BIOLOGY

EMPLOYING OF INDIVIDUAL METHODS IN BIOLOGY LESSONS:

FROM QUESTIONING TO GENERAL CONCLUSION

By SIGITA ZALITIENĖ,

Methodologist, biology teacher at the Vytautas Didysis High School in Trakai

SUMMARY

The general education school is aimed at upbringing of a person able to meet, on his own and in co-operation with others, his own problems as well as those arising in the society, to respond in creative manner to challenges of the contemporary world. When trying to attain such objectives, we are often faced with a problem when a pupil is unable to associate, generalise, use his separate pieces of knowledge in the process of studying of other subjects or in practice, i.e. he does not know how to study.

In order to upbringing an all-round educated person, the teacher should find means for awakening the motivation to study and stimulating the creativity. This work features the key approach that the learning should be an active and diverse process including the following factors relevant to learning of the pupils:

- Mood and emotions,

- Cognitive activities of pupils,

- Employing of techniques for the learning to study in biology lessons,

- Self-assessment and evaluation,

- Material for generalisation of factual knowledge.

The author describes original questioning methods used at the beginning of a lesson: scientific relay-race, method for controlling of apprehension of notional words, „Bingo!”, creation of a logically correct-fairy tale using at least one notion by a group of pupils. Such methods stimulate the activity of pupils, moreover, when a pupil is interested in the matter, when it is presented to him in a non-traditional way, when his emotions are involved, he memorise much better.

Independent assignments according to six cognitive purposes were used for organisation of cognitive activities of pupils. The originality of the research work for pupils of lower classes consists in encouraging the children to self-evaluate, consequently, they acquire the ability to plan and perceive their weak points in their knowledge. Independent assignments were varied by including additional interesting and attractive or systemised and concise complicated information, by giving them the opportunity to use modern information technologies. It was shown by the practice that pupils do their independent assignments considerably faster and with interest. In addition, such independent assignments help to acquire the scientific thinking, require the employing of knowledge, ability to associate and analyse, search for information purposefully and systematically, think critically, form hypotheses and draw conclusions.

Accumulation system of self-assessment and assessment by symbols, which allow evaluating the activity of a pupil during a lesson, his effort and contribution to the group’s common activity, is one of the key aspects of the present work in methodology. The same symbols are used at the end of a lesson, when every pupil writes on his exercise book a symbol expressing his comprehension of the new material: good, satisfactory, bad. By taking into account pupil’s self-assessment the teacher may choose an appropriate measure: repetition of the lesson subject matter, personal tutorial or additional home works. On completing the subject or at the end of school year, a self-assessment technique, “Stairs of Science” is used.

When starting to study a subject, a pupil expects that it is possible to understand it and solve any problems arising in the course of mastering of the subject-matter, and not only to understand any new notion or law but also be able to explain it. Materials of mini synopsis-questionnaires helps to understand how effective were activities of a pupil and how correctly did he apprehend the information. Without analysis, generalisation, systematisation and defining of connections, it is difficult to master the facts of great extent and complexity. With regard to this, handouts for generalising of the facts are used at the end of a lesson.