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The lesson this morning was much of a review of a human physiology class that I took in high school. I originally liked the idea that we were beginning the lesson with a larger meta-question of: what is the optimum combination of inquiry approaches to teaching with teacher-directed lecture discussion? I also liked the idea that we were actively participating in an experiment and thus one example of inquiry.

Although the experiment allow us all to take part in an active form of inquiry working together in groups, I thought that some of the time could have been used in a slightly different way. As the lecture was concluding because of time constraints, it almost seemed as though we were finding ourselves abruptly interrupting a rich dialogue taking place.

I really resonate with what Ashley said about having a particular knowledge in order to complete the lab today and how much of the information presented in the lecture, although extremely insightful and interesting, was not necessarily required to understand the experiment. Now, of course I found the content of the lecture that Professor Waldron presented highly interesting, yet at the same time I can honestly say that I was not able to recall much of the information that I learned and if I needed to recall information for the lab I would not be able to do so.

Now, unlike Ashley I did take biology in freshman year of high school, as well as AP biology, marine biology, human anatomy and physiology, Biology 101, 102 at Bryn Mawr and Biology and Public Policy, also at Bryn Mawr. With this being said I did have a little more background so to speak with this topic, yet I was still unable to recall much of the information that was presented in the lecture. Therefore, a longer lecture would have been greatly valued if the lecture coincided with the lab. 

Now that above is written in more of a hypothetical situation in which the experiment was highly related to the lecture. However, since it was not, I would comment that perhaps the time spent addressing the meta-question or people’s comments on the meta-question could have been elongated. Since for much of the past time in the institute during the summer institute has been built around conversation and open ended dialogue between the teachers here, I feel as though more time could have been allotted for that.

I greatly enjoyed having Professor Ingrid Waldron come visit and it’s a shame we could all not have continued on with the discussion of the meta-question in greater detail!