Emily Kowal

TD 5955

Dan Majeske

4/7/24

Student Learning Analysis: Chromosomes

Introduction:

I collected data on my ninth grade biology classes in the middle of March. The unit

discussed chromosomes, specifically how chromosomes are heritable, how they carry our

genes, and how our body can produce more cells.

Before the unit started, I gave out a pre-test for my students to take. After analyzing my

students' responses, I identified common misconceptions and areas of difficulty among them,

which informed my instructional approach for the unit on chromosomes. Using this information, I

tailored my lessons to address these specific challenges and incorporated targeted

interventions to support student learning and comprehension. At the end of the unit, I gave them

a post-test that I modified from the pre-test to assess their understanding of the concepts

covered. The results indicated significant improvement overall, with a noticeable reduction in the

frequency of errors related to previously identified misconceptions.

Learning Goals/State Standards:

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) has established the national standards

that science teachers must implement. These standards outline what students should learn and

achieve at the end of a science unit. They serve as a benchmark for the knowledge and skills

that students should acquire. There are multiple standards in the genetics unit, however, for

understanding chromosomes, I used two standards that fit best with the unit. The standards that

were used, are the following:

 1. HS-LS1-4. Use a model to illustrate the role of cellular division (mitosis) and the

differentiation in producing and maintaining complex organisms.

2. HS-LS3-1. Ask questions to clarify relationships about the role of DNA and

chromosomes in coding the instructions for characteristics and traits passed from

parents to offspring.

Once I chose the standards that I wanted my students to comprehend, I established

a learning goal that would enable me to evaluate their understanding. A good learning goal

should be quantifiable and communicated to the students. They should understand that this

is what I anticipate them to comprehend by the end of the unit. The learning goal for this

unit was:

“Students will be able to effectively utilize models to demonstrate the significance of cellular

division. Students will also understand the important role DNA plays in chromosomes by

encoding the genetic instructions through passing them down from parents to an offspring.”

Student Understanding: Chromosome pre-test

I administered a pre-test at the beginning of the unit to establish a baseline of my

students' understanding of chromosomes, mitosis, and meiosis. The learning goal

emphasized the importance of comprehending models of cell division and inheritance,

which I designed the pre-test to align with these goals.

To gauge students' familiarity with the various stages of cell division, I included in the

assessment models depicting the cell phases during mitosis and meiosis (interphase,

prophase II, metaphase, anaphase II, etc). In addition, I incorporated questions about the

inheritance of chromosomes to assess students' understanding of how genetic information

is passed down from parents to offspring.

The type of format I used was a Google Forms multiple-choice assessment, which

worked efficiently for gathering data. The data was laid out neatly and allowed me to
efficiently analyze students' responses which made it easier for me to tailor lessons to

address specific challenges to support student learning.

Analysis of Data/Student Feedback: Chromosome Pre-test

After conducting a pre-test, I was able to observe some interesting patterns in my

students' thinking. The first pattern I noticed was that many of them found it challenging to

identify the different phases of mitosis (cell division) (fig 1). The second pattern that I

observed was that they also struggled with distinguishing between mitosis and meiosis,

particularly regarding their end products (fig 2). Lastly, the third pattern, I noticed was that a

significant number of my students answered questions related to chromosomes correctly

(fig 3). The data presented in Figure 1 and Figure 2 reveals that a significant number of

students struggled to answer questions related to mitosis and meiosis correctly. Both of the

graphs display the relationship between the number of students who answered the

questions correctly and those who did not. The findings indicated that less than 50% of

students answered mitosis and meiosis questions accurately. The reason why my students

struggled with questions regarding cell division/mitosis and meiosis was that most of them

had never seen these concepts in their past science classes. Although my students had

difficulty with Figures 1 and 2, they demonstrated an understanding of the makeup of a

chromosome in Figure 3, possibly due to their prior knowledge regarding DNA makeup and

heredity.

After analyzing the data, I noticed that my students struggled with comprehending

cell division. As a result, I understood the need to prioritize the mitosis and meiosis phases

for that specific unit. By emphasizing the mitosis and meiosis phases, I can assist my

students in mastering the learning goal.

Figure 1.

Figure 2.
Figure 3.

Subsequent Instruction:

After reviewing the assessment results, I concluded that my students required further

practice and instruction on mitosis and meiosis. The assessment revealed that my students

found it challenging to understand the phases of cell division and the end product of mitosis and

meiosis. This gave me the idea to create a lab that would assist them in visually comprehending

the phases of cell division and the products of mitosis. I came up with an Oreo lab that

concentrated solely on the phases of mitosis. The goal of the lab was for students to create a

model for each stage of the mitosis cell cycle (Interphase, Prophase, Metaphase, Anaphase,

Telophase/Cytokinesis). To model the centrioles and chromosomes, my students used sprinkles.

They also used toothpicks to create lines in the cream, representing the spindle fibers.

Before beginning the lab, I went over notes with my students about the different phases

of mitosis and meiosis. This information gave them some useful background knowledge to apply
during the lab. To ensure that my students understood the lab work, I included a teacher's

checkpoint on the worksheet. This checkpoint was to be used after they had completed

constructing their Oreo models. I carefully reviewed their work and initialed it before they could

proceed to answer the comprehension questions. By doing this, I was able to identify any areas

where students struggled with understanding mitosis by examining their Oreo models.

Example of student work:

This student successfully created a model that accurately shows the chromosomes, centrioles,
and spindle placement during the five phases of mitosis.
Student Understanding: Chromosome post-test

Once I was confident that a majority of my students grasped the learning goal, I

administered the chromosome post-test. To measure their understanding more thoroughly, I

strategically designed the assessment to mirror the pre-test while incorporating rephrased

and additional questions that aligned better with the learning goal. Rephrasing and asking

more questions helped me identify areas where students potentially needed extra support.

During the test, everyone was given 40 minutes to answer 20 multiple-choice

questions. Using Google Forms was the most effective way to manage the test and analyze

students' answers. This method allowed me to evaluate their understanding of the learning

goal and identify the areas where they needed additional help. After waiting a week, I

ensured that all of my absent students had taken their makeup tests. Once I confirmed that,

I released my students' tests, which allowed them to see the questions they answered

correctly and incorrectly. I think it's important to do this because it provides an opportunity

for them to review and understand why they chose a certain answer.

The questions used in Figures 1 and 2 are the same as the ones used in the

post-test (shown in Figures 3 and 4). Since most students answered the chromosome

question correctly in Figure 3, I removed it from the post-test. Overall, students performed

well on the post-test and achieved mastery of the learning goal, as demonstrated in Figures

4 and 5. However, in Figure 4, some students chose the wrong answer. To help these

students, it would be best to provide individual support and revisit the topic of cell division.
Figure 4.

Figure 5.
Conclusion:

During the chromosome unit, I used a data-driven instructional approach to identify

common misconceptions and areas of difficulty among my students using a pre-test.

Targeted assignments, including an Oreo mitosis lab, were used to improve students'

comprehension of cell division.

The post-test showed a significant improvement in comprehension of the learning

goal and NGSS standards. While most students demonstrated that they mastered the

learning goal, some students required more practice regarding cell division. Moving forward,

personalized support will be given to ensure that all students can achieve mastery in cell

division. Overall, this data-driven approach not only improved student understanding, but

also provided me with valuable insights for teaching strategies in the future.