Pop Quiz vs. Pop Culture

Pop Quiz vs. Pop Culture

How Non-Formal Instruction Helps Science Teachers Teach Heredity in Urban Schools.

Abstract:

"You are not the father!" This famous phrase follows the paternity test result of Maury's reality T.V. show guests. What does this reality T.V. show have to do with science or patterns of Heredity? Most of this generation of students learning about Heredity comes from reality paternity T.V. shows. "These controversial areas of science have far-reaching social implications raising problematic issues about which aspects should be tackled in the classroom and for what purpose" ii The conversations during Heredity lessons end up with a student's input on the subject to DNA and Heredity and ultimately reproduction. Pre-formal vs. Post-non-formal and formal instruction analysis of variance (ANOVA) statistically showed a p.-value of 0.87 (0.8685). There was a correlation between learning through non-formal education vs. traditional education. Students could relate more to the Maury show than the actual textbook, engaged in the learning, sustained the material, and received higher scores in the post-non-formal and formal assessments. 88% of students prefer non-formal education according to the Pre- non- formal vs. formal education survey. In the post-non-formal vs. formal education survey, 61% of students believed they were able to relate and learn more from non-formal instruction than using formal instruction. Students can learn more through non-formal education than formal education but still need formal instruction to address misconceptions.

View of student learning of genetics and heredity.

"Ms., Science is not my thing" This is the usual response from a student when they don't understand the concepts of certain science content. Regarding phenotype vs. genotype students, 88% of students in this study learn science concepts through television rather than through a textbook lesson. Students show interest in reality vs. learning from textbooks and formal science education. My usual response is, "How do you learn about where you come from and why you look the way you look?" I ask them to think where else they would see examples of learning about heredity. The student raises her hand and replies, "Oh, Ms., like in The Maury Show, when the lady gets up and starts pointing out traits showing the comparison of features of her baby to her baby daddy? The mom compares how the dad looks just like the baby; they have the same ears, nose, and eyes." The instinct of any teacher would be to end the conversation and move on to the next part of the lesson. Losing that learning moment can discourage students from learning the content. The response I give them is "Yes, exactly" I call those turning moments. That moment when our students take prior knowledge and show interest, and we as educators tap into that prior learning and allow them to understand it by making connections. This can ultimately promote the students' understanding, and they can apply this to their practices in Biologyiii.

Unfortunately, as Science teachers, we tend to isolate our subject and immediately turn the conversation back to the lesson plan. I continue to discuss with my students and say, "Those comparisons are phenotypical. Why do you think Maury sends them for DNA test" Student replies, "Because DNA is unique to everyone Ms.". Science shouldn't be abstract, and it is universal. Using non-formal education, in this case, reality T.V. paternity shows, can help improve the understanding of how Heredity information is passed down genetically and is expressed phenotypically. It is difficult to relate science to real-world concepts or something they can always relate to and apply to real-life experiences.

This teaching method can help our students make connections to apply this to their understanding. Teachers who do not know the pop cultural reference may have difficulty promoting students understanding through this method. This is a teaching tool used in a diverse classroom where students use these pop-cultural references to isolate themselves culturally from their instructors or teachers. "Educators of science, as well as all other disciplines, need to re-direct the system to one which results in the education of our children that is of most value." iv We need to find ways to re-direct the path we provide students with meaningful instruction to their everyday lives. Inquire to science about everyday issues. Make it a specific aspect of their lives. Not something they need just to pass a class to receive credit. Unfortunately, our mandated New York State curriculum doesn't allow educators to explore these teaching methods independently. This method will enable the educator to meet the content standards by integrating student interest through non-formal education. "A number of studies show that achievements improve when students are encouraged to assess their contributions and work." v. This means that students take pride and are encouraged to be involved in their learning process. Can non-formal education be used as a teaching tool in urban schools to improve students' understanding of how cellular information passes from generation to generation? More explicitly, can Maury be used as a teaching tool of heredity?

Review of Relevant Work

Some educators will argue that simplifying science too much will lead to misconceptions and lead to dumbing down the science content. Some would say it is not fair to students interested in the rigorous learning of science. Science learning is the responsibility of the nation's school systems. In reality, not all science learning comes from formal instruction. According to Breton Honeyman, "It is becoming increasingly important to recognize and embrace the media, science centers and museums, industry-education programs, out-of-school student programs, and competitions community education programs and other non-formal science learning outlets as valuables part of a nation's science education infrastructure" .vi This means that we as science educators need to find ways to input non-formal education and student's interest into our content curriculum. The students can learn non-formally and come to some understanding, but many have misconceptions about the subject that needs to be addressed by formal instruction. Research suggests, "A procedure that other researchers and practitioners could use to guide the development of a curriculum that is more aligned with student interest is suggested" vii. Using realityT.V.. paternity show references to teach how cellular information passes from one generation to another and other patterns of Heredity can improve their understanding of how information is passed down during meiosis to show patterns of heredity. According to PISA's education rankings, our nation is average in math and science. viii Creating an instructional approach that promotes inquiry and interest in our students can help them achieve short and long-term learning. Researchers and science educators have a remarkable consensus on how we can design instruction to integrate the two. A study project involved science educators, scientists, technology, and classroom teachers to create a learning environment with relevant activities for science learning. The 15-year study named The knowledge Integration Project (KIE) was a study designed to understand short and long-term learning in science. The aim was to develop a curriculum that fosters knowledge integration in science learning through cumulative research and development program. "The goal of relating 'schools science' to personally relevant experience is a key characteristic of this program based on the assumption that is very effective was to foster 'lifelong learning." ix. This does not mean that informal education is the only way of teaching content information but that other mechanisms must be in place to develop students' autonomy in their learning. Scaffolding and models promote the autonomous behavior of students. Another critical issue is for students to learn to ask for help when they do not understand something. I believe the continued practice of scaffolding and modeling will allow students to set high standards and meet the standards set by teachers. The vital issue is assessing and designing instruction that integrates critical issues in science learning. Students have different views of heredity. Each one of our students' learning is as different as their fingerprints. They come into our classroom with a perception of the world, with a baseline of learning. Other countries are developing these methods to allow their students autonomy in learning.

A study conducted in a High School showed that most of a sample of high school students identified genes as the source of inherited information for all organisms. Still, few knew how the physical entity of chromosomes showed physical attributes in their offspring.x These sample of students were revisited three years later when they were seniors in their high school. The study showed that the students were still unclear about the heredity information of the organism. This is due to the prescriptive curriculum we follow; it doesn't allow time or room for a deepened understanding of the subject.

Context

At the time of the data collection and research, I was a high school science teacher in the South Bronx. I teach Living Environment (Introductory Biology) to 9th and 10th-grade students and Anthropology to 11 and 12th-grade students. My background is in the Physical Sciences in the areas of Anthropology, Biology, and Chemistry. I also completed a minor in Middle and High School Education. I have a research background of more than four years in Biology. This is my second year as a full-time pedagogue. I worked a previous year as a full-time teacher under a substitute teacher's salary. This allowed me to explore my student's learning and understanding that I otherwise would have been penalized for not following the prescribed curriculum and pacing calendars. I was able to teach my students about their interests. This allowed me to revise my teaching plan, and due to this advantage, I can foresee specific interests in learning regarding my teenage students.

I teach in a Title I High School. xi The Department of Education in NYC recognizes Title I schools, with 40% or more of their students receiving free or reduced lunch. This school is located in District 7 in the South Bronx and one of the poorest congressional districts in the Bronx. xii There are about 558 students from grades 9-12th. The school composition is 73% female and 23% male. The design of the students' cultural backgrounds is 45% African American, 43% Latino, 10 % African, and 2% Middle Eastern. xiii The composition of my classroom reflects that of the school population. The school has an average 83% attendance rate. It has a piece on students with learning disabilities ranging from physical to emotional and learning. In my assigned living environment courses, about five students have a combination of all three disabilities.

3-Week Research Plan

Week 1: Day 1: : (View the lesson plan for complete instruction in Appendix). Step 1: Have students complete the Heredity Quiz (Pre non-formal) before teaching (to prepare your control data). Step 2: Present pre-survey to the students and have them meet them before the instruction is given. Step 3: After the survey is conducted, discuss Heredity with students. Take note about students thinking of Heredity. (See Appendix for a complete discussion) Step 3: Hand out student worksheets. Students will be working on Worksheet #1(Pre-assessment) while they watch the video clip Step 4: Review the answer to worksheet #1(Pre-assessment) as a class through a discussion of the video clip of the Maury Show. - While the students watch the video. Make sure students are completing the worksheet. Take notes on the engagement of the class towards the lesson. Day 2: Step 1: Vocabulary words: Have students define in their own words the following vocabulary words: Meiosis, sexual reproduction, breeding, inheritance, probability, paternity, maternity, paternal lineage, maternal lineage, DNA, polygenic, phenotype, genotype, gel electrophoresis, humans/ homosapiens, female and male, monogamous, promiscuous (in their own words from prior- knowledge). Through discussion, have students correct each other's definitions and come to a consensus on the purpose of each comment. Step 2: Create groups of 4-5 students (Teacher should make groups according to student's strengths and weaknesses). For example, groups should consist of a strong creative writer, a literate scientific student, a strong reader, an English Language Learner (ELL), or a student with an Individualized Education Program (IEP). This will allow differentiation ad peer scaffolding with teachers' guidance. Step 3: Have students copy down definitions in their notebooks so they can refer to them when needed for homework. The teacher can copy it down on their word walls. Day 3 -5: Have students create a skit of the Maury Show using the vocabulary words formed. Students will assign roles to each other and create a 20-30 line skit to interpret the show's guests. Students will peer review each other's work before the last day of the school week.

Week 2 Day 1: Step 1: Students will peer-edit each other work and will use the vocabulary words to replace words in their skit. They will use the day to practice and finalize any group work. Step 2: Create a rubric for a class with 50 points. A consensus of the students can determine the categories. One of the categories should be scientific knowledge. (Anonymous vote can be used to avoid peer pressure) Day 3-5: Students will use this time to present their skit to the class. Students will use a rubric to grade each other work anonymously.?

Week 3: Day 1: Students will take the post-assessment quiz to determine if the students have obtained any new knowledge. (See Appendix) Day 2: Review the assessment answers with the students. Discuss any misconceptions and address the student's extended questions on heredity. Choose a group of 40 students randomly to analyze for the study's final stages of the study Day 3: Begin formal instruction on Heredity.

*Formal instruction may take up to 3- weeks depending on the teacher's pacing calendar. (See Appendix) Last Day, teaching at the end of the Lesson Plan, gives students the same pre- and post-assessment to assess if any learning has been obtained by the students and compare students' scores.

Week 4-6: Select a group of 5 to form a discussion group and discuss students' formal vs. non-formal learning. (See Appendix for discussion questions) Analyze data and compare results of students' answers and scores on heredity post-assessment.

Development of Student Thinking of Heredity

The following is an excerpt of the discussion before the lesson plan begins:

Yorleny asks, "So Ms., you are telling me why I look so much like my father because I have half his chromosomes"? Kristy answers, "Of course, stupid, but the other half is from your mom's; that's why you are hairy like her" The entire class starts giggling. "Well, Yorleny, Kristy is half right" "Who can tell me why is she only half right" Deborah raises her hand "Ms. V, is it because, during meiosis, certain genes are shuffled like a deck of cards, and her DNA is unique, and certain dominant will express while others don't"? The entire class looks at me for a correct or wrong response. I walk towards my projector and tell them, "let's find out." I hand them a worksheet with questions about DNA, Chromosomes, and Heredity and ask them to answer the questions as I show them a play a clip from the Maury Show. The entire class looks at me in awe, "Ms. Says Kristy, "The Maury Show, you do listen to us," and she smiles. I observe the class and take notes while they are all watching the video clip. ii In each class, 28-34 students completed their worksheets. The total of student samples was 100. Students were able to give their opinion and perception of science. This allowed the students to anticipate the instruction because they didn't feel the pressure of formal education. Students were exposed to the assessment quiz before the survey. They were still unclear about the definitions of some of the vocabulary in the survey. Some students could infer the definitions of the vocabulary words in the word wall without formal instruction before learning. Some students were able to use prior learning and understanding of heredity to use it as a starting point of learning. Some students were not exposed to this material before, so prior learning was a problematic development of understanding for them to an inquest. Group work was a crucial element in the learning and scaffolding of the students.?

Pre Formal vs. Informal Education Survey

Students were given a pre-lesson survey to evaluate their familiarity with reality paternity television shows. Also, questions address students' thinking and views of learning and the importance of the subject. The survey entails questions about the type of formal or informal lesson students prefer over the subject. The survey showed that 96% of students (98 out of 112) 1 preferred the informal type of education*. A few students extended their answers to comments: -This class would be more interesting if we could do stuff as they do on television. - Science is my favorite subject, but things are made so complex and complicated to understand that it blows mine to do all the work. - Why is this class mandated? Why can't we choose what we want to learn? - Heredity, to me, is something that comes from all your family. I don't know how it's done

Pre-test

The pre-test introduced to the student was composed of—10 multiple choice questions related to heredity, DNA, and meiosis. The questions consisted of 3 matching questions about the definitions of; genotype, phenotype, and sexual reproduction. This pre-test allowed a way to assess if the teaching methods worked in helping the students understand the topic of heredity. The majority of students scored between 20- 60 % in the pre-assessment. This showed that students had none to little understanding of heredity. The pre-test helped guide as a control to compare the post-test results.

Post Formal vs. Informal

Education Survey The survey consists of questions about how much they feel they have learned through informal education. Students can answer questions that allow them to assess the lesson and give feedback on parts they still were unclear about. Also, determine if students still feel informal education is preferred over formal education after they receive the pre-test and are now exposed to the types of questions they will encounter at the end of the lesson. The number of students that preferred non-formal education over formal education declined by 42% after exposure to rigorous formal instruction. There was about 56 % of students continued to prefer non-formal learning over formal learning.

Post-test

The post-test consists of questions with the same content type as the pre-test. These questions were structured to resemble the New York State Living Environment Regentsxiv questions and one extended response question relating to the validity of DNA testing. The test was composed of 10 questions. The content was similar to that of the pre-test. This test was given to assess if the student could retain any scientific information from the non-formal instruction.?

Instruction

The study was a three-week-long study. In the first week, students were exposed to the non-formal method of the lesson. Through realityT.V.., they were exposed to a lesson of Heredity. The student's watched a 15-minute video clip from the Maury show. Students were to watch the video twice. The first time they take notes, the second time, they listen carefully to answer the questions on worksheet #1. The students are then grouped to create a skit (or mimic/act out) for the show's guests.

The learning method is that students must use some new vocabulary they have just learned. Words such as; Meiosis, Sexual Reproduction, Inheritance, Probability, Paternity, Maternity, Paternal lineage, maternal lineage, DNA, gel electrophoresis, humans/ homosapiens, female and male, monogamous, promiscuous. These vocabulary words were introduced to the students in the "Word Wall" xv. Students in their groups will assign roles of Shows Guest. Show host, scientist, and (different part of supporting guests) Students are then given a rubric to assess their classmates' performance based on the teacher's criteria. Students then ask questions based on the rubric to fill in anything their classmates didn't explain in the time allotted. For example, a student asks a guest cousin, "How do you know he is related to you? What phenotypical traits can you prove the paternity of the child?" Students then discuss if physical observations can resolve this case or if a DNA test is needed?

In Class Observations

Video Clip Observation: While the students viewed the show, some students were in awe as others laughed and jumped out of their seats with excitement. I overheard one student say to his classmate, "Why can't all science teachers teach it like this? I would be in class every day" then he gave a close hand fist pump to his classmate. The female students in the class were more observant of what was happening. They would look at each other and shake their heads in dismay. They would mumble, "OMG, she's not embarrassed about this," referring to the show's female guest. -In the middle of the video clip when one of the show's guests who is there for a paternity test says, "I have five fingers,s Maury, that little girl has 6; I know she's not mine because none of my other kids have them" I stopped the clip to asked the class to explain if they agreed or disagreed with the gentleman's statement and why. What evidence can they use to support their statements? Here are a few of those responses:?

"It could be a dominant inherited trait or even a recessive one in his family."

"It probably skipped a generation in his family."

"It could be an X- linked genetic disorder."

"It probably isn't his kid."

Analysis of Student Answers to Homework

To retrieve a more precise and accurate result, I randomly chose a group of 40 students to analyze for the final stages of the study, in particular, homework assessment. Students were able to show some consistent approaches to answering questions about heredity. The table below shows the percentage of students who were able to answer questions correctly in the homework Worksheet# 3. (See Appendix for worksheet)

Exam Results

The exam was given four times throughout the 3-week instruction. The quiz was introduced pre and post-non-formal and pre- and post-formal education.

Pre-formal vs. Post-non-formal and formal instruction analysis of variance (ANOVA) statistically showed a p.-value of 0.87 (0.8685). The p-value < .05 suggests a correlation between learning through non-formal education rather than through formal education. Students could relate more to the Maury show than the actual textbook, became engaged in the learning, sustained the material, and received higher scores in the post-non-formal and formal assessments. 88% of students prefer non-formal education according to the Pre- non- formal vs. formal education survey. In the post-non-formal vs. formal education survey, 61% of students believed they were able to relate and learn more from non-formal instruction than using formal instruction. Students can learn more through non-formal education and solidify their learning through formal education. Formal instruction is needed to address any misconceptions encountered during the non-formal instruction.?

Implications for Future Courses

An implication for future courses indicates that non-formal education can be used as an engagement and teaching tool in science. When it comes to heredity, using pop-cultural references, in this case, the realityT.V.V show Maury, can help and encourage students to deepen their learning about how traits are passed down to their offspring. For future courses extending this study for another week will allow a clearer understanding of the content for the students. Un-conventional methods, in this case, informal education, teach a scientific process that would otherwise have been challenging through textbook or lecture instructions. With the engagement and identification of the students from pop culture, I got them to acquire the same knowledge without feeling the pressure of a rigorous science class. This leads to a learning engaged environment in the classroom. Through non-formal education, students could connect and enjoy their learning content. Science is a class where students without prior knowledge of the content feel intimidated by it. Some students think that to be a scientist, you must be born intelligent or a genius. That this was genetic and intelligence was inherited. I wanted my students to understand that science can simultaneously be interactive, entertaining, and educational. Students could incorporate the science content and play roles of the realityT.V.. show members while engaging in science content. Students need to feel confident that they do not need a unique gene that helps them understand science. That science is something that you can know if you work hard enough and pay close enough attention. Science teachers need to be able to foster this culture of learning in science. Understand their students and be able to relate through instruction. Incorporating students' interests can help the engagement and overall learning of the students.?

Conclusions

It can be concluded through statistical analysis that informal education impacted the learning of heredity in the students. The p-value of 0.87 in the statistical analysis of the exam was crucial to understanding if the students acquired any new knowledge through the non-formal instruction. Through non-formal education and student engagement, creating a written skit was essential to the student's higher level of attention and learning. This was their lesson plan, something they used to develop to teach their classmates about their view of heredity. Students can learn through non-formal education vs. non-formal education. Due to time restrictions, the post-survey was rushed, and students were required to participate rather than the optional pre-survey. Students were informed that they were committing to complete the lesson plan by taking the initial survey. The formal instruction was carried out according to the NYS pacing calendar for the Living Environment. xvi. Non-formal education can and should be used as a teaching tool in urban schools to improve students' understanding of how cellular information passes from generation to generation. Even though Maury is a sensationalistT.V.V reality show, the popularity of his DNA show has introduced the concept of Deoxyribonucleic acid as the source of heredity for all organisms. As science teachers, we must incorporate the students' interests and learn into our classroom. Engage them and allow them to take autonomy and responsibility for their learning, whether it is through a discussion or textbook learning.?

Work Cited

i Maury Povich https://www.mauryshow.com/inside_maury.php extracted February 2nd, 2013

ii Learning about Genes and Evolution through Formal and Informal Education Jeff Thomas, Studies in Science Education Vol. 35, Iss. 1, 2000

iii Argument-Driven Inquiry To Promote the Understanding of Important Concepts & Practices in Biology, Victor Sampson, Leeanne Gleim, The American Biology Teacher Vol. 71, Iss 8 p.465-472. 2009

iv An inquiry to Science: Where Rubber Meets the Road, Richard Steinberg, P.13 Sense Publishers. 2011.

v How Students Learn: Science in the Classroom. National Research Council. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2005.p .17

vi Non-formal and formal learning Interactions: New Directions for Scientific and Technological Literacy, Honeyman, Breton, UNESCO International Science Technology & Environmental Education Newsletter, 1998, Vol.23 Issue 1, p1 2p.

vii Shadow Curriculum: Incorporating Students' interest into the formal Biology Curriculum, Galit Hagay, Ayelet & Baram-Tsbari, Research in Science Education, Vol. 4,Iss 5,2011

viii PISA Education ranking: https://ourtimes.wordpress.com/2008/04/10/oecd-education-rankings/

ix Bat-Sheva Eylon (2000): Designing powerful learning environments and practical theories: the knowledge integration environment, International Journal of Science Education, 22:8,885-890

x Gene, Chromosomes, Cell Division & Inheritance, Do Students See Any Relationship? Jenny Lewis & Ulrich Kattman, International Journal of Science Education Vol. 22 Iss2, P. 177-195, 2000 xi Extracted February 21st, 2013: https://www.nyspirc.org/pdf/Technical%20Guides/title%20I%20requirements.pdf

xii South Bronx is the poorest district in the nation, U.S.. Census Bureau finds: 38% live below the poverty line, Richard Sisk, Daily New Wahigntong Bureau, Wednesday, September 29, 2010,8:30pm. : https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/south-bronx-poorest-district-nation-u-s-census-bureau-finds-38-live-povertyline-article-1.438344#ixzz2RoEaFfrD xiii https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/new-york/districts/new-york-city-publicschools/health-opportunities-high-school-13158

xiv https://www.nysedregents.org/livingenvironment/113/lenv12013-exam.pdf: Questions # 7,8,9,10,11,12,15,16 and self-created hypothesis question (See Appendix)

xv A Word Wall is a wall of words I keep on my board that students need to complete. The vocabulary words are due by Thursday before the quiz on Friday.

xvi NYS Living Environment pacing calendar: https://schools.nyc.gov/Documents/STEM/Science/PlanningGuides/Gr8HoltLE1.pdf