4 Using your students as resources
In Classes IX and X students study some ‘human biology’. Much of the work is directly relevant to their own bodies. For example, they can feel their muscles contract and relax as they bend their arms at the elbow. Students are naturally interested in their own bodies, so relating the science that you want them to learn to things that they can notice for themselves is highly motivating. Relating the science to themselves can also help them to learn how to live healthily. For example, in ‘Why do we get ill?’, they can reflect on their own lives in order to understand the link between personal hygiene and staying healthy. In the case study, Udita finds a way of teaching the digestive system.
Case Study 4: Teacher Udita explains how she taught the human digestive system
| Mr Singh | I saw you doing something that looked quite interesting as I walked past your classroom today, Udita. I would be most grateful if you could inform me about it. Your students looked most captivated! |
| Teacher Udita | Most certainly, Mr Singh. I was undertaking a lesson about the human digestive system. I asked my students to close their textbooks because I wanted to see what they could remember. I wrote a list of organs that form the digestive system on the blackboard. I divided my students into groups of five. Each group had one pair of scissors, some paper, some sticky tape and a pen. They had to cut out a shape to represent each organ and then stick it on a volunteer to show where the organ is in the body. |
| Mr Singh | How did you divide up the groups? |
| Teacher Udita | I decided to make sure that each group had higher and lower attaining students. I hoped that the higher attaining students would be able to help the others. I gave them about ten minutes to complete the exercise. Then all the volunteers lined up at the front with the paper shapes stuck on their clothes to show where the organs are situated. It was amazing how different they were! Everyone was amused. |
| Mr Singh | What did you do next? |
| Teacher Udita | I explained to my students that they would get credit for getting the relative sizes and the approximate positions of the organs correct. Each group used a diagram of the digestive system in their textbook to mark the volunteers. I then asked each group to say which volunteer they had given the highest mark, and to explain why. |
| Mr Singh | Well, they certainly seemed to be enjoying themselves. Do you think they learnt something about the digestive system? |
| Teacher Udita | Yes they did. In the first place, it helped some of them to remember the names of the essential organs. By making shapes and thinking about the size and location of the organs, they also had to think about the function of that organ and what happens during digestion. I listened to the conversations that they were having and could hear some of the high attainers explaining digestion to other members of their group. There was a lot of chatter, but they were all discussing the science. I photographed each of the volunteers on my mobile phone and I am going to use the photos to help me to remember what they got wrong so I can plan tomorrow’s lesson. |
Teacher Udita used her students to help them think about the organs that make up the digestive system. You could use your students in other ways: they could measure their pulse rates both before and after exercise (using the stopwatch on a mobile phone); you could ask them to reflect on their diet; or, if they are very keen on sport, you could ask them to reflect on why they feel stiff after exercise and what they can do about it. Alternatively, you could make up a story about what happens to a grain of rice as it travels through the digestive system, or ask your students to make up a play. To find out more on how to do this, see the key resource on 'Storytelling, songs, role play and drama [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] '.
 Pause for thought Identify two techniques or strategies that you have learned in this unit that you might use in your classroom, and two ideas that you want to explore further. |
3 Using the local community and environment as resources