07943 - Elements of Ecology

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student: - will demonstrate that she/he has acquired a good basic knowledge of ecology, of the mechanisms that explain the processes of adaptation of organisms to different environments, the main environmental problems and environmental education – she/he must understand the ecological function of fundamental interactions between populations of species, such as competition and predation, and how these are integrated into the dynamics of the living communities; - must demonstrate the understanding of basic ecosystem processes, such as energy flows and biogeochemical cycles - use the knowledge and skills acquired to identify and plan training activities that can contribute to increase the environmental knowledge of kindergarten and primary school students.

Course contents

The course will be held in the second semester from March 11th to April 4th 2019.

The course will focus on the following topics:

• The biosphere: terrestrial and aquatic biomes

• Response to environmental variations: temperature variations; variations in the availability of water; energy sources; autotrophy; metabolic pathways of photosynthesis; heterotrophy

• Interactions between organisms: Competition; predation and herbivory; parasitism; mutualism and commensalism

• Ecosystems: production; energy flow and trophic networks; availability and nutrient cycle; biogeochemical cycles

• Conservation biology: human activities threaten the biodiversity of the Earth; climate change; pollution; environmental education; conservation approaches; Sustainable Development

For all the topics, the aspects, with the relative modalities that should be transferred to didactic units suitable for pre-primary and primary school students will be highlighted.

Science labs: an interdisciplinarylab and disciplinary labs (only for students who started their graduate course in/after A. Y. 2016-2017)

Starting from A. Y. 2018-2019, science labs have been revisited and improved, resulting not only in the reorganization of the disciplinary laboratoriesbut also in the realization of interdisciplinarylaboratoriesspanningover Physics, Chemistry, Ecology and Biology.

Given the 360° education required for primary school teachers, these laboratories were planned to be both interdisciplinary, thus involving the four scientific disciplines, and multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary as well: maximum effort will be put into highlighting links with non-scientific knowledge, in order to clarify that there is no dichotomy between sciences and humanities.

The main goals of this rearrangement of the scientific education of teachers are to:

• stimulate curiosity towards scientific themes;

• highlight the ethic and social impactof science and technology;

• communicate the importance of delivering a scientific educationstarting from the lowest school levels;

• provide conceptual and practical tools mandatory to plan and carry out science-based activities with pupils.

Science labs focused on single disciplines are activated as well, after being improved following aforementioned goals and rationales.

The interdisciplinary laboratory deals with a topic underpinning all the scientific disciplines involved in the master degree with the aim of showing that the same issue can be investigated under different frameworks, each related to a different discipline, and how we can obtain “a big picture” of a given issue by integrating all the different aspects. Disciplinary laboratories, dealing with Physics, Chemistry, Ecology, and Biology, are strictly interconnected with lectures: these classes have the specific purpose of “putting into practice, showing, and touching” some of the course’s topics.

Students will be divided into small work teams and will carry out simple experiments. The lab teacher will conduct also the discussion of results. Suitable experiments have been laid down so that they can be easily reproduced at pre-primary and primary schools.

The following disciplinary laboratories have been planned:

“Outcomes of light-matter interactions”

“Touching DNA”

“Light and sight”

On the other hand, the planned interdisciplinary laboratory is:

“Not just HtwoO: The unexpected features of water”

Students must follow two laboratories: the interdisciplinary laboratory and one of the disciplinary laboratories of their choice.All these classes will take place at the Opificio Golinelli (via Paolo Nanni Costa, 14 – Bologna), and their scheduling will be communicated before the beginning of the course. A disciplinary laboratory and an interdisciplinary laboratory will be scheduled in summer.

Each laboratory provides 1 CFU, meaning 8 presence hours and 17 homework hours. In fact, laboratories involve not only the active participation of students but also a “final product”. After the completion of the laboratory experiences, where some disciplinary aspects are investigated and some strategies for stimulating scientific knowledge are proposed, the planning of a didactic activity is requested (which might be useful during school trainings as well).

Students will be graded by lab teachers with -1, 0, or +1 (on a 30 scale). The grade obtained in one of the disciplinary laboratories will add to the final score of the Physics course, while the grade obtained in the interdisciplinary laboratory will add to the final score of the integrated Chemistry and Ecology course. These grades will be available up to the completion of the grading procedure. You cannot register for any disciplinary exam (Elements of General Biology, Elements of Chemistry and Ecology, Elements of Physics) unless you have attended both a disciplinary laboratory and an interdisciplinary laboratory.

Readings/Bibliography

Ecologia di Michael L. Cain, William D. Bowman, Sally D. Hacker. Pubblicato da Piccin Nuova Libraria S.p.A., 2017

Elementi di Ecologia di Thomas M. Smith, Robert L. Smith. Pubblicato da Pearson, 2017

Teaching methods

The course will be developed through frontal lessons and the discussion of main topics, design of teaching units inherent concerning the themes addressed in the course, preparation of the science practices.

Assessment methods

The oral exam cosists in in the discussion of a short thesis prepared by the student on one of the topics dealt with during the course.

The thesis must be sent by email in .pdf format, at least one week before the date for the exam and must contain: a) the reasons for choosing the specific topic; b) the scientific basis of the selected topic; c) in which way these concepts can be explain to the children, with particular attention to experiments that can be carried out in class; d) the interdisciplinary links, and e) the pertinent references.

Evaluation criteria: i) Mastery of disciplinary contents and inter- and trans-disciplinary connections, ii) Ability to use the specific language in an appropriate way, iii) Relevance of the activities for the chosen school level and for the use of territorial resources, iv) Consistency between proposed activities and learning outcomes, v) Originality of the activities and personal re-elaboration.

Final score based on ../30 (18/30 is considered the minimum to pass the exam).

The students are required to complete the online registration (ALMAESAMI) within the terms in order to be admitted to the exam. In case of technical problems the students have to promptly contact the Segreteria Studenti and the teachers (Venturi and Prada) by email (within the terms). The teachers will consider the request and decide about the admission.

These indications apply even for non-attending students.

The Erasmus students that must prepare only the examination of Ecology: possibility to arrange an oral exam in Italian Language.

The students can take the exam at each exam session.

Teaching tools

Handout and lecture notes will be available through Power point presentations.

For questions, clarifications, information relative to the course and to fix an appointment feel free to contact me at: fiorella.prada2@unibo.it

Office hours

See the website of Fiorella Prada