ERIC Number: EJ789302
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008
Pages: 5
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1470-8175
EISSN: N/A
Just Working with the Cellular Machine: A High School Game for Teaching Molecular Biology
Cardoso, Fernanda Serpa; Dumpel, Renata; Gomes da Silva, Luisa B.; Rodrigues, Carlos R.; Santos, Dilvani O.; Cabral, Lucio Mendes; Castro, Helena C.
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education, v36 n2 p120-124 Mar-Apr 2008
Molecular biology is a difficult comprehension subject due to its high complexity, thus requiring new teaching approaches. Herein, we developed an interdisciplinary board game involving the human immune system response against a bacterial infection for teaching molecular biology at high school. Initially, we created a database with several questions and a game story that invites the students for helping the human immunological system to produce antibodies (IgG) and fight back a pathogenic bacterium second-time invasion. The game involves answering questions completing the game board in which the antibodies "are synthesized" through the molecular biology process. At the end, a problem-based learning approach is used, and a last question is raised about proteins. Biology teachers and high school students evaluated the game and considered it an easy and interesting tool for teaching the theme. An increase of about 5-30% in answering molecular biology questions revealed that the game improves learning and induced a more engaged and proactive learning profile in the high school students. (Contains 4 figures and 1 table.)
Descriptors: High Schools, Problem Based Learning, Molecular Biology, High School Students, Teaching Methods, Science Instruction, Games, Microbiology, Teacher Attitudes, Student Attitudes
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: High Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A