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Historical Reconstruction of Membrane Theoretical Models: An Educative Curriculum Material

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Teaching Science with Context

Part of the book series: Science: Philosophy, History and Education ((SPHE))

Abstract

The authors present an educative material for the teaching of cell biology, through a historical reconstruction of membrane models, designed for tenth grade students (15–16 years old). The material, composed of a teaching sequence and associated extracts of primary sources, addresses the historical development of membrane theoretical models, with the goal of promoting learning about membrane structure and functions, and a more informed view of science. This material is part of a broader study, conducted according to the theoretical and methodological underpinnings of educational design research, in which the teaching sequence and source text were planned, constructed, and tested through an investigation of their outcomes in the science classroom.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    In this work, we use the concept of innovation developed by the group Collaboration in Research and Practice in Science Education (CoPPEC), which gathers together university educational researchers and basic education teacher–researchers, of which the authors are members. According to this concept, educational innovations are intentional, systematic, and participatory processes of producing, recontextualizing, and disseminating novel approaches to teaching that show the capacity to promote professional development of actors in the school community in personal, social, and intellectual terms (Sousa et al. 2016).

  2. 2.

    A teaching sequence is a set of ordered, structured, and articulated activities, aimed at reaching certain educational goals, with a beginning and end known by both teachers and students (Zabala 1998).

  3. 3.

    Newton made this famous statement in a letter to Robert Hooke, in 5 February 1676. Newton was alluding to an image by Bernard of Chartres who in the twelfth century argued that “moderns” could only advance further than the “ancients” because they were “dwarfs sitting on the shoulders of giants” (Nos esse quasi nanos gigantum humeris insidientes). See Merton (1965).

  4. 4.

    The terms “whig” and “whiggish” were coined by Herbert Butterfield in 1931 to critically describe certain historical reports that treated events and institutions from the perspective of subsequent developments (Prestes 2010), anachronistically evaluating the past through the lens of the present. These terms derive from a British political faction and later party, the Whigs, which advocated a constitutional monarchy as an opposition to monarchical absolutism, defended by another party, the Tories. The tendency of historians to write in favor of the Whigs was called “whiggish,” emphasizing a narrative of progress and thus producing a history that ratified the present. Besides anachronism, the adjective “whiggish” also refers to other methodological errors, such as assuming a linear perspective in a historical narrative, in which events in a series are described as simple chains of causes and effects that lead to improved results throughout time (Martins 2010).

  5. 5.

    We recommend that teachers, when reproducing or adapting this material for classroom use, include images of all the scientists mentioned, to allow students to consider their identities of gender, race, and social class. Images of the scientists mentioned can be found in Stillwell (2013) and via the links http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_Stewart_Cole (Kenneth Stewart Cole); https://www.kcl.ac.uk/lsm/about/history/heroes.aspx#JDanielli (James F. Danielli); http://www.physoc.org/sites/default/files/page/Hugh%20Davson.pdf (Hugh Davson)

    http://www.heuserlab.wustl.edu/experience/Robertson%20obit.pdf (James David Robertson); http://beyondthebandaid.com.au/dr-garth-nicolson/ (Garth L. Nicolson); https://www.mpi-cbg.de/research-groups/alumni/ (Kai Simons).

  6. 6.

    Historical membrane models can be found in Eichman (1999), available in shipseducation.net/9-2/membrane.htm, accessed at Jan 17th 2018. We recommend that teachers include figures showing these models, when reproducing/adapting this material for classroom use.

  7. 7.

    A representation of this model can be found in Eichman (1999), available at shipseducation.net/9-2/membrane.htm, accessed on 17 January 2018.

  8. 8.

    “Chromocyte” is a term used as a synonym of “erythrocyte.” “Lipoid” is an alternative spelling for “lipid.”

  9. 9.

    A representation of this model can be found in Eichman (1999), available at shipseducation.net/9-2/membrane.htm, accessed 17 January 2018.

  10. 10.

    A representation of this model can be found in Eichman (1999), available at shipseducation.net/9-2/membrane.htm, accessed 17 January 2018.

  11. 11.

    The electromicrography of the plasma membrane can be found in Stillwell (2013).

  12. 12.

    Graphic representations of this model are commonly reproduced in textbooks. When using this educative curriculum material, the teacher can include one of these representations or use the original figures from Singer and Nicolson (1972).

  13. 13.

    A representation of this model can be found in Eichman (1999), available in shipseducation.net/9-2/membrane.htm, accessed at Jan 17th 2018.

  14. 14.

    A representation of this model can be found in Eichman (1999), available at shipseducation.net/9-2/membrane.htm, accessed on 17 January 2018.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bahia Military Police School, Salvador, BA, Brazil

    Anna Cassia Sarmento

  2. National Institute of Science & Technology in Interdisciplinary and Transdisciplinary Studies of Ecology and Evolution (INCT IN-TREE), Salvador, Brazil

    Anna Cassia Sarmento, Cláudia Sepúlveda & Charbel N. El-Hani

  3. Department of Education, State University of Feira de Santana, Feira de Santana, BA, Brazil

    Cláudia Sepúlveda

  4. Institute of Biology, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, BA, Brazil

    Charbel N. El-Hani

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  1. Anna Cassia Sarmento
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  2. Cláudia Sepúlveda
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Maria Elice de Brzezinski Prestes

  2. Institute of Physics of São Carlos, University of São Paulo, São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil

    Cibelle Celestino Silva

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Sarmento, A.C., Sepúlveda, C., El-Hani, C.N. (2018). Historical Reconstruction of Membrane Theoretical Models: An Educative Curriculum Material. In: Prestes, M., Silva, C. (eds) Teaching Science with Context. Science: Philosophy, History and Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74036-2_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74036-2_12

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