Weekly Report: Teaching in Circles

This week, we finished our unit on energy with a bang (spontaneous reaction anyone?) and our 2nd timed test; then, it was back to the comfortable biological building blocks, cells! Using the orchestral Kite videos and bookwork galore, we learned about the passage of information from one cell to another. One of the hallmark activities of this week was teaching each other the  different paths that each specialized cell used to communicate. A host of teachers from varied disciplines converged to spread the word: G-Proteins, Ligand Gate Ion Channels, and last but not least, Receptor Tyrosine Kinases. This challenge differed from our previous teaching experiences, in that we got to incorporate forms of media while teaching, albeit short forms. The size of the groups were ideal, as they allowed each person to have a role in presenting the information. I worked with Taylor and Anniyah and within the family of receptor tyrosine kinases, we were responsible for teaching the class how insulin works. Each group seemed to have their own strategy; ours was to create a Google Doc and type up each piece of information as we got it, so that we all could know the facts. Each person in our group was responsible for covering a certain subtopic: the pathway, signal molecule, pathway purpose, second messengers, phosphorylation cascades, and what causes disruption. Although I am chiefly interested in and was sad that we didn’t do neurotransmitters, receptor tyrosine kinase also piqued my interest, not only because of its artful formations, but also because I realized for the first time how these “artful formations” enable us to function properly. One of the interesting facts I learned regarding the etymology of tyrosine was that the Greek word tyros- means cheese. When you think about it, receptive tyrosine kinases are also like cheese, with two long stringy phosphate strands with various forms of protein (lactose of cheese) adhering to those strings. In that case, our entire experience with being both the teachers and students can be compared to a pizza; a bit crunchy, a bit slippery, but always nourishing and fulfilling!