Written teaching preparations

Only in LO3, LO4, LO8, LO9, LO10, LO11 and LO13 (see Appendix 7) did teachers have lesson plans. The written lesson plans followed standard forms for lesson planning designed for each school. Some lesson plans were incomplete for example T2 lesson plans did not indicate the basic competencies, introduction, consolidation and evaluation. P2 indicates that there is no assessment, no monitoring of homework and no consolidation. T3’s lesson plan has no teaching and learning aids and learning objectives. In lessons where teachers did not have lesson plans it was difficult for me to follow the lessons. The different teachers planned different lessons based on the syllabus topics and lesson objectives. Topics covered are shown in Table 4.6 below. The detailed lesson objectives are shown in Table 4.7.

Table 4.6 Number of lessons and topics observed from different teachers

Teacher P1 P2 T1 T2 T3 T4

Lessons LO1-LO2 LO3-LO4 LO5-LO7 LO8-LO11 LO12-LO15 LO16-LO18

Topics observed

Transport in plants

Conservation Excretion Artificial selection, food chains and food webs

Conservation Food preservation and

alimentary canal

Table 4.7 below provides an extract from the syllabus to show how the topics, the general objectives and learning objectives to be achieved are represented. Take note: Higher level Biology learners usually have extra learning objectives to cover than ordinary level learners, thus in Table 4.7 all specific objectives that have (*) next to them are only to be covered by learners who are taking Biology on higher level.

Table 4.7 A sample of learning objectives in the higher level and ordinary level syllabus TOPIC GENERAL

OBJECTIVE learner will:

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES Learners should be able to: 4.2Conservation (P2, T3) Consider the need for conservation of species, their habitats and natural resources

•define conservation as maintaining the environment and natural resources in a state that maintains biodiversity

• describe the need for conversation of species and their habitats and of natural resources

•discuss the advantages and disadvantages of tourism for conservation

• describe the principle of recycling of materials, e.g. water (sewage), paper (trees), plastics and glass

• describe one conservation project, either of local or of international importance, and discuss the problems in implementing it and its degree of success

4.5 Artificial selection (T2)

•* Discuss the development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria • describe the role of artificial selection in the production of varieties of animals and plants with increased economic importance

•* discuss the importance of maintaining gene banks and rare breeds 6.3.1 Food preservation and alimentary canal (T4) Know the structures and functions of the human alimentary canal

• discuss the uses, benefits and health hazards associated with food additives, including colouring

•describe and identify the gross structures of the alimentary canal •define ingestion, digestion, absorption, assimilation and egestion

• describe the functions of the alimentary canal’s various parts in relation to ingestion, digestion, absorption, assimilation and egestion of food 7.1 Transport in plants (P1) Know water uptake, transpiration and translocation in plants and understand the importance of these processes for plants

• identify and describe the structure of a dicotyledonous root and stem

• describe the uptake of water by osmosis

• describe the pathway by which water enters a plant, crosses the root, moves up through the xylem vessels, enters the leaf cells and leaves the plant leaf through the stomata

• describe the mechanisms through which water moves from roots to the air, in terms of water potential gradients

•* describe the structure of the xylem vessels and relate to their functions of transport and support

• describe transpiration and explain how environmental conditions (temperature, wind speed, humidity and light intensity) affect the rate water vapour diffuses out of the stomata and hence affects the rate of water uptake

• describe how wilting occurs

• describe the ways in which plants that are xerophytes can reduce water loss, with reference to two locally occurring examples (e.g. Aloe, Euphorbia, Quiver tree)

• define translocation of the movement of sucrose and amino acids from regions of production to region of utilisation of respiration or growth

• describe the translocation of applied systematic pesticides in phloem throughout the plant

• *describe the structure of phloem sieve tubes and companion cells and relate this to the translocation of sugars and amino acids. 10. Excretion in humans (T1) Acknowledge the necessity to remove toxic waste products of metabolisms • define excretion

• *explain that deamination of amino acids in the liver produces urea • describe the breaking down of alcohol, drugs and hormones in the liver

• describe the relative position of the kidney, ureter, bladder and urethra

• describe internal structure of the kidney • describe the function of the kidney

• *describe function and structure of nephron

• *list mayor constitutes of urine and explain how urine is produced by nephrons

• explain dialysis and discuss application in kidney machines 1. Energy flow,

food chains and food webs (T2)

Understand flow of energy through the ecosystem

• explain the sun as the principal source of energy inputs to biological systems

•* explain that sunlight energy is transferred to chemical energy during photosynthesis

• describe the non-cyclical nature of energy flow through the ecosystem

• explain the meaning of the following terms: food chain, food web, producer, consumer, herbivore, carnivore, decomposer, trophic level and ecosystem (using local examples)

• explain food webs in terms of energy flow

• describe energy losses in a food chain and relate this to the length of the food chain

• *interpret data showing energy flow between trophic levels in an ecosystem and calculate efficiencies of energy transfer

• describe and interpret pyramids of biomass, numbers and energy • explain that there is an increased efficiency in supplying green plants as human food and that there is a relative efficiency, in terms of energy loss, of feeding crops to animals.

(Source: Namibia. MoE, 2005)

The topics indicated in the tables above represent the topic and learning objectives taught by the different teachers during observation (for P1 who taught transport in plants not all learning objectives were observed). It was observed that teachers do follow the Biology topics sequentially.