Interdisciplinary Journal of Environmental and Science Education

Interdisciplinary Journal of Environmental and Science Education, 2020 - Volume 16 Issue 2, Article No: e2214
https://doi.org/10.29333/ijese/7818

Published Online: 28 Feb 2020

Views: 680 | Downloads: 275

The traditional elementary science education setting in the Philippines mainly focuses on using macro-organisms as a biological model. To introduce the fundamental environmental concepts of microbial predation and other related environmental concepts such as decomposition, nutrient cycling and species interaction to the young elementary Filipino students, an initial pilot study was conducted in a small class-sized setting of one international school in the Philippines. Our goal was to (i) design an activity-based teaching program utilizing the constructivist 5E (engage, explore, explain, elaborate and evaluate) method using solely slime moulds as an example organism and (ii) obtain the impression of the students regarding the activity-based teaching program. A purposive sampling size with a total of 45 number of students aging from 10-12 years old were divided into control (16) and experimental (29) groups. Likert scale survey was also given to the student experimental group to assess their overall impression about the newly developed teaching program. Significant differences on test scores between the control and experimental group and the high priority mean scores given by the experimental group points out the effective facilitation of the program. Hence, innovations in teaching pedagogies for difficult science concepts such as the development of the Slimy Business teaching program improves not only the learning quality of the young learners but as well as their environmental appreciation. Applying such novel teaching approach in the conservative Philippine elementary schools is recommended.

active learning elementary education Myxomycetes stem science teaching strategy

• Alexandar, R., & Poyyamoli, G. (2014). The effectiveness of environmental education for sustainable development based on active teaching and learning at high school level-a case study from Puducherry and Cuddalore regions, India. Journal of Sustainability Education, 7, (http://www.susted.org).
• Almadrones-Reyes, K.J., & Dagamac, N.H.A. (2018). Predicting local habitat suitability in changing climate scenarios: Applying species distribution modelling for Diderma hemisphaericum. Current Research in Environmental and Applied Mycology, 8(5), 492-500. doi 10.5943/cream/8/5/2.
• Amabile, T.M. (1996). Creativity in context: Update to the social psychology of creativity. Hachette UK.
• Auh, M.S. (1997) Prediction of musical creativity in composition among selected variables for upper elementary students. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, 2, 1-8.
• Barrett, P., Davies, F., Zhang, Y., & Barrett, L. (2015). The impact of classroom design on pupils’ learning: Final results of a holistic, multi-level analysis. Building and Environment, 89,118-133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2015.02.013.
• Beekman, M., & Latty, T. (2015). Brainless but multi-headed: decision making by the acellular slime mould Physarum polycephalum. Journal of Molecular Biology, 427(23), 3734-3743. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmb.2015.07.007.
• Bernardo, J.L.M, Arioder, L.J.Q., Almadrones-Reyes, K.J., & Dagamac, N.H.A. (2018). Myxomycete communities occurring on fragmented forest patches in two municipalities of Laguna, Philippines. Community Ecology, 19(3), 289-299. https://doi.org/10.1556/168.2018.19.3.10.
• Bowles, R. (2005). Children’s voices: Younger children versus pedagogy. International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, 14(4), 295-296. https://doi.org/10.1080/10382040508668361.
• Boyes, E., & Stanisstreet, M. (2012). Environmental education for behaviour change: Which actions should be targeted? International Journal of Science Education, 34(10),1591-1614. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2011.584079
• Cardak, O., Dikmenli, M., & Saritas, O. (2008). Effect of 5E instructional model in student success in primary school 6th year circulatory system topic. Asia-Pacific Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, 9(2), 1-11.
• Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1996). Creativity! Flow and the psychology of discovery and invention. New York: Harper Collins.
• Çepni, S., & Şahin, C. (2012). Effect of different teaching methods and techniques embedded in the 5E instructional model on students’ learning about buoyancy force. Eurasian Journal of Physics and Chemistry Education, 4(2), 97-127.
• Cuban, L. (1986). Teachers and machines: The classroom use of technology since 1920. Teachers College Press.
• Dagamac, N.H.A., dela Cruz, T.E.E., Pangilinan, M.V.B., & Stephenson, S.L. (2011). List of species collected and interactive database of myxomycetes (plasmodial slime molds) for Mt. Arayat National Park, Pampanga, Philippines. Mycosphere, 2, 449-455.
• Dagamac, N.H.A, Rea-Maminta, M.A.D., & dela Cruz, T.E.E. (2015). Plasmodial slime molds of a tropical karst forest, Quezon national Park, the Philippines. Pacific Science, 69,407-418. https://doi.org/10.2984/69.3.9.
• Dagamac, N.H.A., Novozhilov, Y.K., Stephenson, S.L., Lado, C., Rojas, C., dela Cruz, T.E.E., Unterseher, M., & Schnittler, M. (2017). Biogeographical assessment of myxomycetes assemblages from Neotropical and Asian Paleotropical forests. Journal of Biogeography, 44, 1524-1536. https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.12985.
• Dalacosta, K., Kamariotaki-Paparrigopoulou, M., Palyvos, J.A., & Spyrellis, N. (2009). Multimedia application with animated cartoons for teaching science in elementary education. Computers and Education, 52(4),741-748. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2008.11.018.
• Dale, A., & Newman, L. (2005). Sustainable development, education and literacy. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 6(4), 351-362. https://doi.org/10.1108/14676370510623847.
• Duran, L.B. & Duran, E. (2004). The 5E Instructional Model: A Learning Cycle Approach for Inquiry-Based Science Teaching. Science Education Review, 3(2), 49-58.
• Ergin, I. (2012). Constructivist approach based 5E model and usability instructional physics. Latin-American Journal of Physics Education, 6(1), 14-20.
• Evangelista, E.V., Ayuste, T.O.D., Belmi, R.M., Butron, B.R., Cortez, L.A.S., Evangelista, L.T., & Tondo, J.E. (2015). Development and Evaluation of Grade 7 and 8 Biokit. The Normal Lights, 8(2), 8-10.
• Fazelian, P., Naveh ebrahim, A., & Soraghi, S. (2010). The effect of 5E instructional design model on learning and retention of sciences for middle class students. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 5, 140-143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.07.062
• Felder, R.M., & Silverman, L.K. (1988). Learning and teaching styles in engineering education. Engineering Education, 78(7), 674-681.
• Halpern, D.F. (1998). Teaching critical thinking for transfer across domains: Disposition, skills, structure training, and metacognitive monitoring. American Psychologist, 53(4), 449-455.
• Humston, R., & Ortiz-Barney, E. (2007). Evaluating course impact on student environmental values in undergraduate ecology with a novel survey instrument. Teaching Issues and Experiments in Ecology, 5, 9-12.
• Jones, C. (2010). Interdisciplinary approach-advantages, disadvantages, and the future benefits of interdisciplinary studies. Essai, 7(1), 26.
• Kals, E., Schumacher, D., & Montada, L. (1999). Emotional affinity toward nature as a motivational basis to protect nature. Environment and Behavior, 31(2), 178-202. https://doi.org/10.1177/00139169921972056
• Keller, H.W., & Everhart, S.E. (2010). Importance of myxomycetes in biological research and teaching. Fungi, 3, 13-27.
• Keller, H.W., Kilgore, C.M., Everhart, S.E. , Carmack, G.J., Crabtree, C.D., & Scarborough, A.R. (2008). Myxomycete plasmodia and fruiting bodies: Unusual occurrences and user friendly study techniques. Fungi, 1, 24-37.
• Klees, G., & Piepenbring, M. (2018). Animated life cycles of fungi and plants with spores for teaching. Journal of Biological Education, 52, 130-142. https://doi.org/10.1080/00219266.2017.1285805
• Longshaw, S. (2009). Creativity in science teaching. School Science Review, 90(332), 91-94.
• Macabago, S.A.B., & dela Cruz, T.E.E. (2012). Development of a Myxomycete Photoguide as a Teaching Tool for Microbial Taxonomy. Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education, 13(1), 67. doi: 10.1128/jmbe.v13i1.362.
• Mayer, R.E., & Moreno, R. (2002). Animation as an aid to multimedia learning. Educational Psychology Review, 14(1), 87-99. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1013184611077
• Nakagaki, T., Yamada, H., & Tóth, A. (2000). Intelligence: Maze-solving by an amoeboid organism. Nature, 470, 72-77.
• Nakagaki, T. (2001). Smart behavior of a true slime moulds in a labyrinth. Research in Microbiology, 152, 767-770.
• Novozhilov, Y.K., Shchepin, O.N., Alexandrova, A.V., Popov, E.S., and Dagamac, N.H.A. (2018). Altitudinal patterns of diversity of myxomycetes (Myxogastria) across tropical forests of Southern Vietnam. Protistology, 12, 81-96.
• Ramsden, P., & Moses, I. (1992). Associations between research and teaching in Australian higher education. Higher Education, 23(3), 273-295.
• Reid, C.R., Latty, T., Dussutour, A., & Beekman, M. (2012). Slime mold uses an externalized spatial “memory” to navigate in complex environments. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 109(43), 17490-17494. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1215037109
• Riener, C., & Willingham, D. (2010). The myth of learning styles. Change: The magazine of higher learning, 42(5), 32-35. https://doi.org/10.1080/00091383.2010.503139.
• Rogoff, B. (1994). Developing understanding of the idea of communities of learners. Mind, Culture and Activity, 1(4), 209-229. 10.1080/10749039409524673
• Samuelsson, I.P., & Kaga, Y. (2008). The contribution of early childhood education to a sustainable society. Paris: Unesco.
• Schnittler, M., Dagamac, N.H.A., & Novozhilov, Y.K. (2017). Biogeographical patterns in myxomycetes. In S.L. Stephenson & C. Rojas (eds.), Myxomycetes: Biology, systematics, biogeography and ecology. Academic Press, San Diego. pp. 299–331.
• Schnittler, M., Novozhilov, Y.K., Romeralo, M. Brown, M., & Spiegel, F.W. (2012). Myxomycetes and Myxomycete-like organisms. In W. Frey (ed.), Englers syllabus of plant families, Vol. 4. Borntrager, Stuttgart. pp. 12-88.
• Stephenson, S.L. (2011). From morphological to molecular: studies of myxomycetes since the publication of the Martin and Alexopoulos (1969) monograph. Fungal Diversity, 50, 21-34.
• Tuna, A., & Kacar, A. (2013). The effect of 5E learning cycle model in teaching trigonometry on students’ academic achievement and the permanence of their knowledge. International Journal on New Trends in Education and Their Implications, 4(1), 73-87.
• Tural, G., Akdeniz, A.R., & Alev, N. (2010). Effect of 5E teaching model on student teachers’ understanding of weightlessness. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 19(5), 470-488. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10956-015-9583-
• Uitto, A., Juuti, K., Lavonen, J., & Meisalo, V. (2006). Students’ interest in biology and their out-of-school experiences. Journal of Biological Education, 40(3),124-129. https://doi.org/10.1080/00219266.2006.9656029
• Vaske, J.J., & Kobrin, K.C. (2001). Place attachment and environmentally responsible behavior. Journal of Environmental Education, 32(4), 16-21. https://doi.org/10.1080/00958960109598658
• Winsett, K. E., dela Cruz, T.E.E., & de Basanta, D.W. (2017). Myxomycetes in education: The use of these organisms in promoting active and engaged learning. In S.L. Stephenson and C. Rojas (eds.), Myxomycetes: Biology, systematics, biogeography and ecology. Academic Press, San Diego. pp. 389-412. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-805089-7.00012-3

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.