Chapter 1 Genetics and Science Education PDF

Chapter 1 GENETICS AND SCIENCE EDUCATION At the end of this chapter, pre-service teachers are expected to: 1. Be aware of the basis for the offering of Genetics in BSEd Science Course; and 2. Discuss the relevance of the subject to Science Education in the context of...

Chapter 1 GENETICS AND SCIENCE EDUCATION At the end of this chapter, pre-service teachers are expected to: 1. Be aware of the basis for the offering of Genetics in BSEd Science Course; and 2. Discuss the relevance of the subject to Science Education in the context of the K- 12 curriculum. The Basis for the Subject Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Memorandum Order or CMO No. 75, s. 2017 or the Policy, Standards and Guidelines for Bachelor of Secondary Education serves as the basis for the offering of the subject Genetics for Science Education students. The CMO serves as the guide for curriculum planners and educators themselves as to the content of the lecture and laboratory parts of the subject. Through the lecture part of this subject, pre-service science teachers will be acquainted with cellular reproduction and introduction to genetics; Mendelian genetics; non-Mendelian patterns of inheritance; sex determination; pedigree analysis; DNA structure, replication, transcription and translation; and chromosomal aberrations. Dealing with heredity and variation, pre-service teachers will be given an overview of its application to plant and animal breeding, and problems involved in it. It also includes biometrical treatment of qualitative and quantitative characters of both plants and animals. The laboratory part of this course will deal with exercises on chromosomal basis of inheritance, structure of genetic material, and Mendelian and non-Mendelian inheritance. The topics included in this worktext have been chosen because they are rudimentary for the teaching of science in the secondary level of the K-12 curriculum of which the learners will be part of in the future. Also, being a course for prospect science teachers, some learning activities and assessment methods included requires presentation of research data, and the use of ICT for student group-facilitated class demonstrations / discussions. As to its definition, genetics is mentioned by authors to be the study of heredity and variation. Some authors would state that genetics is the study of the patterns of inheritance of specific traits, relating to genes and genetic information. Relevance of the Subject to BSEd Science Students The subject will equip learners with knowledge and skills to teach related subjects in the Junior and Senior High School. Noticeably, topics in genetics are scattered across year levels in the K-12 Curriculum: Elementary Science, Junior High School Science, and Senior High School Curricula (both for STEM and non-STEM strand students).  Table 1 shows the coverage of science in Grade 3 to Grade 6, specifying the standards related to Genetics (Heredity: Inheritance and Variation): Table 1. Standards in Grade Levels 3-6 related to Genetics Grade Standards related to Genetics Level Heredity: Inheritance and Variation Learners learn that living things reproduce and certain traits are passed 3 on to their offspring/s. Learners learn that humans, animals, and plants go through life cycles. 4 Some inherited traits may be affected by the environment at certain stages in their life cycles. Learners learn how flowering plants and some non-flowering plants reproduce. 5 They are also introduced to the sexual and asexual modes of reproduction. Learners learn how non-flowering plants (spore-bearing and cone- 6 bearing plants, ferns, and mosses) reproduce. Table 2 shows the coverage of science in Grade 7 to Grade 10, specifying the standards related to Genetics (Heredity: Inheritance and Variation): Table 2. Standards in Grade Levels 3-6 related to Genetics Grade Standards related to Genetics Level Heredity: Inheritance and Variation After learning how flowering and non-flowering plants reproduce, Grade 7 7 learners are taught that asexual reproduction results in genetically identical offspring whereas sexual reproduction gives rise to variation. Learners study the process of cell division by mitosis and meiosis. They 8 understand that meiosis is an early step in sexual reproduction that leads to variation.  Learners study the structure of genes and chromosomes, and the 9 functions they perform in the transmission of traits from parents to offspring. Learners are introduced to the structure of the DNA molecule and its 10 function. They also learn that changes that take place in sex cells are inherited while changes in body cells are not passed on. Table 3 shows the coverage of Earth and Life Science and Biology 2 in Senior High School, specifying the content standards related to Genetics (Heredity: Inheritance and Variation). To note, Biology 2 is a subject for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) strand students, while Earth and Life Science is offered to Non- STEM strand students. Table 3. Content Standards in Senior High School related to Genetics Content Standards related to Genetics Subject and Track Heredity: Inheritance and Variation 1. How genes work Earth and Life Science for Non-STEM students 2. How genetic engineering is used to produce novel products 1. Mendel’s Laws of Inheritance 2. Sex Linkage Biology 2 for STEM students 3. Central Dogma of Molecular Biology 4. Recombinant DNA With the needed knowledge and skills to teach K-12 science among students in different grade levels, the relevance of the subject Genetics be taken by prospect science teachers is apparent. As it is said that a teacher cannot teach what he or she does not know, this subject will give importance to the topics covered in the Life Science area of the K-12 science curriculum. * * * END * * *