Bionic eye module 1

Overview

Learning Outcome: Students identify challenges that impact participation in society when vision is impaired.

Design descriptors

  • Students brainstorm to construct a class representation of the challenges that face visually impaired citizens.
  • Students experience a series of visual impairment experiences that provide an awareness of the challenges encountered when vision is impaired. They record time taken to complete each task.
  • Students collate class results to determine the tasks that are most difficult to complete if vision is impaired and then compare to video footage of visually impaired citizens.
  • Of the challenges faced, students identify how other senses can compensate for the loss of vision.

Assumptions/Prior knowledge

  • Students are able to perform the everyday tasks that comprise the challenges.
  • Students can use a timer and can calculate averages and percentages.
  • Students are able to record and collate data.
  • Students know how to draw simple bar graphs and pie charts.

Misconceptions (common, not exhaustive)

  • Students believe that it is impossible to fully participate in society if you have a disability.
  • Students believe that disabilities need to be cured.

Contributors

Education Design team

  • Duncan Goddard Education Officer, GTAC
  • Callum Walker Student, MTeach Secondary, The University of Melbourne
  • Silvia Wan Student, MTeach Secondary, The University of Melbourne
  • Jacinta Duncan Director, GTAC

Consultants

  • Dr James Fallon Bionics Institute, Senior Research Fellow

This teaching sequence has been developed by the Gene Technology Access Centre (GTAC), Deakin University and The University of Melbourne thanks to the Reconceptualising Mathematics and Science Teacher Education Programs (ReMSTEP) project.

Published early 2017