Like so many educators I have been reading about and exploring ChatGPT. I recently read an article in the NYTimes that among other arguments made the point that all educators have a responsibility to prepare students for their future and AI will be an important factor in their future. So, while I was thinking about the role of educators and how they would deal with traditional issues such as student evaluation, I had not considered the broader goal of helping rather than preventing students from using AI.
I have not spent a great deal of time thinking through this new perspective, but it does seem important. Help students make use of ChatGPT rather than worrying about preventing the use of this tool.
For example, in their immediate circumstances, students might use ChatGPT to help themselves study. Note – I was originally trained as a biologist and to teach high school biology so I still often use that content area in my examples.
write 10 multiple choice questions about mitosis and meiosis and add an answer key at the end
1. What is the process of cell division that results in the formation of two genetically identical daughter cells?
a) Mitosis
b) Meiosis
c) Binary fission
d) Asexual reproduction
2. Which stage of mitosis do the chromosomes line up in the middle of the cell?
a) Prophase
b) Metaphase
c) Anaphase
d) Telophase
3. In which stage of mitosis do the sister chromatids separate?
a) Prophase
b) Metaphase
c) Anaphase
d) Telophase
4. How many cells are produced during mitosis?
a) 1
b) 2
c) 4
d) 8
5. In which stage of meiosis do homologous chromosomes pair up?
a) Prophase I
b) Metaphase I
c) Anaphase I
d) Telophase I
6. In which stage of meiosis do the cells divide?
a) Prophase I
b) Metaphase I
c) Anaphase I
d) Telophase I
7. How many cells are produced during meiosis?
a) 1
b) 2
c) 4
d) 8
8. Which of the following is a characteristic of meiosis?
a) The formation of genetically identical cells
b) The formation of genetically diverse cells
c) The formation of cells with half the number of chromosomes as the original cell
d) The formation of cells with twice the number of chromosomes as the original cell
9. What is the process called when homologous chromosomes exchange segments of DNA?
a) Mitosis
b) Meiosis
c) Crossing over
d) Chromosome segregation
10. What is the purpose of meiosis?
a) The formation of new cells
b) The formation of genetically identical cells
c) The formation of genetically diverse cells
d) The formation of haploid cells for reproduction.
Answer key:
1. a) Mitosis
2. b) Metaphase
3. c) Anaphase
4. b) 2
5. a) Prophase I
6. b) Metaphase I
7. c) 4
8. b) The formation of genetically diverse cells
9. c) Crossing over
10. d) The formation of haploid cells for reproduction
Or, maybe I am getting ahead of myself here. Maybe the first step would be to generate a quick review.
Explain mitosis and meiosis to a 9th grade student
Mitosis is the process of cell division that results in the formation of two genetically identical daughter cells. During mitosis, the cell duplicates its chromosomes, which are the structures that carry the cell’s genetic information. The duplicated chromosomes are called sister chromatids, and they are held together by a structure called a centromere. After the chromosomes are duplicated, the cell goes through several stages of mitosis: prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase. In prophase, the chromosomes condense and become visible under a microscope. In metaphase, the chromosomes line up in the middle of the cell. In anaphase, the sister chromatids separate and are pulled to opposite ends of the cell. In telophase, the cell divides and two identical daughter cells are formed.
Meiosis is a type of cell division that occurs in the reproductive cells of organisms, such as sperm and eggs. During meiosis, the cell goes through two rounds of division, resulting in the formation of four genetically diverse daughter cells. In the first round of meiosis, called meiosis I, the cell duplicates its chromosomes, just like in mitosis. However, during meiosis I, the homologous chromosomes, which are pairs of chromosomes that carry the same type of genetic information, pair up and exchange segments of DNA. This process is called crossing over and it results in the formation of genetically diverse chromosomes. After crossing over, the cell goes through the stages of meiosis I: prophase I, metaphase I, anaphase I, and telophase I. In meiosis II, the cell divides again, resulting in the formation of four genetically diverse daughter cells.
So, to sum up Mitosis is the process of cell division that results in the formation of two genetically identical daughter cells, while Meiosis is a type of cell division that occurs in the reproductive cells of organisms, such as sperm and eggs and results in the formation of four genetically diverse daughter cells.
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My personal interests are in instructional design and student study behavior, but I think creating suggestions for preparing students to use AI is an important perspective for some curriculum person to take. Here is an Edutopia article with some ideas and resources for introducing AI concepts to students.
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