Introduction

This is a four-week unit designed for a 'top' Year 10 class to encourage maximum participation by all students. Knowledge of basic human biology is assumed and the unit has been offered to the class as an 'interest topic' during their last school term with the aim of demonstrating an area of application of science and encouraging them to pursue a senior science course in Year 11.

Within the class of 30 pupils there are 5 students who consistently perform and achieve well above the rest. All 5 students:

• learn quickly and readily

• become bored by routine tasks

• are self-motivated to achieve their best

• demonstrate higher level thinking skills

• have a sound general knowledge

• show an interest in world problems, particularly those involving the application of science and technology

• have their own special interests that they pursue independently

• use advanced vocabulary and express ideas well verbally

• demonstrate persistence and see tasks through to an end-point

• relate well to adults and express interest in 'adult' issues.

 

Overview of Organisation of Unit

The unit is to be run as a contract unit with students completing Section 1 activities using a 'jigsaw' approach to group work, a minimum number of mandatory activities from Sections 2 and 3, and a selection of activities from Sections 4, 5 and 6. Students must participate in as wide a variety of learning experiences as possible (group work, debate, role play, individual writing/research, problem-solving activities/experimentation etc.), and record their activity choices, point scores and activity evaluations in a log book.

Being a 'top' Year 10 class, the unit emphasis is on the higher level Bloom objectives, and each student will be asked to complete at least two tasks from Sections 3, 4, 5 and 6 to score a minimum of 20 points in the time allotted for the completion of the unit. Students who complete extra activities will receive bonus points which they can 'save' and add to throughout the year to qualify them for merit awards, special activities and excursions and so on. (Last year those students with between 40 and 50 bonus points saved were invited to be 'explainers' when the Science Circus visited Narrabri; those with 20-30 points could be 'demonstrators' at the Science Faculty Open-Day during Education Week; students who consistently complete 'extra' activities are recommended to the Welfare Committee for movement 'up a level' on the Student Care and Achievement Network (SCAN) in recognition of their efforts.)

Activity sheets are available from the teacher on request and each student or student group is responsible for the ordering of any equipment they require; the teacher's role is mainly that of resource person to maximise a student-centred learning style although some 'fixed' lessons will be timetabled to allow for subject matter to be clarified with the students or specific tasks like role-plays to occur.

 

Unit Aims

• To increase student awareness of the impact of science and technology on human health and the treatment of disease;

• To provide opportunities for students to contemplate the ethical issues concerning the application of technology to medical advances.

 

General Objectives of Unit

The students will:

1. further develop their research skills;

2. develop the ability to select relevant information;

3. practise presenting information for a particular audience;

4. develop the ability to work both independently and cooperatively;

5. improve their communication skills;

6. actively participate in problem solving tasks;

7. analyse problems and reach conclusions;

8. present evidence to support a particular point of view;

9. listen to and respect other students' opinions;

10. increase their awareness of the influence of science and technology in everyday life;

11. take responsibility for the planning, selection and evaluation of unit activities.

 

Activities

Section 1: Background Knowledge/Important Ideas

ALL questions are compulsory. Students are required to organise working groups of 3 persons and every person will record the names of the group members in his/her log book. You must then negotiate which of the 8 questions you will research and be responsible for (some questions may be more involved than others). The information is then to be distributed to all group members via the 'jigsaw method'. A test may include some or all of the questions in this section.

(a) Read the article provided entitled 'Science, Technology and Society'. Write definitions of 'science' and 'technology'. Make a list of 6 things that involve science and 6 things which involve technology from the article.

(b) Draw a diagram (with labels) for each of the main stages of human life (newborn, puberty, adulthood and old age), describing the important features that characterise these stages.

(c) From library research list the average life spans of Neanderthal man, Mesolithic man, an Ancient Greek, an Ancient Roman, an English person about the time of the Industrial Revolution and an Australian person today. What trend do you notice from the data?

(d) Make a chart displaying a brief written outline of the basic function of each of the following body systems for your group: urinary, respiratory, digestive and circulatory.

(e) Define the term 'disease'. Name the different categories of diseases and identify some diseases you suffered from in your lifetime. List the main causes of death in Australia today.

(f) How long do you have to study to become a practising doctor in Australia? What is the 'Hippocratic Oath'? What do the following types of doctors treat: obstetrician, psychiatrist, microsurgeon, dermatologist?

(g) In which medical fields has Australia received international recognition? Make notes on 2 technological achievements that have occurred in Australia within the last 20 years or collect appropriate newspaper/magazine clippings (on same) for display.

(h) Play the 'Snakes and Ladders' game ('The Life and Times of Joe Black and His Descendants') with another two students, each from a different group. Make a list of all the diseases mentioned that you no longer consider common today. Name 2 modern diseases not mentioned in the game.

 

Section 2: Comprehension/Understanding

Complete any 3 of the questions in this section. Don't forget to record the relevant information into your log book.

(a) Design a flow chart depicting the sequence of physical changes the human body displays as a person passes from the newborn stage into old age. Illustrate your flow chart with cuttings from magazines/newspapers/photographs where appropriate.

(b) Read the article 'A Man of Many Artificial Parts'. Tabulate the advantages and disadvantages of the use of artificial parts in the human body.

(c) Prepare a short talk for the class about a famous Australian medical doctor and his/her achievements in their chosen field.

(d) Using the templates and instructions provided, construct an overlay diagram of the human body showing the main body systems (circulatory, respiratory, urinary, and digestive systems). Use a key to designate each system within the overlay.

(e) Design a wonderword (with clues) or a crossword on medical technology and human diseases.

(f) Write a poem or an acrostic about growing old in Australia today.

(g) Use the computer to design a time line to sequence the events mentioned in the 'Snakes and Ladders' game from Section 1. Pin a hard copy of the time line onto the noticeboard when you have finished.

(h) Read the advertisement on the 'Magnitect Bracelet' and then answer the questions that follow.

 

Section 3: Application/Problem Solving

Choose any 2 of the activities in this section. Each activity is worth 1 point, including those undertaken as 'bonus' tasks. Activities can be done individually or by the whole group. Record the relevant log book entries as you work through your choices.

(a) Modern technology has provided many life-saving devices for people of all ages. Design a machine that might be used in the home or hospital. Explain its purpose to the rest of the class. You may prefer to update or improve a machine with which you are already familiar.

(b) Make a working model of the machine that you have designed in (a) above. Demonstrate its operation to the rest of the class.

(c) Design and make a collage called 'Diseases of Affluence', to demonstrate that technological advances create problems too. For any 2 of the health problems illustrated in your collage, make suggestions as to how it could have been prevented. Take your finished collage to the library for display.

(d) Interview 2 or 3 elderly people in the community. Ask them to discuss reasons for their long lives. You might like to tape their responses and play them to the rest of the class.

(e) Organise a collection of news items on the latest medical breakthroughs and achievements. Display them on one of the noticeboards in the classroom.

(f) Design a cartoon for inclusion in the next school newsletter on the topic of medical technology.

 

Section 4: Analysis

Each activity is worth 2 points, including optional ones. Choose any 2 questions from those provided below. Work in your groups to complete the tasks. Don't forget the log book entries!

(a) The debate about euthanasia has existed for decades. Prepare a report listing the arguments for and against euthanasia.

(b) Construct a graph to compare and contrast the causes of death in Australia and Thailand from the data supplied. Explain the differences in the figures between Australia and Thailand with respect to:

• infectious diseases; and • circulatory diseases.

(c) Watch the video Improving on Nature by David Suzuki, paying particular attention to the section dealing with childbirth in India today. How is the treatment and survival of a newborn baby in India different from that in Australia?

(d) Write a biography of one or the people mentioned in the 'Snakes and Ladders' game from Section 1. Be sure to address the following questions: What medical problem was solved? What was the nature of their invention? What obstacles did the person have to overcome? How important is this person's contribution in today's world?

(e) Describe the repercussions on the Narrabri community if all the doctors left the town because of a dispute with the local hospital.

 

Section 5: Synthesis/Creating

Each activity here is worth 3 points. Do one activity individually and the second activity with the members of your group.

(a) In your group write and act out a script where a young couple are trying to enrol their 6-year-old son (who is HIV-positive) in school and are being interviewed by the principal of the local primary school.

(b) Invent a new infectious disease and give it a name. Prepare a poster for display at a bus/train terminus that warns people of the disease and its effects on the human body.

(c) Using either the circulatory, respiratory, urinary or digestive systems, design a pamphlet aimed at adolescents that lists some of the common diseases of that system and suggestions for keeping the system working efficiently within the body.

(d) Read the article provided on 'IVF Techniques'. It is mentioned a number of times in the article that the timing of the operation to remove the eggs from the female was critical. In your own words write an explanation that would be suitable to give to:

• the couple undergoing the IVF technique;

• a local radio news report; and

• the school magazine.

(e) Read the article provided on the activities of the 'Careflight' helicopter service which is in danger of ceasing its operations due to lack of funding. If you were responsible for obtaining funds, what strategies would you enlist to ensure the continued survival of this service?

(f) Make a 10-point summary of the procedures involved in an IVF program. Devise a chart aimed at explaining these procedures to be used as a teaching aid by health workers and doctors.

(g) During the 1800s many so-called medicines had labels which made claims about their ability to cure a vast range of health problems. Read about the example provided 'Cream of Olives - The Household Remedy'. Are there any similar products on the market today? How would you decide if the medicine could live up to its claims?

 

Section 6: Evaluating/Judging

These activities in this section are worth 4 points each. Activity (a) is compulsory for all groups and certain periods will be set aside for this activity and a follow-up debriefing session. Select one other activity from the list and record the necessary information in your log book.

(a) Combine groups to form a larger group of six students. Obtain the role-play 'The Liver Transplant Committee' and carefully read through the background information concerning their role as committee members, the 'patients' being considered for a transplant and the guidelines for consensus decision making.

Complete the follow-up creative writing activity associated with the above role-play.

(b) Read the information associated with the role play 'Should Mary Jane continue to be kept alive by life support machines?' Organise into groups to represent:

• the 2 doctors • Mr and Mrs Matthews • Mary Jane's boyfriend

• the 3 nurses • the hospital chaplain

The final decision must rest with Mr and Mrs Matthews. To help them do this complete the decision-making 'tree'. How do you feel about the decision reached?

(c) 'It is immoral that Australians can obtain expensive heart by-pass surgery caused by an unhealthy lifestyle while millions suffer and die from malnutrition and famine around the world'. Comment on this statement.

(d) Organise a debate on the topic 'Prevention is better than cure'.

(e) Read through the statistics given in the article 'Technology has a Price'. What conclusion can you make from these statistics? What would your reaction to this be as:

• a ratepayer? and • a patient?

(f) Look closely at the diagram entitled 'But Progress has its Price'. Which objects in the diagram harm the health of the individual? List them in priority order. Which of these pressures may affect you:

• at the moment? • in ten years time?

 

Evaluation

Students maintain a log book throughout the unit which allows them to record and evaluate each activity they select. This log book is then handed in to the teacher at the completion of the unit.

Evaluation of individual student performances would occur throughout the unit and could be based on:

• Teacher observation of students

• Peer assessment of certain activities

• Teacher assessment of completed student activities

• Input from student log books.

References and Resources

Allotta, E. (1992) Science for Life. Science Press, Marrickville.

Bennetts, J., Burdett, P., Mundie, J. & Williams, A. (1988) Science Skills: Problems in GCSE Science. Hodder and Stoughton, Great Britain.

Bruning, M. & Hely, D. (1988) Future Science Today. Longman Cheshire, Melbourne.

Dalton, J. & Smith, D. (1991) Extending Children's Special Abilities: Strategies for the Primary Classroom. Ministry of Education, Victoria.

Davis, G.A. & Rimm, S.B. (1989) Education of the Gifted and Talented. Allyn and Bacon, Massachusetts.

Ferry, B. (1991) Making the difference for talented children in science. Australian Science Teachers Journal, 37 (1), 8-13.

Hildebrand, G. (1989) The Liver Transplant Committee. The Australian Science Teachers Journal, 35 (3), 70-72.

Maxwell, K. & Patterson, G. (1982) Technology, Triumph or Tragedy? Macmillan Company, New Zealand.

NSW Department of Education (1988) Teaching Talented Students 7-10.

Parker, P.L. (1989) Instructional Strategies for Teaching the Gifted. Allyn and Bacon, Massachusetts.

Perrin, B. (1987) Science, Technology and Society, Book 4. Jacaranda Press, Auckland.

Teasdale, J. (1987) Biotechnology: Selected Topics. Stanley Thornes Publishers, England.

Wright, M., Perry, L., Tibbertsma, T. & Russell, D. (1992) Science in Society. Jacaranda Press, Milton, Queensland.

©TalentEd is located at the School of Curriculum Studies, University of New England, Armidale, Australia.

This page updated: 23 January 2006 Webmaker: Howard Smith. hsmith4@une.edu.au