Unit 5 Reflection

     In Unit 5, we learned about DNA.  When I learned about DNA, I learned about the central dogma of biology.  The central dogma states that information flows from DNA to RNA to proteins to an organism.  The process of making DNA to RNA is called transcription, the process of making RNA to proteins is called translation, and the process of proteins to making an organism is called the phenotype of an individual.  The central dogma explains a lot about this unit because it shows me how DNA makes proteins.  Some other things we learned about included what DNA is, semi-conservative replication, Protein Synthesis, mutations, and gene expression and regulation.  All these terms may seem very difficult, but they all are connected in a unique way.  The starting block of all these processes is DNA.  From then, we can learn about how DNA gets the instructions out into the cell.  The two main ways we learned in class were semi-conservative replication and Protein Synthesis.  These two processes are very similar but are also very different.  Semi-conservative replication is when you split the DNA and run DNA Polymerase down the DNA and add the respective nitrogen base to make two DNA molecule strand from the one original.  Protein Synthesis, however, is much more different.  DNA unzips and allows RNA Polymerase to match nucleotides to make an RNA strand.  This strand, known as the mRNA then heads to ribosome.  The ribosome reads three bases at a time, known as a codon, translates the nucleotides into amino acids.  Each codon then codes for one amino acid.  There are start codons to tell to start codon and stop codons to tell to stop coding.  Some of the main themes are DNA and how they replicate.  However, when they replicate, something can go wrong, which is known as mutations.

     This unit was short and sweet.  This unit contained a lot of information about different thing about DNA.  One thing that went well with this unit was that I learned more about myself and how I function as a student.  I enjoy memorizing a bunch of things, but one thing I am not so good at is understanding the big picture.  I need to know the big picture before concentrating on the tiny details that help make up the big picture.  Knowing the big picture helps a lot because I know what I am studying and that helps connects big topics together.  Not knowing the big picture can hurt one because they memorize a lot of facts that they do not know what for.  Understanding the big picture helps you understand what you are studying.  Some successes I learned about my studying is that if I learn all the material a little before the test, I will have enough time to let the information settle into my brain.  Digesting the information I learned can really help for me because I am not a person that is good at cramming and I also want to avoid cramming.  Some setbacks where that some of the topics were confusing so I needed spend more time understanding the topic.  I can do this by retaking CFU's and reading my relate and review.  I did not quite understand gene expression and regulation at first, but once I broke the information down the the key points and drawing a few diagrams, I could understand the big picture vividly and not get caught in all the small details.  The demands of high school biology can be a lot, but as I learn more about myself, I can keep up with the demands using time management skills I have previously learned.

     Since this is our fifth unit of biology, I have experienced a lot since the beginning of the year.  Some things I learned about from experience is that I am a visual learner.  I learn the best when I am watching a video on how the process works or looking at diagrams.  With visuals, I can get an idea of how all this is working by looking at something I can see.  I also learned a lot from labs.  Since I like to see things I am working with, I enjoy labs because they are real life examples of what is happening.  I enjoy labs because I can make something.  While making that thing, I can see it and feel the object.  The process of making that object also helps because there are reasons behind the lab procedure, which relate to concepts learned in class.  The infographic helped me a lot as well.  Infographics cannot contain too much text, so I needed to think about how to deliver the information in a concise manner for the reader.  My finished infographic helped me study the unit because I was able to view the key points necessary for that subject in a clear manner with help of some pictures.  The overall feel of the infographic was clean, so this tool helped me put information into different categories to study.

     I have some questions about DNA.  I do not understand why there are only four different nitrogen bases.  I also do not understand how there is protein language and then gene codes.  I feel that I am a better student than yesterday because I learned more about how I function as a student.  I learned over the semester that I study better when I look at visuals.  Diagrams and videos help me a lot because I can see how the thing is working.  Visuals also help me study because I like to organize information into different places, conceptually mapping inside my head.  Tackling my strengths to study help me study efficiently so I can get the most out of studying.  I cannot force to be a student that is good at reading things to study efficiently.  If I know what I am good at studying, I should stick to that method because it will be the best way to get information into my brain.  Studying in 30-45 minute chunks and then resting for five minutes is a way I study best.  Studying to too long in one sitting will not work for me because at a certain time point, I will not be effectively absorbing information.  In that five minutes, I usually walk around my house, go to the bathroom, drink or eat something, or even talk to my parents about trivial things.  After that five minutes, my brain is fresh again and I am ready to study effectively again.  Some things holding me back is that I usually not very confident in the way I study.  I tend to think that I am no studying the best way or I am not studying right.  This lack of confidence in my studying holds be back because I am not confident in how I study or if it is the right thing to do.  As I said before, I am a very good visual learner and I learned that again in the VARK Questionare.