Written by This week I conducted the Bio Roundtable discussions in place of a traditional Ecology test.
So far I’ve sat in on 4 hours of discussion and it has been a great experience. Students are engaged and I’ve heard talk of bio topics spill out into the hall, which is always a great sign.
For this assignment, I was looking for them to make connections between real world issues around the following five areas, to what we learned in class and in other courses:
- Biodiversity
- Carbon footprint
- Food
- Population Growth
- Sustainability
Students start off with a short 7 min presentation on their topic of choice, based on a reading selected from over 65 articles I’ve selected. They cite their sources and refer to other research material to make a case regarding an issue facing our planet. Students were also asked to present a Canadian perspective on the issue. Then they lead a 10 min. discussion eliciting responses from the class on a variety of prepared questions.
We have had lively debates about China’s one child policy, our obsession with meat, and the balance between sustainability and economic growth. Students are drawing on resources from Geography & Economics class to work out these issues.
I have been so impressed by their wealth of knowledge and their ability to synthesize information into cohesive arguments on the fly. I’m so proud of them.
I think at the end of our discussions, I will have students join in groups and create our own set of Millennium Development Goals. Consolidating what they consider to be the top 5 things we need to do to ensure a sustainable future for ourselves and the next generation.
In retrospect, I will definitely do this project again. Although it takes a lot more time than a 1 period test (I’m spending 3 periods on discussions so everyone has about 13 mins for their presentation), it is a great way for students to showcase critical thinking and develop communication skills in an academic setting.
Perhaps I can find ways to incorporate more personalized learning in a traditionally fact-heavy subject like Biology afterall.