On Wednesday, I met with two biology teachers from Liberton High School. We discussed the details of my project, such as timings, the year group and class it would be most appropriate for, and the sampling method that would be best for the experiment.
Including a careers aspect to my project
I was pleased that the teachers were so positive and enthusiastic about my proposal. Overall, they seemed to think my project would fit well in the students’ learning journey and would tie in well with their previous learning. The positive ending to the scheme of lessons, through focussing on positive case studies and actions students can take to help insects, was well received. Before the meeting, I wondered if it would be relevant to include reference to future career possibilities as part of the lessons, as this would allow students to consider associated career pathways and would be an interdisciplinary opportunity, meeting E&O HWB 3-20a:
“I am investigating different careers/occupations, ways of working, and learning and training paths. I am gaining experience that helps me recognise the relevance of my learning, skills and interests to my future life.” (Education Scotland, 2017).
Including this aspect in the final lesson will, I feel, reinforce the importance of insects in society that will have been previously covered in the introductory session. When I suggested this to the teachers, they thought it was a very good idea. I am going to start collecting resources which I could use to inform the students about ecological careers, such as the British Ecological Society’s “Where Can Ecology Take You” leaflet, and videos such as the Royal Entomological Society’s “What is an entomologist?”.
Chosen sampling method
It is likely that I will be working with a S1 class, around March time. The biology teacher is going to contact me soon to confirm more specific dates. We also talked about the possibility of me going into the school to observe some biology lessons, to meet the students, get a feel for the school, and identify suitable habitats around the school which could be used for sampling insects. The teachers seemed keen to try out the insect sampling technique using yellow plastic bowls. They thought that kick sampling in a river could be difficult logistically, and have previously tried pitfall traps, but with limited success. The yellow bowl technique is therefore looking likely to be the sampling method I use.
Equipment available
The school has access to hand lenses and microscopes, which will help the students to identify smaller insects, and get a closer view of insects, hopefully fostering a greater appreciation of the delicate and intricate structure of insect body parts. The teachers also mentioned that the school has lenses available which attach to phone cameras, and allow photos to be taken of small things, such as insects. They suggested students could use this equipment to take photos of the insects they find, and present these, along with their results in a poster. I thought this was a really useful suggestion, as the posters could give me an indication of what the students have learnt, and will give me material that I can present and evaluate in my technical report. I thought that having visual results in the form of photos may help to engage to less able students and appeal to a wider range of learner types.
Future plans
Moving forward, I am going to add more detail to my plans for the first lesson in the scheme of work. I will develop my plans for the other lessons once I have visited the school in the new year. This will give me a more concrete idea of where sampling can take place, and a better feel of the appropriate level at which to pitch the work.
References:
Education Scotland (2017). Benchmarks Personal and Social Education. [Online]. Available at: https://education.gov.scot/improvement/learning-resources/curriculum-for-excellence-benchmarks/. [Accessed: 14 December 2021].
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