Connecting the Dots: Concepts in Biology

For students in Grades 8, 9, 10, from any Board (CBSE/ IB/ IGCSE/ ICSE, etc.)

We were inspired by some recent posts on Social Media about the excessive focus on methods/ short-cuts/ speed, as opposed to foundational understanding. There's plenty of research about typical conceptual gaps in students' understanding at at various age/ grade levels. Our blog post, Conceptual Learning: What, Why and How, provides a more detailed background.

With this starting point, our mentors sat down to curate a list of such areas that students could do well to have a deep, foundational understanding of, that they can build on, over time. We have identified such topics across Science (Physics, Chemistry, Biology) and Math.

This module aims to provide a fresh perspective on Biology- a field where some of the most exciting scientific research is happening today. The content has been chosen based on a knowledge of common student misconceptions and errors- derived from research as well as the experience base of our mentors. For each topic, the student experience includes pre-work, live sessions with mentors, assignments/ assessments, and feedback. In addition, students can email their doubts and questions to the mentor at any point of time during the course.

What is Biology and why study it? We begin this introductory course on Biology with this question. This then opens up a much wider exploration of the difference between living and non-living things while questioning whether it is possible to have organisms somewhere in between! We will try and understand classification and taxonomy, its importance in Biology and its implications for climate change and species extinction. From this is a natural progression into the length and breadth of the living cell: its structure, function including why cells age or do they just grow? Drawing from the questions that emerged in a previous edition of this course, concepts of biological immortality and the tip of the evolution iceberg will also be glimpsed in this course. In short, this is an introductory course that hopes to leave the student with wonder and awe and wanting to explore the world of Biology more deeply!

The course comprises 6 sessions of 1.5 hours each.

The course is NOT a tuition service aimed at preparation for exams. These courses are also NOT a substitute for school work.

If you would like to get a feel for the conceptual approach we take in the course, we recommend taking the 'Concepts Quiz' at https://bit.ly/ConceptQuiz (kids) or https://bit.ly/ConcepTest (grownups). If you would like to discuss the quiz questions after taking it, you can write to online@genwise.in. The quiz has questions across Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics.