Blog Archives
Scitable – Authentic Science Learning from Nature Education
Nature Education’s Scitable project is a free, collaborative online project which opens up lots of peer-reviewed, high-quality Nature content to students, teachers and learning groups.
The goal was to put high-quality Science information onto the web, and to give control and flexibility over learning. Having signed-up and looked at some of the brilliant readers and resources there, I will surely be using it in future! Scitable represents an authentic, evolving and engaging alternative to science textbooks, one of the reasons I started this blog in the first place. Check out some of the student blogs, too!
Here’s a quick video overview, but there is more information after the jump.
HeroRATS: Detecting Landmines and TB
In this TED Talk, Bart Weetjens explains how he and his team from Apopo are using operant conditioning to train African giant pouched rats (Cricetomys gambianus) to sniff out and signal land mines and TB infections:
HeroRAT in action. Go to Apopo
Visit the resources at Apopo’s pages to find out more about why these rats are chosen in favour of other species and how the training programme works. You could also adopt your own rat to support their work. There are more videos from Apopo on their website or on their YouTube channel.
IB Biology Links:
- E3 Innate and Learned Behaviour
- E2 Perception of Stimuli (why are the rats so good at it?)
Digestion (Core) and Flip Thinking
Digestion – something you only want to go in one direction. But learning about digestion doesn’t have to go one way. As we are trying to reduce the burden of homework and to make any time spent working outside class as effective as possible, we’re going to try Flip Thinking.
Essentially, your homework takes place before class and you complete only the objective 1 command terms (the bits you don’t need me for). With that out of the way and a foundation in the language and diagrams of the topic, we can focus on the more complex items together.
Come to class with the objective 1 command terms completed in the Essential Biology for Digestion (Core). I have highlighted them in yellow. This should take no more than one of your study periods. If it takes longer, stop and let me know how far you got, as well as how effectively you were working.
Come to classes prepared with your laptop and don’t forget the resources we have available.
Here goes:
Further resources:
Essential Biology 6.1 Digestion (Core)
Key question: How many links can you make from Digestion to the others topics we have already studied in IB Biology?
……….o0O0o……….
I cannot take credit for this idea. Check out these resources:
- Flip Thinking from John Burrell (Click4Biology)
- Eric Mazur’s Science education research group
- Flip Thinking from Daniel Pink
- The Homework Myth by Alfie Kohn
If, however, you find that this helps or hinders your progress, be sure to let me know.
i-Biology 