Teaching Strategies and Activities
Teaching Strategies
My teaching strategies include several reading strategies and modeling. Many students where I teach have low Lexile scores. One of our initiatives is to include close reading techniques in our instruction of units. In our close reading technique, students are required to analyze small passages of text or graphics and answer text dependent questions. This technique is especially important given the complexity of the endocrine system.
A second strategy that I plan to use is jigsaw reading. There is a significant amount of content knowledge that is covered by the introduction to the endocrine system. I think that it is important for students to have a full survey of the various organs involved in the endocrine system since any one gland can have an impact on another. I plan to have students become the experts on a specific endocrine gland to teach to their peers, so that I am not doing the majority of this presentation.
A third strategy that I use is a flipped classroom model. Our school is placing increased emphasis on home learning and the use of technology. I plan to have students do some of their preparation of class materials at home. I plan to post several videos that I create to a blog that students can access. They are required to watch the video at home (or read the transcript) and answer several preparation questions for the next day. Our in class time will be spent reviewing the material and completing activities.
The final technique that I will implement to assist with student engagement and understanding is the use of modeling. Many students in our school are active learners and display higher retention and understanding of material if they are able to physically manipulate what they are studying. Several of the activities that I have drafted below keep this kinesthetic method of learning in mind, allowing students to “act out” the role of the endocrine system, hormones, and target tissues.[1]
Suggested Activities
Jig Saw Reading and Endocrine System Map
There are many different endocrine system glands and hormones—too many to squeeze into a tightly packed curriculum. One way that I plan on having students take control of their own learning is by having them teach each other. For this activity, I plan on putting students together into partner teams and assigning each team a specific endocrine gland. Their job will be to read about that organ and create a poster that describes its location in the body, the hormones that are released, and their function at the target tissue. Students will then share these posters with their peers.
To accompany the posters, students will be responsible for filling in the information for the other endocrine glands on a provided graphic organizer, similar to the table that is used at the end of this unit. Once students have completed their endocrine system table, they will have a reference page that will be useful for the remainder of the unit and beyond.
Jig saw readings are also a useful teaching strategy for introducing students to a variety of endocrine diseases. Student groups are responsible for reading about a selection of endocrine diseases and sharing the information with their peers.
Search and Find: Target Cell Challenge
This activity is aimed at helping students understand the connection between hormones and target cell receptors. The set-up for this activity requires several padlocks and keys.
To start this activity, each students is given a padlock key that fits a specific lock. Students are then asked figure out which lock their specific key opens. As students progress through the locks and start to find their match, have them sit down. This beginning activity demonstrates the complimentary nature between hormones and target receptors in cognate receptors.
Once students are introduced to this concept, set students into groups consisting of 3-4 students and have them design a model using various classroom supplies that would demonstrate the following two concepts: one hormone might affect a variety of different target tissues and one target tissue can have receptors for multiple hormones. Students will be responsible for building their models and explaining to their peers how they reflect these two ideas.
Acting Out: Positive and Negative Feedback loops
In this activity, student groups will be responsible for coming up with a “play” that demonstrates a positive or a negative feedback loop. After learning about the two feedback loop mechanisms utilized by the endocrine system, students will be responsible for acting out one of the two loops. The class will be split into four teams and randomly assigned either the positive or the negative feedback loop mechanism. Students will then be asked to create a play or a kinesthetic model that demonstrates their assigned control loop.
Once they have come up with a skit, they can either perform it live for the rest of their classmates or video-tape it and play it. The other three teams will then need to identify the type of feedback loop it is and justify their reasoning.
Research Poster: A Healthy Hormone Disrupted
Students will pick a disease that has an endocrine connection and create a research poster. They are responsible for identifying the endocrine hormone that has led to the disease as well and creating the feedback loop of the hormone when it is healthy. In addition, students will discuss the current diagnostic tests and treatments for someone who has that disease.
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