The use of previously learned information in new and concrete situations to solve problems that have single or best answers.
Using the knowledge the students have learned regarding genes and heredity, I introduced the "alien activity" to give them a chance to draw what the child of an alien mom and dad might look like.
To give the sense of randomness, I explained to them that they must use a coin to determine the acquired traits of the alien child. Seeing as how 50 per cent of genes com from the mom and 50 per cent from the dad, I instructed them that if the coin toss resulted with heads, the mother's traits will be acquired, while tails was for the dad.
On the board, I jotted down some traits: eye colour and shape, hair colour, nose and mouth shape, body type, etc. that they can focus on.
The results were varied, as expected. We then compared the drawings with each other and discussed why they were similar and different.
As homework, I asked the students to do a similar exercise, designing an "alien" mom and an "alien" dad, and drawing what a baby of the two might look like, using a coin to determine the traits.
As pictured above, there were many outstanding works of art. The children had understood the concept. This exercise proved to be a good assessment for, and of, learning.
"A teacher's purpose is not to create students in his own image, but to develop students who can create their own image."
- Author unknown
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