IB

The integrated lessons were great success

07.03.2016

DP1 English B students read the book “Never Let Me Go” by Kazuo Ishiguro in their literature course. Beside a moving love triangle, the book dealt with the lives of clones who were raised for organ donation. Although being a science fiction, the students liked the story very much and they decided to investigate the problem of organ donation further in the science classes. This is how the idea of an integrated lesson was born.

In biology students learned how our bodies are producing antibodies and why they are so important to our organisms. They continued with blood typing and blood transfusion topics, because they introduced the same problem as we have with organ donation. An organ donor and a recipient must match perfectly to avoid rejection. Because of that all organs do not suit for everyone and people who need a new organ have to wait for a perfect match for a long time.  Students also learned how heart works and students investigated different possibilities for people who need a heart transplant. Medicine has developed very fast and nowadays there are artificial organs and possibilities to produce genetically modified animals and use their organs as transplants for temporary use.

The next stage of the project included book reviews to biology students. The most important topic discussed was the ethics of running such schools and raising children for becoming donors cutting that way their lives too short.

In groups students prepared presentations for and against organ donation which culminated with the debate. Teachers who served as judges confessed that negative team was more persuasive. The best speaker was Jaan Vahl.

The integrated lessons were great success.

Kadri Mettis, IB biology teacher
Margarita Hanschmidt, English B teacher