Observation+-+Life+Science

Evolution in Life Sciences
During our visit to South Peninsula High, we observed a Life Science class which was in the introductory stage of the debatable topic, Evolution. Many of the students within this class have very strong religious beliefs and for this reason, Mr Paul Slater, the teacher decided that it was important to keep the topic relevant to his students. He arranged a project which involved the students, working in groups of at least four, exploring the topic of evolution in reference to the different beliefs in the world. This not only allowed them to incorporate their own views regarding evolution but it also allowed them to expand on their knowledge of the topic in relation to the other religions within the world.

The lesson began with the students standing in front of the rest of the class and presenting their group findings. Each presentation was then followed by a class debate regarding the contents highlighted. This interactive approach led to all the students being actively engaged in the lesson. The debate also allowed the students the opportunity to have complete choice over the direction of their lesson, with Mr Slater acting as a facilitator. He also gave all of his students feedback on their work, presenting all of the class the opportunity to benefit from their peers strengths and weaknesses.

Throughout the entire lesson, Mr Slater sat amongst his students and watched with them the individual presentations. He offered each group constructive criticism and praise for their work and then encouraged the rest of the class to challenge the students on their presentation. This approach was very effective due to the strong relationship between the students and their teacher. Everyone showed each other a level of respect and the students evidently took onboard Mr Slater’s words, as each group used his words to previous students to better their own presentations and approach.

The classroom atmosphere was very comfortable and relaxed despite the cramped conditions. There was over 30 students within the small classroom, the desks in rows facing the front. Everyone in the room projected a close friendship and relationship with each other. No-one appeared excluded and the majority of students were very comfortable sharing their opinions with each other. There was a great sense of respect for not only the teacher, but for each student and their opinions too.

As the lesson was constructed with the students having a lot of personal input and responsibility for the class content, Mr Slater did not require to be the source of all knowledge. Every student took on the role of a teacher by sharing their opinions and outlook. Due to this particular lesson being only the introductory to the topic, Mr Slater designed it to be flexible. He wanted to trigger the students interest and develop on their learning approach to such broad topics as Evolution. He wanted his students to think openly about the topic rather than just in relation to their personal beliefs and opinions.

The students developed on the personal skills throughout this entire lesson. They developed on their communication skills, listening ability, confidence, levels of responsibility, their ability to take a topic and make it relevant to themselves and also how to apply their personal lifestyles to their education. Plus, they were getting good practice on how to do presentations and successfully partake in debates. All of these aspects are strongly sought out in any career and are useful for any individual’s day-to-day life.

Overall, this particular Life Science lesson clearly showed that the teacher does not always have to be the source of all knowledge. It showed us that students are more than capable of using their opinions to help their peers develop their understanding on broad topics and finally, that lessons do not always have to be factual to have a strong impact on any student’s education.

Learning School would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr Slater and his students for welcoming us into their interesting lesson. It was very useful to our research and it was great fun to be part of such a thought provoking lesson.

click for the Observation table.