Differentiated instruction involves responding to our students' unique needs, weaknesses, and strengths with invitation, persistence, and patience. It involves teachers working to create curriculum and instruction for each student that focuses on their strengths and learning styles.
Mechanisms of photosynthesis can seem like an overwhelming topic for even the strongest of science students because it will be the first time they are looking at complex reactions at the molecular levels. Here are some consideration for DI in the science classroom during the photosynthesis unit:
Mechanisms of photosynthesis can seem like an overwhelming topic for even the strongest of science students because it will be the first time they are looking at complex reactions at the molecular levels. Here are some consideration for DI in the science classroom during the photosynthesis unit:
1. LACK OF CHEMISTRY BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE
- There are a lot of chemistry content in the photosynthesis unit of SBI4U. For example, redox reactions, rearrangement of molecular structures, molecular excitation, electron movements, and many more! For students who do not have the necessary chemistry background, it will feel like they are learning the unit in an entirely different language!
- Scoffolding: explain chemical concepts within the lessons (for example, providing definitions for terms like redox and excitation during the lessons instead of before or after. This way, students can be exposed to the chemistry in context
2. VISUALIZING THE PROCESS
For most students, simply staring at a textbook with a static diagram on the pages and listening to teachers as they read points of a slide is not comprehensive enough when it comes to mechanism of photosynthesis. I find that the process is too complex and there are way too many things to keep track of when you are learning photosynthesis to learn from. However, there are many ways to go "beyond the pages" when teaching photosynthesis, here are a few ideas:
For most students, simply staring at a textbook with a static diagram on the pages and listening to teachers as they read points of a slide is not comprehensive enough when it comes to mechanism of photosynthesis. I find that the process is too complex and there are way too many things to keep track of when you are learning photosynthesis to learn from. However, there are many ways to go "beyond the pages" when teaching photosynthesis, here are a few ideas:
- Dramatize it! For the light-dependent reactions, create a huge chloroplast within the classroom and give each student a role based on key players in the photosynthesis mechanisms. For example, one student can be the z protein and another student can be the primary electron acceptor. Use a token object such as a small ball to represent the electrons being passed around the proteins and enzymes in the chloroplasts. To initiate student-dependent learning, students can be placed in groups and be responsible for dramatizing their own light-dependent reactions. What will they use to represent the production of ATP? How will they split the water? All important questions that helps them develop a conceptual understanding of photosynthesis. Watching their also allows us as teachers to assess student's learning
- Create animations on PowerPoints to track the electrons and protons. Alternatively, teachers can use magnets or other small items to represent the movement of photons, electrons, and protons on the board. Be sure to retain the "ATP" and "NADPH" that was created as you describe the Calvin cycle so students can make the connections between the two processes of photosynthesis
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I really like the way these students pass around papers between each other to represent the electrons moving from one complex to another
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