Diana Miculescu

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4 April 2019
Content Knowledge Reflection
As an educator, it is critical to have a content-specific knowledge base to plan, teach, and
facilitate learning that is accurate, relevant, and complete. My undergraduate degree of
Biological Sciences in Biology has provided me with learning experiences which have helped
me build a knowledge base in biological, as well as chemical and physical sciences. As the
expert in the classroom on all thing’s biology, it is also important to be knowledgeable about
how individuals learn, instructional practices and approaches that support and engage all
learners, and curriculum materials such as the Georgia Standards of Excellence Science
Standards to support planning, pedagogy, and assessment in the classroom. It is important to note
that being an expert in a particular subject does not make one an effective educator if appropriate
science pedagogical instruction knowledge is not also present, and it is the combination of the
two which supports teaching and learning science that is aligned to the Science Georgia
Standards of Excellence.
Benchmarks for Science Literacy and A Framework for K-12 Science Education have
been used to create science standards for learners in Georgia which set expectations of what
learners are assessed on by state given assessments (Georgia Department of Education, 2016).
Using this set of standards, I will demonstrate that my current knowledge of the sciences, based
on previous coursework and student teaching field experience, support my deep understanding of
science content as well as teaching science content through methods that support learners’
scientific literacy. In addition, I will demonstrate that my current knowledge of the biological
sciences is supplementary to the minimum expectations to meet student needs, which supports
my students through teaching and learning that is relevant to their lived or future experiences.
Science Georgia Standards of Excellence for biology are designed to develop proficiency
in science and are hands-on, student-centered, and inquiry-based approaches to learning
standards (Georgia Department of Education, 2016). Through my own education and student
teaching field experience, I have adopted generalizations about teaching practices that are and
are not beneficial in facilitating learning of science. Learning experiences which are not hands-
on, student-centered, or inquiry-based approaches do not support all students in becoming
science-literate citizens, they only support some students in acquiring enough knowledge to pass
a state assessment (Haberman, 2010). To achieve the goal of developing science literate citizens,
science learning experiences should focus on integrating core ideas, cross-cutting concepts, and
science and engineering practices and adopt instructional strategies which do not focus on strict
memorization of science concepts (National Research Council, 2012). By providing experiences
aligned to three-dimensional teaching and learning, learners develop critical thinking skills,
abilities to develop evidence-based claims and explanations while analyzing pieces of evidence
available and not available. By actively involving learners in their through three-dimensional
teaching and learning, accessibility to science for all students is provided within the same
classroom (Settlage, Southerland, Smetan & Lottero-Perdue, 2018). As evidence of good
teaching, actively involving learners through inquiry-based learning provides an environment
where critical thinking skills can develop, and individuals are supported in learning to make
sense of phenomena rather than giving and memorizing information (Haberman, 2010).
A major expectation for science learners is to identify patterns, process, and relationships
of living organisms including the interdependence of organisms, the relationship of matter,
energy, and organization in living systems, the behavior of organisms, and biological evolution
(Georgia Department of Education, 2016). My previous courses of Principles in Biology I & II,
Microbiology, Microbiology & Public Health, Animal Biology, Human Physiology, and
Molecular Cell Biology have provided me with learning experiences which support my content
knowledge as stated by the Science Georgia Standards of Excellence. These courses have
deepened my understanding the organization and interdependence of organisms in living systems
of single-celled and multi-celled organisms such as archaea, bacteria, fungi, plants, and animals
to one another and their environment. In addition to these courses, laboratory-based courses such
as Microbiology Lab, Molecular Cell Lab, and Human Physiology Lab have provided me with
inquiry-based learning experiences where I had first-hand experiences in obtaining, evaluating,
and communicating scientific information. In my Microbiology course, I obtained and evaluated
information from scientific texts to write a research paper on the societal impacts of Klebsiella
pneunomiae in medical environments such as hospitals. This research covers the increasingly
difficult aspect of disease control regarding antibiotic resistant bacteria. The information
obtained, evaluated, and communicated in my “Klebsiella pneunomiae” (Content Knowledge
Artifact 1) demonstrates my understanding and learning related the organization and
interdependence of organisms in living systems of single-celled and multi-celled organisms such
as bacteria and animals to one another and their environment.
Another expectation for science learners is to develop an understanding of the cellular
structure and the role these structures play in living cells including a fundamental understanding
of the role of macromolecules, their structure and function as related to life processes, analyzing
how genetic information is passed to their offspring and how these mechanisms lead to
variability and the diversity of species (Georgia Department of Education, 2016). My previous
courses of Principles in Biology I & II, Genetics, Animal Biology, Human Physiology, and
Molecular Cell Biology have provided me with learning experiences which support my content
knowledge as stated in the Science Georgia Standards of Excellence. These courses have
deepened my understanding of the nature of the relationships between structures and functions in
living cells such as cellular organelles, role of cellular reproduction, structure of
macromolecules, cellular transport, roles of photosynthesis and cellular respiration, expression of
genetic information in cells, and how heritable traits are passed to the next generation. In
addition to these courses, laboratory-based courses such as Fundamental Microbiology Lab,
Molecular Cell Lab, Human Physiology Lab, Genetics Laboratory, have provided me with
inquiry-based learning experiences in which I have obtained, evaluated, and communicated
scientific information regarding topics within these courses. In my Molecular Cell Biology
laboratory, I carried out an experiment in which I extracted the protein Rubisco from spinach
leaves by using Ammonium Sulfate Precipitation, isolated Rubisco using ion exchange column
chromatography, and ensure Rubisco was properly isolated using gel electrophoresis and
spectrophotometry. The information obtained, evaluated, and communicated in my “Protein
Isolation Final Report” (Content Knowledge Artifact 2) demonstrates my understanding and
learning through inquiry-based learning experiences related to relationships between structures
and function in living cells and the structure of macromolecules. In my Genetics laboratory, I
carried out an experiment in which I investigated the laws of segregation and independent
assortment by using dihybrid offspring of Brassica rapa and analyzed the resulting progeny
proportions using chi-square test in order to determine if the deviations of the observed progeny
for each phenotype from the expected Mendelian laws are significantly different and were due to
chance. The information obtained, evaluated, and communicated in my “Plant Dihybrid Report”
(Content Knowledge Artifact 3) demonstrates my understanding and learning through inquiry-
based learning experiences related to expression of genetic information in cells and how
heritable traits are passed to the next generation.
Supplemental to the biology coursework required for my undergraduate degree in
Biological Sciences, I chose to take elective courses in Developmental Neurobiology, Cell Cycle
and Cancer, Medical Biochemistry, Metabolic Disease, Immunology, Advanced Cellular
Physiology, and Principles of Nutrition which extend my content knowledge to real-world
applications of science. My knowledge of how science has affected human understanding
regarding biological development, biological processes, and disease provide me with relevant
illustrations and natural phenomena for learners and possible conversations and evidence-based
responses to topics such as diabetes, nutrition, cancer, bacterial and viral infections, human
development, and human body systems which learners have encountered in their homes and
communities. Integrating these topics in my instruction as a phenomena or examples within
inquiry-based learning, learners are more likely to view science content as relevant to their lived
experiences (Settlage, et al., 2018). In my Advanced Cellular Physiology course, I used obtained
and evaluated information from my professor’s lectures as well as supplemental and current
research to demonstrate my learning and understanding of glucocorticoid signaling and AMPK,
the diverse function within various tissues and organs, and the mechanisms of the effects we
observe. As glucocorticoids targets metabolism, calcium homeostasis, immune function,
endocrine function, ion balance, and central nervous system function, I demonstrate my
understanding of the cellular structure and the role these structures play in living cells including
an understanding of the role of hormones and other molecules and how their structure and
function are related to life processes communicated in my “BIOL8248 Test 4” (Content
Knowledge Artifact 4).
Other science coursework which supports my understanding of the natural world include
Principles of Chemistry I & II (with Lab), Organic Chemistry I & II (with Lab), Biochemistry I
& II. These courses support my understanding of other sciences as well as deepen my
understanding of biology. The laboratories have provided me with inquiry-based learning
experiences and safe lab practices. Other non-biological science courses provide me with skills
and methods imperative to inquiry-based activities and analysis of data are Statistics and
Methods of Research in Education. The content learned in these courses are the very basis of
planning and carrying out investigations, analyzing and interpreting data which provides me with
an understanding of appropriate and unbiased research/investigation methods, development of
surveys and investigations, analysis of relationships between variables, probability, making
evidence-based claims, and assessing the limitations of investigation methods and collected data.
While content knowledge in the sciences is important, one important aspect of content
knowledge is understanding the misconceptions that learners have acquired throughout their
lives and previous learning experiences. In my student teaching field experience, I have
witnessed the evidence of such misconceptions. Learners struggle with misconceptions about
scientific processes, limits of science, stereotypes of scientists, and basic objects of science such
as laws, theories, and evidence as ‘proof’. For example, students may be determined to state that
data proves a certain relationship between variables, when science can only state that the data
supports or does not support a certain relationship between variables. While this is important
within the science classroom, supporting science-literate citizens means that students use
appropriate scientific analysis outside of the classroom as well as when evaluating new findings
in science or research that they may be exposed to through the media, social media, and people
and groups within their communities. These nature of science misconceptions further complicate
learning biology-specific content. For example, learners with content-specific misconceptions
may not understand that plants are living even though they do not breathe (as breathing is not a
characteristic of a living thing), which will in turn affect their ability to understand the
interdependence between photosynthesis and cellular respiration. Focusing on evidence-based
science learning, students can develop science literacy which will support them in making sense
of their science and content-specific misconceptions. Furthermore, my knowledge about possible
misconceptions in science and biology-specific content allow me to recognize such
misconceptions and address them appropriately and in a timely manner to support learners.
Throughout my own learning within inquiry-based experiences, I have observed the importance
of recognizing the limits of science and research as well as misconceptions that may occur
through the learning process. In my “Protein Isolation Final Report” (Artifact 2), in my
Discussion section of my report I recognize how my analyzed results demonstrate the success of
my experimental methods, but also include the limits of my methods. The methods I carried out
only extracted proteins, but to study and manipulate the proteins to gain a greater understanding
of their mechanisms different methods must be employed. In my “Plant Dihybrid Report”
(Artifact 3), in my Discussion section of my report I recognize how my analyzed results
demonstrate may not be reliable due to the sample size used in the chi-square test analysis. I
explain that this may be the reason why the observed data did not follow the expected 9:3:3:1
Mendelian ratio for a dihybrid cross. This is an important aspect of scientific investigations as
there must be sufficient data to show such relationships. As learners are engaged in inquiry-
based experiences, it is a reality that investigations and experiments may not always go as
planned and evaluating observed results should focus on possible modes of error as well as
discovering relationships between variables.
In conclusion, having a content-specific knowledge base supports my ability to plan,
teach, and facilitate learning that is accurate, relevant, and complete. My completed coursework
of my post-secondary education has provided me with learning experiences which have helped
me build a knowledge base in science and my student teaching field experience has provided me
with first-hand experiences of learners with misconceptions in biology and the nature of science.
My science content knowledge integrated with my knowledge of how individuals learn allow me
to provide science education to engage all learners.
 References
Georgia Department of Education. (2016). Biology Georgia Standards of Excellence. Retrieved
from https://www.georgiastandards.org/Georgia-Standards/Documents/Science-Biology-
Georgia-Standards.pdf
Haberman, M., (2010). The Pedagogy of Poverty versus Good Teaching. Phi Delta Kappan
92(2), 81-87. https://doi.org/10.1177/003172171009200223
National Research Council (2012). A framework for K–12 science education: Practices,
crosscutting concepts, and core ideas. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
Schwarz, C., Passmore, C., & Reiser, B. J. (2016). Helping students make sense of the world
using next generation science and engineering practices. Arlington, VA: National Science
Teachers Association.
Settlage, J., Southerland, S. A., Smetan, L., & Lottero-Perdue, P. (2018). Teaching science to
every child: Using culture as a starting point. 3rd Ed. New York, Routledge.