Biology lessons are synonymous with learning in an interesting and creative way. Typically, they involve various activities based on student–teacher collaboration, with plenty of opportunities for the children to conduct experiments. One of these unusual lessons concerned the study of sea and river life – more precisely, the respiratory system of fish.

Biology teacher Dijana Šarac introduced her students to the interesting water world. An illustrative lecture on the principles of breathing through gills, fish organs specialized for introducing oxygen into their bodies, was followed by a dissection experiment, with a model fish providing the students with an opportunity to see the blood vessels that the fish use for gas exchange.

As it was explained in detail, the gills let in a huge amount of water, which provides dissolved oxygen. Other species that use gills for gas exchange also got a mention, without forgetting the fact that the water environment in which they live is not the same for all of them.

As many as 45 animal species breathe using gills – either external or internal ones. The students had many questions and associations, so the lesson passed quickly, brimming with information.

TEACHING OFTEN TAKES PLACE IN LAB ENVIRONMENT

Laboratory work has its own charms and constitutes an excellent way to further develop the team spirit in Primary School Savremena’s classroom. This involves a number of exciting experiments that never fail to thrill the kids.

The teaching also involves peer-to-peer learning, i.e. students teaching one another by assuming the role of a teacher. Sometimes, this means visits from their older friends from secondary school of the same name, like Aleksandar Kašerić, who perform interesting experiments in front of their appreciative audience.

As this young future biologist put it:

If we approach the children in the right way and present to them a biology that is not just some biology that lives in a book, but a science that can be understood up close and personal through unusual experiments, their perception and thinking can change, making this subject a quite fun one; a favourite.

At Savremena, the iPads that the students use are electronic notebooks of sorts, ones that make learning easier, more fun and more interactive. Different fields benefit from different state-of-the-art apps used at the world’s most advanced education centres.

When it comes to biology, the students’ iPads have biology apps 3D Cell, 3D Brain and 3D Bones installed. They let the student engage in immersive encounters with the human body and its various parts: cells, brain and bones, as well as the way they work. These apps help make biology lessons even more illustrative, interactive and memorable.