Clicker Questions

When an agonist binds to a receptor for a long period of time, it can result in a phosphorylation reaction occurring, which of the following terms is the most relevant description of the immediate effect?

 a) Tolerance

b) Dependence

c) Sensitization

d) Desensitization

This is a question that most students would not be able to answer since the topic of desensitization has not been introduced yet and will be given at the beginning of class. I would use it to stimulate discussion before introducing the topic of signal desensitization in class that day. It will not count towards students’ grade.

Reflections:Technology in teaching

I enjoyed Dr. Boyers session a lot. I was impressed to know new tools that I can use in the future to teach. It was also very interesting to be reminded that even though pen and paper seem so common and "untechnical" today, they were at some point considered high tech tools to use in the past. Dr. Boyer instilled in me that embracing technology is always going to be a good thing to do if it is going to improve on what I am doing. One has to weigh the Pros and Cons of using technology.

It was also very nice to learn about "delicious" as a tool to be able to access articles anywhere I am, in the web. Overall, a great presentation.

Bringing Active Learning to a biochemistry classroom

Being a student in teaching college science class and doing a little more of my own reading, I have discovered that recent research and studies have shown us that if we are to actually deepen our students’ understanding of what we teach, not only do we need to encourage critical thinking but also give the students an opportunity to take ownership of their knowledge.  Since I being a student myself, I believe that I enjoy myself more and develop greater ownership over material when I am provided the opportunity to construct my own understanding without an instructor trying to “fill my empty brain” with facts.  This is where active learning in classrooms plays a big role in teaching and learning especially in Biochemistry where most often, it is believed that students acquire hands-on skills in the laboratory sections of their classes even though the fact is that little thinking actually takes place in these lab sections. But if we are to expect these future scientists and leaders to be more engaged in the classroom, teaching ways that promote active learning will not only help them with critical thinking skills, but also improve skills such as writing, speaking, problem solving and team work. Therefore, with the new wave of revolution that we are seeing in academic area today (with regards to improving how we teach); there is hope that these competencies will be achieved as we keep stepping up our teaching efforts.

In my case, I like to have activities that would guide the students in their understanding of scientific concepts while developing skills such as written and oral communication, problem solving, critical thinking and teamwork.  My classroom active learning exercises would include an individual-based pre-class homework assignment, a group-based in-class activity and an individual-based post-class homework assignment.  The pre-class assignment will involve a case study/real life interpretation related to a topic we are discussing in the class. For example, if we are discussing the topic of Chemical equilibrium, I might give a case study involving a company that has 100 employees and every hour 20 employees go on break as 20 others come in from break.  Then I would start by asking simple questions such as whether the number of employees in the building change from hour to hour, are the employees moving in and out the same people and let them know that over the course of the day, the employees are in a dynamic equilibrium and from their understanding of this case study, come up with their own definition of dynamic equilibrium.  This is quite a good case study that students can picture before proceeding into understanding little more complex concepts of chemical equilibrium.  The in-class activity would involve students forming groups of 3 or 5 students. The group leader would be the person from the furthest city/town, who then is charged with delegating duties in the group. This exercise encourages leadership and also teamwork. It also gives students an opportunity to know each other a little better even if only knowing where one is from.

                In class activity would start by me introducing/reviewing the days' learning objectives and major learning goals(15 munites). Then in their groups, students would discuss and share on the pre-class assignments and have 5 questions (3 minutes/question)  on the topic of the day that the pre-class assignment case study helps elaborate.  For example, one of the questions would be if a chemical reaction is in equilibrium, would the number of molecules in the reaction vessel change. During this period, would be going from group to group and also sharing with the entire classroom here and their like Dr. Momsen did. This is also where I would challenge students with high blooms questions and them towards the end of the class; discuss findings and concepts as a class.

                The last part of this active learning would be individual-based post-class homework assignment which would give the students to show case and take ownership of their knowledge and also give me an opportunity to address any misconceptions.

Reflection on assessment from the perspective of the student

What is the role of assessment for the student?
 I think the role of assessment for the student is to set clear expections and  achievable goals. Generally, most students ask themselves how they are going to be assessed and what they need to know in order to achieve better grades. There are also a few that want to actually learn something new as well as get good grades. Therefore, the assessment methods designed should be ones that challenge students not to be regurgitation machines for the sake of only getting good grades with little learning taking place. Assessments that have been designed for a class generally sets the way students perceive a teacher's teaching technique and expectations.
How should they use it or what do they stand to gain?\
 students need to take advantage of assessments that have been designed in their courses so as to be able to self-monitor themselves, for practise/hands-on experience and also to receive immediate feedback. And by understanding their learning objectives as detailed in the assessment design, students can determine the best way to study.

Students interview questions update and reflections

I had my interview with my student over the weekend and I have to say that this was an exercise that really opened my eyes.I realized that our understanding of a concept that may seem easy and simple is not always the case for our students. The student that I interviewed is one that I consider to be very bright and articulate in the subject of biochemistry. I chose a biochemistry major to ask my questions because I wanted to get a better feel of what a major student has learnt and where some weaknesses might be uncovered. my interviewee was a senior biochemistry major which enabled me to gauge areas that I could spend more time in the subject of pH if I were to teach it in the future and better ways to make my teaching more applicable and "consumable" to students. I realized that my interviewee generally knew ad understood most of the theory and concept behind my questions, but was a little general and vague in her answering of application questions.  It was only by probing more that I could fully know what her actual thoughts were about the questions.

 

 

 

Here are the interview questions I have prepared. My main goal is to determine students' understanding of the concepts of pH and the properties of biological acids and bases since this is one of the core principles of Biochemistry and related sciences. Please feel free to leave me any comments and critiques about these questions and thanks for reading my blog.


1. What is the definition of pH? What is the importance of understanding the pH of a solution as a biochemistry?


2. Why do you think amino acids exhibit a range of pH values when in a peptide versus the free amino acid.

3.   The partial pressure of CO2 in the lungs can be varied rapidly by the rate and depth of breathing. For example, a common remedy to alleviate hiccups is to increase the concentration of CO2 in the lungs. This can be achieved by holding one's breath, by slow and shallow breathing ( hypoventilation), or by breathing in and out of a paper bag. Under such conditions, pCO2 in the air space in the lungs rises above normal. Can you explain the effects of these procedures in the pH of the blood?

4.  What is a buffer and what does a buffer system consist of?

5. And why do you think cells need to be buffered?

Students interview questions updated

Here are the interview questions I have prepared. My main goal is to determine students' understanding of the concepts of pH and the properties of biological acids and bases since this is one of the core principles of Biochemistry and related sciences. Please feel free to leave me any comments and critiques about these questions and thanks for reading my blog.


1. What is the definition of pH? What is the importance of understanding the pH of a solution as a biochemistry?


2. Why do you think amino acids exhibit a range of pH values when in a peptide versus the free amino acid.

3.   The partial pressure of CO2 in the lungs can be varied rapidly by the rate and depth of breathing. For example, a common remedy to alleviate hiccups is to increase the concentration of CO2 in the lungs. This can be achieved by holding one's breath, by slow and shallow breathing ( hypoventilation), or by breathing in and out of a paper bag. Under such conditions, pCO2 in the air space in the lungs rises above normal. Can you explain the effects of these procedures in the pH of the blood?

4.  What is a buffer and what does a buffer system consist of?

5. And why do you think cells need to be buffered?

what does the word Learning mean to me?

To me the term learning has two vivid meanings. Firstly, it  is the process or ability to advance the amout of information that we have academically. This is what people mean when they say that someone is learned. They define the term in this case by the level of academic achievement of an individual. This meaning to do with information gained through reading and studies either individually or in class.

The second meaning has to do with one's experience in life. It refers to the maturity and experience that comes with life. It is this kind of experience at one time in life that can enable a person to react differently to a similar situation in the future. It is the ability to add onto our experience in life situations and also be able to challenge ourselves to mature even more in our conception of different situations, be it academically or not. It is this meaning that make old people wiser compared to younger people or as they say, "young and stupid".

Teaching Philosophy Draft #1

Teaching Philosophy Draft #1

Why do I teach?

As a graduate student, one of my graduate school responsibilities is to teach chemistry and Biochemistry lab sections. But, the driving force that keeps me looking forward to each of my class section is my love and passion to share the knowledge that I have with my students. The joy that comes when a student who had no idea on how to solve a question gets to go home knowing how to solve the problem and also apply the knowledge in solving other problems is what keeps me motivated every single day.

What do I believe or value about teaching and student learning?

I believe that in as much as the instructor might be the choreographer of a learning environment, teaching and learning is of equal responsibility by both the teacher and students. The teacher guides the students in the right direction in the quest of their knowledge, but ultimately, students learn best when they themselves take the little bit of information provided by their teachers and dig deeper about it. Teaching is most effective when students’ involvement and drive to learn is tapped into and this is why I like to encourage class participation and group discussion by rewarding them with class points.

Metaphor for teaching/learning that comes to mind

To me, teaching and learning is like jazz music. Each instrument on its own is noisy, uncoordinated and lack the passion in it. But, when a jazz band comes together, the music is wild, interactive and passionate, yet flowing and organized. There is a leader, but together, they work together. This is why I believe teaching requires both student and teacher efforts.

How do my research and disciplinary context influence my teaching?

Chemistry and biochemistry are very analytical yet very application based subjects. For this reasons, I like to challenge my students to try and apply the core principles of chemistry and biochemistry they learn in class in real life. For example, in order to prepare a chemical solution, one has to determine how much of a chemical is needed to make the required solution concentration.

How do my Identity/background and my students’ identities /backgrounds affect teaching and learning in my class?

I do believe that every student is unique and therefore at the beginning of my classes, I would like to ask the students what works best for them and try to incorporate as much as I can the teaching ways that the students like. For example, some students like to have class notes posted online prior to class while others like writing their own notes during class. Therefore, incorporating a hybrid (notes with some blank/incomplete sentences) of these two methods enables me to carter to both their needs. I also have an open door policy so that every student feels free to ask me  questions out of class.

What is my approach to evaluating and assessing students’ performance?

My priority is to ensure that students gain new knowledge from my classes. I am more interested in their cognitive maturity even though I also expect them to excel in their exams and quizzes. For this reason, I always test students on essay/ application type questions together with multiple choice questions.

Polymorphism of Cognitive recognition in Students

Reading through Markwell and Courtney's Article reminds me a lot of my life through college. I quickly relate to almost every stage of cognitive devt they describe. From a student that entirely believed as gospel every sinngle word that came from my teachers' mouths and text books; to one that seeks reasons to most of the statements that the same teachers say today. Boy, this article has made me appreciate how far I THINK I have come from as a student in class and a student of life in general. But the most important point I draw from it is the fact that being a TA, (especially in general chemistry labs that have students of different backgrounds- majors, freshmen to seniors) I have to realize that my students are going to be at different stages of processing the information I am trying to portray to them. But this article also made me grinch even more at the fact that some of college faculty think that you do not need to be trained to teach successfully. That you "pick" it as you keep teaching. But, how long would we need then as teachers before "picking' that "talent" of teaching. What about the students that paid so much to get the best teaching in the world while we are still figuring it out? As a personal opinion, I think there should be a law that requires that faculty have at least one teaching class under their belt before they can  teach. And I am not by any way trying to say most are not qualified or trying to be political, because these are some of the smartest brains in the US. I think realizing that knowing and understanding your audience/students is one of the biggest things to successful teaching.
   With that said, I close my blog by saying that I am more challenged and challenge all of us to reflect and always challenge ourselves to be at the pluralism stage of information processing.