EDPB 503: Final 1

The Human Cube:

Multiple Approaches to Teaching Based on
Individual Considerations

Marcus Pienaar
Vancouver Island University
Education Post-Baccalaureate Secondary Cohort 3
EDPB 503: Final 2

The Student

Physical

Jiho (alias) is thirteen years old, though you wouldn’t believe it. He is 168 cm tall and easily weighs over

90kg. Jiho is a picky eater and as a result frequently substitutes junk food for healthy alternatives. He

spends the majority of his day sitting, whether in class or, more frequently, in front of his computer.

Origin

Jiho was born and raised in Korea, but has spent the last 3 years in Canada. He states that he is not close

with his family at all. He has an older sister who is in her early 30’s and two parents of whom he rarely

communicates with. His family is very wealthy and have paid for expensive international programs that

have helped develop Jiho’s English.

Academics

Jiho’s English ability is well above the average of his peers in the ELL program. Though he displays an

innate curiosity and intelligence when something grabs his interest, his state of mind does not allow this

to happen often. He has an under-developed work ethic as a result of his gaming addiction, and often

submits the bare minimum requirement for assignments.

Personality

Jiho’s initial response is to be negative and critical. However, he is very receptive to alternative

perspectives. He is quite honest and, despite his initial negative response to things, good natured. He

demonstrates a developing ethical process and strives for what he believes is fair and good. Despite his

reluctance to leave his room, Jiho responds well when socializing with his peers.
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Interests

Jiho is addicted to video games. When not mandated to be somewhere, he will default to sitting in his

room with the door closed playing games on his computer. His dedication to games leaves little room for

other interests. However, perhaps in part due to his physique, Jiho has shown a great interest in sports and

rugby in particular. He has just recently been introduced to rugby but will speak quite excitedly on the

subject. Surprisingly, Jiho has shown an interest in the natural world. He was enthralled and very curious

when he saw a deer eating grass just a few metres away.

Classroom / Subject Matter

Jiho is enrolled in a boarding school program (Shawnigan Lake School) meant to develop foreign

students’ English skills. He takes classes with 14 other foreign students. These classes vary in material but

all include teaching methods for English Language Learners. Concepts are taught using very basic

language and extensive support and attention is given whenever there is a greater requirement for

language. All students in the class are foreign students originating from Japan, Vietnam, China, or Korea.

The English skill of the students varies from very basic understanding and simple sentence structure to

near fluency (though only 2 students are at this level).

This assignment will include 6 different strategies of teaching Jiho the concept of protein

production.
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Activity 1: Airplane Race

Activity Description

Students will be introduced to the 4 stages of protein production (transcription, translation,

folding, and secretion) and will then emulate these processes by competing in a race in groups
of 4. Each student will have a unique role that mimics the organelle in the cell at each stage of
protein production (nucleus, ribosome, ER, golgi). The Nucleus will decode a genetic
sequence and provide and mRNA code to the student who is the ribosome. The ribosome will
convert the mRNA code into an English sentence using a codon chart and will then pass the
message to the ER. The ER will follow instructions on how to fold the message into one of
three types of paper airplanes and then pass the airplane to the golgi. The golgi will then have
to throw the airplane to a specific destination in the class. The first team to correctly “secrete”
three proteins wins!

Relevant Theorist / Justification

A large part of Jiho’s attraction to video games stems from enjoying competition. The games
he plays often revolve around competing directly with other players. Therefore converting the
lesson into a small competition in the form of a race will serve to better engage Jiho. Also, Jiho
will enjoy the social aspect of the activity by cooperating with his teammates. This activity
aligns well with Vigotsky’s model of social learning.

Assessment

Jiho will be assessed on his willingness to participate and his problem solving abilities by
collecting the paper airplanes after they are secreted. The message will be checked with a key
to determine if the puzzle was solved correctly. As for understanding the material, the students
will be asked to demonstrate their understanding by answering comprehension questions on a
worksheet. Prior to the activity, students will be given a short quiz (not worth marks) to review
the various organelles of a cell and assess what prior knowledge they have.
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Activity 2: Lego Presentation

Activity Description

Students will work in pairs to develop instructions that show how to represent something in
Lego. Each pair will be given a small baggy of random lego pieces and be asked to represent
something from a picture (animal or object) by building it out of lego. As they do so, they will
need to write down detailed instructions on how they are building their representation. Once
finished, students will deconstruct their representations and pass their lego and instructions to
another group. Each group will then try and follow the new instructions and successfully
represent an unknown thing. Once finished, students will present their creations and
instructions to the class and determine if they successfully represented the object or animal
(protein). This activity emulates protein production from building blocks (amino acid) through
genetic instructions (genes), and can facilitate a discussion on mutations (errors in following
instructions.

Relevant Theorist / Justification

This activity appeals to Jiho’s creative interest. One of the games that Jiho plays is
‘Minecraft,’ a game that involves using blocks to create large structures and interesting
environments. This activity aligns with Piaget’s cognitive theory, and in particular his
description of the formal operational stage. In this period, youth develop skills to process
abstract concept, use deductive reasoning, and plan systemically.

Assessment

Students will be asked to explain the metaphor of using Lego to represent a protein. The
teacher will make sure to check that each students grasps understands the concept. Then the
teacher will assess student participation and effort by observing presentations and collecting
the representations. Finally, students will be asked to apply their understanding of the
metaphor to explain what an incorrect lego representation might be in the real world on a
cellular level.
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Activity 3: Video Game Representation

Activity Description

Jiho will be asked to find a video game that can reasonably represent the process of protein
production. He will need to justify his choice by explaining how the video game covers the
following criteria:
- Decoding information into instructions
- Following instructions to produce something
- Post processing / modification / transportation of the product

Jiho can choose whether to write a summary of why he believes this game abstractly
represents protein production, or he can explain it in a one-on-one discussion.

Relevant Theorist / Justification

The sole purpose of this activity is to use Jiho’s intense passion for video games to help
engage him with the subject matter. Additionally, he will be forced to view games critically
which can help view games as an art form or creative medium, instead of just a means for
mindless stimulation. This activity aligns with Piaget’s cognitive theory of child development.

Assessment

The student will be assessed prior to the activity on their understanding of protein production
following a short lecture that highlights the main stages. The student will be assessed at the
end of the activity through a one on one interview or essay that has the student justify and
explain their representation.
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Activity 4: Sports Representation

Activity Description

Similar to Activity 3, the students will be asked to find a sport, or create one, that abstractly
represents the process of protein production. The student will argue that their sport justifiably
incorporates the following criteria:
- Decoding information into instructions
- Following instructions to produce something
- Post processing / modification / transportation of the product

Jiho can choose whether to write a summary of why he believes this game abstractly
represents protein production, or he can explain it in a one-on-one discussion.

Relevant Theorist / Justification

This activity appeals to Jiho’s budding interest in physical activity. Not only will this serve as
a means to promote student engagement, but will also help develop his interest in sports and
serve as a motivator to explore physical activity instead of just sitting at his computer playing
games. This activity aligns with Piaget’s cognitive theory of child development.

Assessment

The student will be assessed prior to the activity on their understanding of protein production
following a short lecture that highlights the main stages. The student will be assessed at the
end of the activity through a one on one interview or essay that has the student justify and
explain their representation.
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Activity 5: Gamified Content

Activity Description

The students will be given a lecture / presentation on the material. However, they will be
rewarded for good behaviour in the form of earning experience points and reprimanded for bad
behaviour by taking “damage”. Each student will have different amounts of health and
experience points and will progress throughout the days the material is covered. Earning
enough XP will let the student “level up” and unlock various abilities. For example, the ability
to eat in class or go and get a drink of water without asking. The class will also involve
random events that happen at the beginning and end of each class to help keep the game /
lessons fresh.

Relevant Theorist / Justification

By gamifying the lesson / lessons, you can deliver the content directly but through an engaging
atmosphere. The class becomes a game within itself and the students are encouraged to
participate and interact with the teacher and each other in interesting and exciting ways.

Assessment

There will be an untimed written assessment where the students will need to answer
comprehension questions about the covered material. The students can have as much time is as
needed. Though this is a more traditional form of assessment, the questions will be concept
based, not solely content based.
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Activity 6: Jigsaw

Activity Description

The students will be put into 4 equal groups and will be assigned a distinct stage in protein
production. Each group will have a list of resources that they will need to navigate and use to
learn and become experts on their respective stage of protein production. After the students are
finished researching (half of the period), each group member will disperse and join a new
group. The new groups will have one member from each original group and will therefore
have one expert for each of the stages of protein production. The experts will then individually
explain their content to the other group member who will be filling in a worksheet,

Relevant Theorist / Justification

This lesson involves reciprocal learning and is highly social. The students will experience what
it’s like to teach and in doing so will gain an understanding on how to effectively present
information. The students will be engaged as they know that their peers’ success relies on how
well they present their information.

Assessment

Assessment for this activity will involve to parts. First, the students will be assessed on their
participation and effort. The teacher will actively monitor each jigsaw group and ensure that all
members are engaged in the material. Second, the teacher will collect each students worksheet
at the end of the lesson and assess the content provided from their peers. The students will be
assessed on how well they listened and collected the information from the experts, and how
well the experts were able to teach the content.