topics concerning effective teaching and increasing learning through student involvement.

Select a lesson (concept, knowledge, skill, etc.) that you want to teach to a certain class. Then think of technology (computer program; photos; overhead; etc.) to represent the content of the topic during the activity.

In your portfolio activity, you should explain the content you will be teaching, the way you will teach it and involve students, the technology should also be described and how it will be used to represent the content of the lesson, etc.

In my evaluation, I will be focusing on the correspondence of the content you are teaching, involvement of student, and the technology you are using to represent the content. You should take into consideration the units you have learned in the course EDU 350 (student diversity, effective teaching and involving students). I am also interested to see analysis in your description.