New Perspectives in Science Education

Oxidative process has a fundamental role in our organism. Indeed, free radicals have a defense function against bacteria and help the transmission between neurons. However, when there is an unbalance between the oxidant and antioxidant species, in our body appear pathological conditions

called oxidative stress with production of free radicals. This conditions may also bring the insurgence of neurodegenerative diseases, like Parkinson and Alzheimer.

The mission of this didactic project is to develop an interdisciplinary modern educational path with STEM bioenglish activities (chemistry, biology, medicine, biophysic and ICT) for conscious students about personal and general health. Two scientific high school classes have worked as a scientific community relationship to the international modern research about cellular oxidative stress conditions. In this activity biology teacher has worked as a active and motivated didactic – researcher . An inquire approach using the model of the scientific inquiry is useful to promote curiosity, openness to new ideas, prepares students to think and like a real scientist.

The topic of oxidative stress is very interesting because integrate knowledge about different sciences sectors and it can be presented to students in the last years of high schools. These didactic activities are useful not only for learning important scientific concepts but also to transmit, in active way, elements of health education about equilibrate life style for young people. Propedeutic phase of didactic activities, different phases of didactic work with students in which is important to analyze environmental sources of oxidative stress condition and factors as alimentation. Scientific phase in which was presented microglial cells implicated in neurodegenerative diseases.

In this project it was possible to guide students in working as researchers analyzing biochemical and physiological dates, informations, scientific figures about relationship between molecules, receptors and chemical messengers also about pathological mechanism as in Alzheimer’ s disease for rielaborations personal informatic presentations for other students about aspect of oxidative stress.

 

Keywords: Free chemical radicals, ,neurodegenerative diseases, inquire didactic approach, life style conditions, cooperative learning, student – relator, didactic – researcher, biology teacher;

 

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