18.08.2013 Views

an innovative approach

an innovative approach

an innovative approach

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

5.2) Principle II: Enh<strong>an</strong>cing Grade 11 Students’ Underst<strong>an</strong>dings about<br />

Adv<strong>an</strong>ced Photosynthesis Concepts<br />

5.2.1) Mrs. Amp’s Practices on Principle II<br />

198<br />

Mrs. Amp was not confident in her content knowledge. Also, the<br />

school events <strong>an</strong>d public holiday took over the teaching periods from her. She<br />

appeared to use reading homework to enh<strong>an</strong>ce the underst<strong>an</strong>ding of adv<strong>an</strong>ced<br />

photosynthesis. She neatly distributed all worksheets <strong>an</strong>d all copies of the teaching<br />

tr<strong>an</strong>sparencies to the students. Also, she spent the final two periods for formal<br />

lecturing all concepts about photosynthesis. There was no discussion, concept<br />

mapping, game, experimentation, cooperative learning <strong>an</strong>d problem solving in the<br />

classroom. S09, S10, S11 <strong>an</strong>d S12 obviously supported that “…the teacher usually<br />

told the concepts to us…<strong>an</strong>d the students followed her by writing.” “There had not<br />

much activity.”<br />

The findings indicated that the teaching weakly enh<strong>an</strong>ced the<br />

underst<strong>an</strong>ding of adv<strong>an</strong>ced photosynthesis.<br />

5.2.2) Students’ Underst<strong>an</strong>ding about Adv<strong>an</strong>ced Photosynthesis<br />

The survey indicated that a majority held partial underst<strong>an</strong>ding<br />

with misconceptions about the dark phase. Also, they held partial underst<strong>an</strong>ding<br />

about the light phase <strong>an</strong>d structures <strong>an</strong>d functions of chloroplast. As well as, they had<br />

no ideas about the necessary factors affecting photosynthesis rate.<br />

Only twenty four percentages, one quarter students, fully<br />

understood about light independent (dark) phase. Pl<strong>an</strong>ts fix CO2 to produce food. On<br />

the other h<strong>an</strong>d, a majority, thirty two percentages, held partial underst<strong>an</strong>ding with<br />

misconception. They thought that the dark phase was particular process of producing<br />

food in night; that the dark phase was producing C6H12O6, O2 <strong>an</strong>d O3; <strong>an</strong>d that the<br />

dark phase took place after ATP was used to produce O2 <strong>an</strong>d sugar. Eleven

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!