O presente trabalho é um estudo de caso do CEEJA Dona Clara Mantelli, por possuir uma proposta curricular singular na cidade de São Paulo. A importância da Biologia para a formação do cidadão é parte essencial do trabalho. O objetivo principal dessa investigação foi o de analisar se os estudantes da educação de jovens e adultos dessa proposta metodológica de ensino diferenciada de ensino supletivo podem atingir níveis cognitivos mais complexos de aprendizado dos conteúdos da disciplina Biologia. A sequência metodológica consistiu de três momentos. No primeiro Momento foram entrevistados quarenta e três alunos que cursavam o ensino médio em 2010 e responderam ao primeiro instrumento de pesquisa que atingia questões relativas ao conhecimento da clientela da escola, sua relação com o currículo e a disciplina Biologia. Ainda nesse momento, houve a entrevista com o Dirigente da escola que respondeu sobre a comunidade escolar. O enfoque do segundo momento foi dirigido às professoras e a visão sobre o currículo. O terceiro Momento aconteceu em 2011 e procurou se aproximar dos diferentes níveis cognitivos que quarenta e oito alunos poderiam atingir frente aos vinte conteúdos de Biologia que foram previamente selecionados. As principais conclusões apontaram para o significado da alfabetização em Biologia na vida do aluno jovem e adulto que participou desse programa...

Esta dissertação, inserida em linha de pesquisa de "História, Filosofia e Cultura no Ensino de Ciências", abordou a inserção de um episódio da História da Ciência no ensino de Biologia da educação básica. A pesquisa, caracterizada por uma abordagem inclusiva da História da Ciência no ensino de Biologia, foi orientada pelos seguintes objetivos: 1) desenvolver o estudo de um episódio histórico envolvendo a viagem do naturalista inglês Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913) ao Brasil, no século XIX; 2) desenvolver um estudo empírico de utilização de episódio da História da Biologia no ensino e aprendizagem de conteúdos de Biologia por meio da elaboração, validação, aplicação e avaliação de uma sequência didática; 3) investigar os efeitos da utilização de um episódio de História da Biologia sobre aspectos motivacionais e emocionais dos alunos durante o ensino e aprendizagem de conteúdos de Biologia. A viagem de Wallace à Amazônia foi analisada segundo a metodologia de pesquisa em História da Ciência, fazendo uso de fontes primárias e secundárias. Foram investigadas a formação inicial do pesquisador e as motivações para a realização da viagem segundo o contexto das expedições científicas do século XIX. Foram ainda discutidas as principais contribuições que ele desenvolveu...

With genomics well established in modern molecular biology, recent studies have sought to further the discipline by integrating complementary methodologies into a holistic depiction of the molecular mechanisms underpinning cell function. This genomic subdiscipline, loosely termed “systems biology,” presents the biology educator with both opportunities and obstacles: The benefit of exposing students to this cutting-edge scientific methodology is manifest, yet how does one convey the breadth and advantage of systems biology while still engaging the student? Here, I describe an active-learning approach to the presentation of systems biology. In graduate classes at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, I divided students into small groups and asked each group to interpret a sample data set (e.g., microarray data, two-hybrid data, homology-search results) describing a hypothetical signaling pathway. Mimicking realistic experimental results, each data set revealed a portion of this pathway; however, students were only able to reconstruct the full pathway by integrating all data sets, thereby exemplifying the utility in a systems biology approach. Student response to this cooperative exercise was extremely positive. In total, this approach provides an effective introduction to systems biology appropriate for students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

There is an increasing need for students in the biological sciences to build a strong foundation in quantitative approaches to data analyses. Although most science, engineering, and math field majors are required to take at least one statistics course, statistical analysis is poorly integrated into undergraduate biology course work, particularly at the lower-division level. Elements of statistics were incorporated into an introductory biology course, including a review of statistics concepts and opportunity for students to perform statistical analysis in a biological context. Learning gains were measured with an 11-item statistics learning survey instrument developed for the course. Students showed a statistically significant 25% (p < 0.005) increase in statistics knowledge after completing introductory biology. Students improved their scores on the survey after completing introductory biology, even if they had previously completed an introductory statistics course (9%, improvement p < 0.005). Students retested 1 yr after completing introductory biology showed no loss of their statistics knowledge as measured by this instrument, suggesting that the use of statistics in biology course work may aid long-term retention of statistics knowledge. No statistically significant differences in learning were detected between male and female students in the study.

Incorporation of mathematics into biology curricula is critical to underscore for undergraduate students the relevance of mathematics to most fields of biology and the usefulness of developing quantitative process skills demanded in modern biology. At our institution, we have made significant changes to better integrate mathematics into the undergraduate biology curriculum. The curricular revision included changes in the suggested course sequence, addition of statistics and precalculus as prerequisites to core science courses, and incorporating interdisciplinary (math–biology) learning activities in genetics and zoology courses. In this article, we describe the activities developed for these two courses and the assessment tools used to measure the learning that took place with respect to biology and statistics. We distinguished the effectiveness of these learning opportunities in helping students improve their understanding of the math and statistical concepts addressed and, more importantly, their ability to apply them to solve a biological problem. We also identified areas that need emphasis in both biology and mathematics courses. In light of our observations, we recommend best practices that biology and mathematics academic departments can implement to train undergraduates for the demands of modern biology.

This paper describes a newly adapted instrument for measuring novice-to-expert-like perceptions about biology: the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey for Biology (CLASS-Bio). Consisting of 31 Likert-scale statements, CLASS-Bio probes a range of perceptions that vary between experts and novices, including enjoyment of the discipline, propensity to make connections to the real world, recognition of conceptual connections underlying knowledge, and problem-solving strategies. CLASS-Bio has been tested for response validity with both undergraduate students and experts (biology PhDs), allowing student responses to be directly compared with a consensus expert response. Use of CLASS-Bio to date suggests that introductory biology courses have the same challenges as introductory physics and chemistry courses: namely, students shift toward more novice-like perceptions following instruction. However, students in upper-division biology courses do not show the same novice-like shifts. CLASS-Bio can also be paired with other assessments to: 1) examine how student perceptions impact learning and conceptual understanding of biology, and 2) assess and evaluate how pedagogical techniques help students develop both expertise in problem solving and an expert-like appreciation of the nature of biology.

Quantitative biology is a hot area, as evidenced by the recent establishment of institutes, graduate programs, and conferences with that name. But what is quantitative biology? What should it be? And how can it contribute to solving the big questions in biology? The past decade has seen very rapid development of quantitative experimental techniques, especially at the single-molecule and single-cell levels. In this essay, I argue that quantitative biology is much more than just the quantitation of these experimental results. Instead, it should be the application of the scientific method by which measurement is directed toward testing theories. In this view, quantitative biology is the recognition that theory and models play critical roles in biology, as they do in physics and engineering. By tying together experiment and theory, quantitative biology promises a deeper understanding of underlying mechanisms, when the theory works, or to new discoveries, when it does not.

Carbon nanotubes represent ideal probes for high-resolution structural and chemical imaging of biomolecules with atomic force microscopy. Recent advances in fabrication of carbon nanotube probes with sub-nanometer radii promise to yield unique insights into the structure, dynamics and function of biological macromolecules and complexes.; Chemistry and Chemical Biology

The field of Synthetic Biology seeks to develop engineering principles for biological systems. Modular biological parts are repurposed and recombined to develop new synthetic biological devices with novel functions. The proper functioning of these devices is dependent on the cellular context provided by the host organism, and the interaction of these devices with host systems. The field of Systems Biology seeks to measure and model the properties of biological phenomena at the network scale. We present the application of systems biology approaches to synthetic biology, with particular emphasis on understanding and remodeling metabolic networks. Chapter 2 demonstrates the use of a Flux Balance Analysis model of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae metabolic network to identify and construct strains of S. cerevisiae that produced increased amounts of formic acid. Chapter 3 describes the development of synthetic metabolic pathways in Escherichia coli for the production of hydrogen, and a directed evolution strategy for hydrogenase enzyme improvement. Chapter 4 introduces the use of metabolomic profiling to investigate the role of circadian regulation in the metabolic network of the photoautotrophic cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942. Together...

by Michael Finney.; Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Biology, 1987.; Bibliography: leaves 172-174.

The MIT Biology Department core courses, 7.012, 7.013, and 7.014, all cover the same core material, which includes the fundamental principles of biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology, and cell biology. Biological function at the molecular level is particularly emphasized and covers the structure and regulation of genes, as well as, the structure and synthesis of proteins, how these molecules are integrated into cells, and how these cells are integrated into multicellular systems and organisms. In addition, each version of the subject has its own distinctive material. 7.014 focuses on the application of the fundamental principles toward an understanding of human biology. Topics include genetics, cell biology, molecular biology, disease (infectious agents, inherited diseases and cancer), developmental biology, neurobiology and evolution.

peer-reviewed; The publication of ‗Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation‘ (2006) by the Irish Government and of ‗Task Force on the Physical Sciences‘ (2002) recognises the decline in the number of students taking up sciences at both senior cycle and into third level and the dramatic need for a change in how science is being taught in Irish post-primary schools. The OECD report (2006), Evolution of Student Interest in Science and Technology Studies, recommended that teaching should concentrate more on scientific concepts rather than on the retention of information. The central aim of this thesis is to gain an insight into the attitudes and perceptions of qualified science and biology teachers and students towards the use of Inquiry based teaching and learning in the Irish Post-Primary Classroom and investigate the extent to which the principles of scientific inquiry teaching and learning are being practiced in the Senior Cycle Biology classroom from a teacher and student perspective. Inquiry-based learning requires students to develop scientific process skills and an understanding of the science content while working in a pedagogical manner that combines hands-on activities with student-centred discussion and discovery of concepts. Many educational theorists have listed advantages associated with inquiry-based learning but the principle advantages for students is that they think critically for themselves; providing them with the tools to be lifelong learners and good future scientists. This research study was divided into three parts...

All aspects of biological diversification ultimately trace to evolutionary modifications at the cellular level. This central role of cells frames the basic questions as to how cells work and how cells come to be the way they are. Although these two lines of inquiry lie respectively within the traditional provenance of cell biology and evolutionary biology, a comprehensive synthesis of evolutionary and cell-biological thinking is lacking. We define evolutionary cell biology as the fusion of these two eponymous fields with the theoretical and quantitative branches of biochemistry, biophysics, and population genetics. The key goals are to develop a mechanistic understanding of general evolutionary processes, while specifically infusing cell biology with an evolutionary perspective. The full development of this interdisciplinary field has the potential to solve numerous problems in diverse areas of biology, including the degree to which selection, effectively neutral processes, historical contingencies, and/or constraints at the chemical and biophysical levels dictate patterns of variation for intracellular features. These problems can now be examined at both the within- and among-species levels, with single-cell methodologies even allowing quantification of variation within genotypes. Some results from this emerging field have already had a substantial impact on cell biology...

Este trabalho de mestrado tem relação direta com a natureza da mediação do professor, e portanto, com seus saberes, e estes, com sua história, formação, contexto e condições de trabalho. Esta pesquisa buscou investigar as possibilidades e caminhos de uma abordagem geocientífica, ressaltando a importância de um olhar mais sintético, abrangente e interdisciplinar (característico das Geociências), na formação de indivíduos conscientes de seu ambiente, e da sua relação com o homem. Ao problematizar esta idéia anterior, este trabalho procurou compreender as relações entre a Biologia e as Geociências, considerando os saberes docentes de uma professora em formação continuada. Teve como objetivo principal analisar as interações entre a Biologia e as Geociências em aulas elaboradas e desenvolvidas por uma professora de Biologia, em processo de formação continuada e dentro de um contexto específico: o de um projeto de pesquisa colaborativo. Para contextualizar este trabalho, organizou-se um conjunto de idéias sobre as Geociências, descreveram-se suas particularidades e características, explicitando seu objeto de estudo e a relação com o ensino e a educação para os jovens do Ensino Médio. Atentou-se para como o professor constrói as relações Geociências/Biologia...

O presente estudo teve como objetivo analisar as avaliações, que foram empregadas pelos professores de ensino médio na disciplina de biologia, quando é abordado o tópico sobre biologia celular, traçando um paralelo entre as avaliações realizadas e os conteúdos de outras avaliações de âmbito mais geral, com destaque para o Concurso Vestibular da UNICAMP e o Exame Nacional do Ensino Médio - ENEM. Nas escolas pesquisadas foram analisados os conteúdos dos livros, os seus exercícios, e os planos de ensino dos professores. Além disso, foram propostos questionários, os quais abordaram um conjunto de questões que visou mostrar a forma como o professor encara o processo ensino/aprendizagem e como a avaliação se insere nesse contexto. Este conjunto de questões correspondeu a dois instrumentos, sendo que o primeiro entrevistou, de modo semi-estruturado, 15 professores de biologia das escolas selecionadas e o segundo instrumento entrevistou, num questionário tipo escala Likert, 59 professores de várias disciplinas. Estas entrevistas ocorreram em escolas localizadas no centro e na periferia de duas cidades da região de Campinas. Verificamos que as escolas localizadas no centro das cidades apresentaram diferenças em relação às escolas da periferia...

Biology of the twenty-first century is an increasingly quantitative science. Undergraduate biology education therefore needs to provide opportunities for students to develop fluency in the tools and language of quantitative disciplines. Quantitative literacy (QL) is important for future scientists as well as for citizens, who need to interpret numeric information and data-based claims regarding nearly every aspect of daily life. To address the need for QL in biology education, we incorporated quantitative concepts throughout a semester-long introductory biology course at a large research university. Early in the course, we assessed the quantitative skills that students bring to the introductory biology classroom and found that students had difficulties in performing simple calculations, representing data graphically, and articulating data-driven arguments. In response to students' learning needs, we infused the course with quantitative concepts aligned with the existing course content and learning objectives. The effectiveness of this approach is demonstrated by significant improvement in the quality of students' graphical representations of biological data. Infusing QL in introductory biology presents challenges. Our study, however...

Once-per-cell cycle replication is regulated through the assembly onto chromatin of multisubunit protein complexes that license DNA for a further round of replication. Licensing consists of the loading of the hexameric MCM2-7 complex onto chromatin during G1 phase and is dependent on the licensing factor Cdt1. In vitro experiments have suggested a two-step binding mode for minichromosome maintenance (MCM) proteins, with transient initial interactions converted to stable chromatin loading. Here, we assess MCM loading in live human cells using an in vivo licensing assay on the basis of fluorescence recovery after photobleaching of GFP-tagged MCM protein subunits through the cell cycle. We show that, in telophase, MCM2 and MCM4 maintain transient interactions with chromatin, exhibiting kinetics similar to Cdt1. These are converted to stable interactions from early G1 phase. The immobile fraction of MCM2 and MCM4 increases during G1 phase, suggestive of reiterative licensing. In late G1 phase, a large fraction of MCM proteins are loaded onto chromatin, with maximal licensing observed just prior to S phase onset. Fluorescence loss in photobleaching experiments show subnuclear concentrations of MCM-chromatin interactions that differ as G1 phase progresses and do not colocalize with sites of DNA synthesis in S phase.; Fil: Symeonidou...

If students are to successfully grapple with authentic, complex biological problems as scientists and citizens, they need practice solving such problems during their undergraduate years. Physics education researchers have investigated student problem solving for the last three decades. Although physics and biology problems differ in structure and content, the instructional purposes align closely: explaining patterns and processes in the natural world and making predictions about physical and biological systems. In this paper, we discuss how research-supported approaches developed by physics education researchers can be adopted by biologists to enhance student problem-solving skills. First, we compare the problems that biology students are typically asked to solve with authentic, complex problems. We then describe the development of research-validated physics curricula emphasizing process skills in problem solving. We show that solving authentic, complex biology problems requires many of the same skills that practicing physicists and biologists use in representing problems, seeking relationships, making predictions, and verifying or checking solutions. We assert that acquiring these skills can help biology students become competent problem solvers. Finally...

It is often stated that there are no laws in biology, where everything is contingent and could have been otherwise, being solely the result of historical accidents. Furthermore, the customary introduction of fundamental biological entities such as individual organisms, cells, genes, catalysts and motors remains largely descriptive; constructive approaches involving deductive reasoning appear, in comparison, almost absent. As a consequence, both the logical content and principles of biology need to be reconsidered. The present article describes an inquiry into the foundations of biology. The foundations of biology are built in terms of elements, logic and principles, using both the language and the general methods employed in other disciplines. This approach assumes the existence of a certain unity of human knowledge that transcends discipline boundaries. Leibniz's principle of sufficient reason is revised through the introduction of the complementary concepts of symmetry and asymmetry and of necessity and contingency. This is used to explain how these four concepts are involved in the elaboration of theories or laws of nature. Four fundamental theories of biology are then identified: cell theory, Darwin's theory of natural selection...

BioMoleculesAlive.org is a collection of digital resources sponsored by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. It is part of a larger effort called the BioSciEdNet (BEN) initiative (www.biosciednet.org). The collection will include resources in five areas: software, visual resources, curriculum resources, reviews, and articles from Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education. Efforts on the web interface, database design, and tools and guidelines for submission to BioMoleculesAlive.org are ongoing. We hope to be open for submissions by April 2003. Please plan to attend our session at the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) meeting in San Diego (12 noon on Saturday, April 12, 2003) where you will be able to hear about our progress and to meet some of the members of the steering committee. In the meantime, we have identified several examples of the types of resources we are seeking in the areas of molecular visualization, software, and curriculum. Please check out these exemplary websites for ideas on BioMoleculesAlive.org submissions of your own.