Experiments in Biochemistry Teaching   (435B1)

Academic year:

2019/2020.

Attendance requirements:

402B1 + 411B1 + 202B1

ECTS:

6

Study level:

Study program:

Teacher:

Milan R. Nikolić, Ph.D.
associate professor, Faculty of Chemistry, Studentski trg 12-16, Beograd

Assistant:

Jelica R. Milošević, Ph.D.
assistant professor, Faculty of Chemistry, Studentski trg 12-16, Beograd

Hours of instruction:

Weekly: four hours of lectures + two hours of labwork (4+0+2)

Goals:

The aim of this course is to enable students to understand the significance and role of experimental work in biochemistry teaching, to master the methodological principles used in selecting experiments for elementary and high school students, to use different sources for the preparation of experiments and biochemical thematic units, to use computers in the school laboratory and to compile a collection of experiments they will use in their future work at school.

Outcome:

Students have acquired knowledge which enables them to properly select, perform and use the experiments suitable for teaching biochemistry at high school.

Teaching methods:

Lectures; discussion groups and panels; experimental exercises; term papers.

Extracurricular activities:

—

Coursebooks:

Main coursebooks:

• Milan Sikirica: Metodika nastave kemije: priručnik za nastavnike kemije, Školska knjiga Zagreb, 2003.
• Hans-Dieter Barke, Gὒnther Harsch, Siegbert Schmid: Essentials of Chemical Education (Translated by Hannah Gerdau), Springer, 2012.
• Spencer L. Seager & Michael R. Slabaugh: Safety-Scale Laboratory Experiments for Chemistry for Today: General, Organic, and Biochemistry, 7th Edition, Cengage Learning, 2013.

Supplementary coursebooks:

• Selected review papers and articles.

Additional material:

—

Lectures:

10 points (4 hours a week)

Syllabus:

Thematic units:

Experiments as a teaching tool; the role of experiments in chemistry and biochemistry teaching.

Teaching biochemistry with experiments; experiments for individual and group work; demonstration experiments in biochemistry teaching.

Preparation of instructions for performing experiments in biochemistry teaching.

Using experiments to check students’ knowledge of biochemistry.

Biologically important food compounds (carbohydrates, lipids, amino acids and proteins, vitamins); food additives.

Problem situations in biochemistry teaching; How do enzymes work? Factors which affect the activity of enzymes; Carbohydrate metabolism: glycolysis and fermentations.

Computers in biochemistry teaching.

Labwork:

25 points (2 hours a week)

Syllabus:

1. Biologically important food compounds (carbohydrates and lipids).

2. Biologically important food compounds (amino acids, proteins).

3. Vitamins and additives / preservatives in food.

4. From demonstration experiments to problem situations: How do enzymes work? Factors affecting enzyme activity.

5. Carbohydrate metabolism: glycolysis and fermentations.

6. Computers in biochemistry classroom.

Semester papers:

15 points

Oral exam:

50 points