Over the last several weeks students in Dr. Ashwi Birdi’s upper school science classes have been engaging in immersive learning through direct application of their material. Going beyond lectures, reading assignments, and tests, these opportunities enhance the school’s program in applied science, better preparing students for the real world.
“I equate immersion with application,” says Dan Cummings, Upper School Director. “Students work with real world, non-theoretical problems, often in collaborative groups.”
Recently, the Advanced Placement (AP) Biology class explored Darwin’s Theory of Evolution and were evaluated on the basis of their understanding through creative projects and presentations. Some students modeled evolution using planets while others created games and simulations on the origin of species through natural selection.
In anatomy and physiology class, students are solidifying their understanding of the cell by creating individual components found within a cell. Each student has an assigned structure within the cell and must make a model to explain how their organelle fits the function it performs. This, in turn, helps them to look at the whole cell and understand the emergent property of the cell as the arrangements and interactions among these cell parts.
Physics class is learning the concept of constant and changing motion through labs. They are investigating and refining their scientific skills and critical thinking as they compare their pre-lab predictions and their results from the lab and post-lab discussion. They are learning to work together, discuss and reflect their understanding through presentations of their lab results, and they are extending their understanding of using a software Logger Pro. In this entirely lab-based course, students have to assume the role of scientist, and make and test their predictions without reservations.