Project 0, from Jun

Hi! I am JUN M. DUMARAOS, presently teaching grade IV pupils at Mauban North Elementary School I, Mauban, Quezon.

I am one of your students in Bio A and Bio D. And still your student in Bio E. Ang Saya-Saya! Di ba?

I can be reached at 09182217883 or jmdumaraos@yahoo.com

Science! How I love to teach it. Yet, I still wish to be better updated about science – in its many aspect. But, how?

As teacher of science, perhaps, the most fundamental challenge to me is to create an effective learning environment that promotes a spirit of inquiry and caters for the differences in learning abilities, interest and characteristics of my pupils. This means I need to know my pupils well. I need to know what material and human resources are available to help us create such environment.

It is my responsibility to assess my pupils’ understanding both to provide constructive feedback and to plan effectively to support the pupils in future learning. I need to allow pupils to demonstrate their conceptual understandings effectively and I need to assess and report their progress in realistic and relevant ways. These how I teach science and all other learning areas.

What is Science? There are many definitions of science as there are persons who define it. Science is commonly associated with an accumulation of facts, concepts and theories. It is even confused with technology. In my own point of view, science is an ever-changing body of knowledge and an ongoing process of investigating and thinking. As science teachers, we should help our young learners to expect change and to have a positive attitude for such change. Science should be reflected in our teaching – learning activities. It should be emphasized that there is no single and best method of teaching science. Different science topics call for different methods of teaching.

In 1857, Britist naturalist Charles Darwin published his influential book “On the Origin of Species”. In this book, he argued that animals and plant species had changed, or evolved, through time under the influence of a process that he called natural selection. Based on my readings, natural selection. Darwin said, acted on variations within species, so that some variants survived and reproduced, and other perished. In this way, new species slowly evolved even as others continued to exist. From these I eventually conceptualized that evolution is a progression or development of various plant and animals species branch of to become entirely new species and that species of living thing originate, evolve and survive through natural selection in response to environmental forces.

Moreover, species do not changed overnight or even in the course of one lifetime. Rather, evolutionary change usually occurs in tiny almost imperceptible increments over the course of thousands of generation periods that range from decades to millions of years.

However, my cultural concepts on evolution holds that young born to any species complete intensely for survival. Those young that survive to provide to produce the next generation tend to embody favorable natural variations and these variations are passed on by heredity. Therefore, each generation well improved adaptively over the preceding generations and this gradual and continuous process is the source of the evolution of species.

As much about the development of cultural behavior it is about changes in physical appearance. Their social life also develop, they live in social groups of carrying size and complexity. Within their groups, individual often have multifaceted roles based on age, sex, status, social skills and personality.

Evolution is not new to me. But still there are some questions playing on my mind and need a scientific and factual answers. How did life originate? How scientists study evolution? When, where and how and human evolve? Is the ability to learn language as unique to human as people have always assumed? Or is it possible that other primates, such as chimpanzees, also have language? Hope these questions will be given corresponding answers before this semester has finally ended.

The origin of life on earth has a source of speculation among philosophers, religious thinkers and scientist for thousands of years. Many human civilizations used rich and complex creation stories and myths to explain the presence of living organism. Ancient Greek philosophers and scientist were among the earliest to apply the principles of modern science to the mysterious complexity and variety of life around than. Bur during early Christian times, ancient Greek ideas gave way to creationism the view that a single God created the universe, the world and all life on earth. As a Christian, which between these two principles is factual and relevant. There are many questions in the theory of evolution and Divine Creation, needing for an answer with acceptable evidences. This is what I doubt for.

For decades, the teaching of evolution in schools has been a flash point in the conflict between science and religion. In this point, I have never tried to impose my views on both science and religion. in any human being. I have the right to my own view, and I try to hard to protect the right of every man to his views as I do to protect my own. Likewise, evolution is not being taught in the classroom because it is not included in the Basic Elementary Curriculum being implemented by the Department of Education. Although there are some topics, perhaps some how related to evolution but is just only given little importance.

I do expect from this subject are: to answer all my questions in mind regarding evolution have a new views on evolution and on life, have a clearer understanding on the origin and of life, useful and relevant information’s from my classmates and vice-versa and most of all apply what I will be learned, from the module, readings and classmates, in the teaching-learning process and in my life as well.