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Get into Genes supports
the Victorian Essential Learning Standards (VELS). One of the
ways in which it does this is by providing the opportunity for
students to develop some of the characteristics considered key
for students at Level 6 (Year 9 and 10). The characteristics
that Get into Genes helps to develop include
•
making choices about the future
•
having a career orientation
•
increasing differentiation and specialisation across domains
•
building expertise through formal methods of inquiry
•
participating as a community member both within and beyond the
school.
Importantly, Get into Genes also explicitly addresses a
number of the learning standards within each of the 3 core
curriculum strands. The table below summarises the links
between Get into Genes and VELS.
Discipline-based Learning Strand: Science
|
|
Standards |
Get Into Genes Program |
Science knowledge and understanding |
Students
explain the behaviour and properties of materials in terms
of their constituent particles and the forces holding them
together. |
Gel
electrophoresis activity: Detailed analysis of the structure
of DNA, and discussion of its overall negative charge.
Molecular marker activity: Base pairs and
complementary base pairing. The sequence of bases, and the
specificity of the recognition sites of restriction enzymes.
DNA extraction activity:
Students
explore the chemical structure of cell membranes and DNA. |
|
Students
demonstrate the link between natural selection and
evolution. |
Introductory talk: Students consider the effects of
domestication of plant and animal species over many
generations. |
|
Students
explain the role of DNA and genes in cell division and
genetic inheritance. |
Introductory talk, plant breeding, DNA extraction and
molecular marker activities: students explore the
inheritance of traits. Students discuss DNA as the code or
blueprint for these traits. |
|
Students
explain how the action of micro-organisms can be both
beneficial and detrimental to society. |
Introductory talk: Microorganism infection of plants is an
environmental stress.
Concluding
talk: Agrobacterium-mediated transformation as an
important tool in molecular biology.
|
Science at Work |
Students
describe the science base of science-related occupations in
their local community. |
Get
into Genes workshops are held in laboratories within
research and teaching facilities at La Trobe University and
the University of Melbourne. Students work alongside PhD
student demonstrators and learn about careers in science. |
|
Students
use the relevant science concepts and relationships as one
dimension of debating contentious and/or ethically based
science-related issues of broad community concern. |
Get
into Genes teaches students about a range of current
research techniques. Teachers should encourage students to
build on the knowledge and skills developed through Get
into Genes and engage in debate surrounding issues such
as genetic engineering. |
|
Students
formulate their own hypotheses and plan and conduct
investigations
in order
to prove or disprove them. |
Molecular
marker activity: Students make predictions about the results
of molecular marker analysis based on parental phenotype. |
|
Students
use chemicals (including
biomaterials), equipment, electronic components and
instruments responsibly
and
safely.
|
DNA
extraction and gel electrophoresis activities: Students use
molecular biology techniques and equipment and follow strict
safety guidelines for working in a laboratory. |
|
Students
construct working models and visual
aids that
demonstrate scientific ideas. |
Molecular
marker activity: Students model the action of restriction
enzymes on DNA.
Plant
breeding activity: Students model the crossing of two parent
plants and the phenotypic analysis of their offspring.
|
|
Students
present experimental results using appropriate data
presentation formats, and comment on the nature
of
experimental errors. |
Plant
breeding activity: Students compare the benefits of
conventional plant breeding to those offered by molecular
marker-assisted selection. Students consider the role
played by chance in determining the offspring phenotypes of
sexually reproducing species. |
Physical, Personal and Social Learning
Strand
|
|
Standards |
Get Into Genes Program |
Health and
Physical Education |
Students
analyse and evaluate the factors that affect food
consumption in Australia. |
Introductory talk: Students consider the uses of crops such
as wheat and barley. They also consider environmental
factors that have affected the success of different crop
varieties grown in Australia. |
Interpersonal Development |
Students
take opportunities to work in diverse teams within and
beyond school, including the workplace to complete tasks
with several interrelated components.
Students
work collaboratively, negotiate roles and delegate tasks.
|
Students
work in small teams to complete 4 experiments. These
experiments are interrelated – they form a series of steps
that are used by agricultural scientists to select and grow
individual plants with the goal of breeding improved crop
varieties. |
|
Working
with the strengths of a team they achieve agreed goals
within set timeframes. |
Students
work together to complete their experiments within set
timeframes. |
Personal Learning
|
Students
are encouraged to use appropriate strategies to maximize
their learning in a range of contexts and to review and
refine their study habits. |
Get
into Genes offers a non-school based educational
platform from which students can explore alternative
strategies to maximize their learning. |
|
Students
complete projects that require them to work both
independently and as part of a team. |
All
workstations require students to work in small learning
teams. |
|
Students
identify interests, strengths and weaknesses and use these
to determine future learning needs, especially in relation
to post-compulsory pathways. |
Students
are exposed to processes used agricultural research working
alongside research scientists. The Get into Genes
experience will inform their decision making in relation to
science-related study and careers. |
|
Students
initiate personal short-term and long-term learning goals
and negotiate appropriate courses of action to achieve them. |
Students
are encouraged to consider why they are attending a Get
into Genes session – what are their learning goals? |
Civics
and Citizenship |
Students
evaluate the role of the Australian Government in the global
community… through contexts such as government responses to
environmental concerns. |
Introductory talk: Students are introduced to the nature
and goals of scientific research that is funded jointly by
government and industry. |
|
Students draw on a range of resources… to articulate and
defend their own opinions about political, social and
environmental issues in national and global contexts. |
The
Get into Genes experience serves as an important
resource for students to draw upon as they formulate an
informed opinion about political, social and
environmental issues. |
Interdisciplinary Learning Strand
|
| |
Standards |
Get into Genes program |
Communication |
Students
listen to speakers in a range of contexts. |
Get
into Genes introductory and concluding talks are
presented by Education Officers and PhD students. |
|
Students
elaborate on and clarify content of presentations, using
pertinent questions to explore explicit and implicit
meaning. |
Students
are encouraged to ask questions in order to clarify their
understanding throughout the Get into Genes
workshops. Worksheets are designed to elaborate students’
understandings. |
|
Students
develop a high level of expertise and fluency in the
language, forms and communication strategies of particular
subjects across the curriculum as well as those associated
with a range of occupations. |
During the
workshop students practise using scientific terminology
appropriately. Working within a real scientific research
environment allows students to become familiar with the
language used in this workplace. |
|
Students
experiment with communicating complex ideas in a variety of
ways. The increasingly use metaphor and symbol to
communicate. |
Plant
breeding and gel electrophoresis activities: Students
practise the important skills of recognizing, creating and
labeling biological diagrams when analyzing plant phenotypes
and the results of gel electrophoresis. Molecular markers
are themselves symbols used by the students to represent or
predict important plant characteristics such as drought
tolerance or disease resistance. |
Design, Creativity and Technology
|
Students
make decisions about safety precautions and wear personal
protective clothing and equipment when necessary. |
Students
are required to wear labcoats, safety glasses and gloves and
adhere to laboratory safety rules. |
|
Students
further develop skills in using a range of techniques,
equipment, tools, some of which are complex. |
Gel
electrophoresis activity: Students use gel electrophoresis
tanks and powerpacks and micropipettes. |
|
Students…
critically analyse processes, materials/ingredients, systems
components and equipment used, and make appropriate
suggestions for changes to these that would lead to an
improved outcome. |
DNA
extraction activity: Students are required to state the
reason for the use of each of the chemicals in the stepwise
process of DNA extraction.
Gel
electrophoresis activity: Students examine the charged
nature of DNA and how this property enables separation of
DNA fragments according to size.
Throughout
the workshop students are encouraged to consider the range
of techniques available (traditional and molecular) for the
selection of individual plants in a breeding program and for
crop improvement more generally. |
Information and Communications Technology
|
Students
apply techniques to locate more precise information from
websites. |
Students
and teachers are given a list of recommended websites,
including the Get into Genes website, to be used as a
resource for further learning about gene technology. |
Thinking Processes
|
Students
process and synthesise complex information and complete
activities focusing on problem solving and decision making
which involve a wide range and complexity of variables and
solutions. |
The
workshops are based around problem solving activities such
as selecting plants for breeding based on their genotype
(determined after students complete molecular analyses) or
their phenotype (determined by phenotypic analysis) and
assessing probabilities in plant breeding programs. |
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