Hi, my names Luka and ive just had the pleasure of observing the teaching of Eugenie by Mary, in the field of biology.
The lesson started as most do with a checkup of the week and homework. Mary followed this up by inquiring about the coursework, bringing the light the newly set presentation task.
Thus, the days work began, with a discussion of the assignment brief. This particular task was a investigation into a disease of the students choice. The pair, after quick deliberation over the assigned options, settles on Phenylketonuria or PKU.
This decision was smartly guided by Mary’s reading of the brief, stating that many students may avoid it due the ‘long name’, but also because of its approachability as a disease that focalises this year’s studies rather than spreading across fields of mutation as a cancer might. PKU is solely a genetic mutation and thus, is a good case study to pursue in depth.
Following this discussion of the basics of PKU, was a return to the Rubric. Having decided upon the projects focus, it was now time to divide up the work. Figure out how to tackle each point and meet the brief’s requirements.
After developing a plan of attack the research began. The focus of which being diagnosing the symptoms and cause of the disease. First was symptoms/effects, including odour and seizures in the short term, with permanent brain damage following. Next was cause.
Unfortunately, this was met with a slight setback, Eugenie’s teacher having rearranged the course modules and thus there being a set of missing information required to complete this assignment. Having not completed the Mutation module a quick refresher on it was needed.
This quick lesson surrounded point mutations, and their three major types. She explained the differences between missense, nonsense, and silent mutations then labelled PKU as primarily missense.
Around this time the lesson was wrapping up, but having given both an introduction into the basics and some finer points of the effects and cause of PKU, and a plan of attack it was vastly successful.
Thank you Mary and Eugenie for allowing me to observe.

Luka Damodaran