Damm EEI's

[kimm]

I know I really really really dislike EEI's, but what I think I dislike more is EEI's and yr 11 girls saying "Umm - you know...... my EEI is due in a week and I don't know what to do?? ......Like!".
I hope everyone is getting as much fun as i do out of open ended biology EEI's. The amount of "How does chocolate affect heart rate??" questions.........'tis a a very thin veil for a reason to eat chocolate.
Kim

[RosalieM]

What are EEI's?

[Mother]

I'm curious too!!!!!

[kimm]

Don't taunt me...........you guys don't know what they are - which means you don't do them. EEI is short for Extended Experimental Investigation - they are an experiment that the student basically makes up and then puts into action. Can be anything of up to 6 - 8 weeks long. I am fairly sure it is in the qld curriculum. We have to do one yearly for 11 biol, 12 biol, 11 chem 12 chem and I have just heard physics is going to start next year. Our biology is open ended so the girls can pick absolutely any nonsense and do an experiment - (it seems).
For me EEI's is similar to putting your head in a door and slamming it shut over and over again - just because you can.
Imagine - not just having to run after teachers but students as well all day long.

[RosalieM]

Oh yes, we do something similar. I had yr 11 chemistry doing that last term only they were restricted to testing water. They had to come up with something to test for, and then work out what to do, then come and do it in their study periods. Unfortunately our labs are full all day every day (except one lab, one period/week) so they had to move into the prep room. I pulled up a chair and sat outside the door for a while watching them because I couldn't actually fit in there with them! Thankfully they were pretty good with the cleaning up and putting away equipment (probably because I was there watching!) and I didn't have a whole lot to do at the end. I can't begin to imagine the extra work associated with the EEIs you are talking about!

[fibreweb]

I quess that is the correct/fancy name for what we here just call projects!

Here all year 8 students do a "project" in groups of 3 (that in itself is 70 different projects) and then at the beginning of year 10 each student does an individual project. Thats 220 individiual projects. Plus practice projects at the end of year9 to give the kids ideas for yr 10! I hate them!!!

The're supposed to be doing stuff with dependant and independant variables but for me it means a hell of a lot of extra work and major drain on recources. We supply actual scientific equipment but if they are say testing "what product removes stains best" they supply the stain remover. It becomes very difficult when you have 50 odd students all asking for thememeters or stopwatches!! Each year we "loose" several stopwatches and other gear.

Year 12 biology do an EEI on enzyme reactions some time in the next couple of weeks but I think that they are going to be restricted to using renin and milk and varying the temperatures.

Wendy

[rosiegbh]

Who thought of adding this to the curriculum ? I can't imagine how much extra work this must be for you. Hang in there remember only 71 days to Christmas and it will all be over.

Rosemary

[Ocker]

OK! Wendy
So you know where to get Junket tablets?

[sunray18]

There is a supplier of Junket in SA..
Simply Junket
> PO Box 416
> Greenacres SA 5086
> Ph: 0448 586 538
> It costs $11 for 2 x 10g vials including postage (1 tab = 0.5g).One vial contains 20 tabs.

We are not doing the junket Bio prac at the moment - teachers are doing one that uses potatoes .. much easier to clean up after!

[lada]

Ocker, I just ordered rennin from Southern Biological. It goes under name of rennet. I looked for junket tablets but gave up.
Hurry up Xmas
Lada

[Ocker]

If you get onto Simply Junkets website they have a list of shops they supply
one in Toronto Pam and all over but without the list it's hard to find

[ellice]

We do something similar, but we call them SRA's (Science research assignments). I have all Yr 10 doing their own, and Yr 9 in groups of three. It's a nightmare! Even the teachers are sick of them, and we are hoping the HOD will change it to the kids doing it at home. Who cares if they get help! I'm the one helping most of the time anyway!
Ellice.

[lizzieb]

Most Health Food shops seem to stock the Simply Junket now, or will get it in for you. It comes in a powdered form, each vial equal to 20 tablets.
We buy direct from the SA supplier, but it's good to know we can grab some locally if we've run out.
Our Yr 12's are doing it this week.

[smiley]

Hey Kim,

We do them too! It took a lot of lunch times, and Wed afternoons, as an alternative to Interschool Sport. Luckily for me the HOD directs the area of study, and limits what can be done. So all our Biology ones (for example) had a focus question to answer, which was about the macro- and microscopic adaptations of leaves to their specific environments, and then the little darlings went off investigating leaves.

Also luckily for me, we are a small school, but I still get kids who don't get started, and then want me to perform miracles for them. Our biggest expense, therefore, is one million microscope slides, and a few scalpels.

By the end of ours I was over at all, big time, but once again, I honed my skills on cross-sectioning a leaf without a microtome.

[kimm]

That would have to be the point that annoys me the most - all the EEI's are done in my prep room. I will get a knock on the door with a bunch of students saying we are here to do our EEI's with no notice and that is pretty much where my planned day stops and helping them takes over. Teachers here complain that they hate the EEI's - but i really do not know why as they palm them off to me from day one - even supervision. I have kids here somedays from 7 in the morn to 3 in the afternoon - lunch breaks - all breaks are void as i can not leave them.
I am pretty blunt about my thoughts but teachers seem to be too busy as well.
This year we have spent in excess of $900 on consumables - chocolate, energy drinks, softdrink etc etc.
Some mad person devised the EEI's to send all of us QLD'ers insane.
It could be the straw that breaks this camels back.

Cheers crew!
Kim

[June]

Hey,
Just wanted to confirm that I can now also get junket from the local health food shop in powder form in 15g bottles so it would definitly be worth checking out this local source.

Narelle

[pkij]

Yes we have just finished last term doing EEI's with senior students. They did their work/observations during their lab prac time, but then they have all their lessons in the lab so that was not too much of a problem. I was very involved in this and even though it was a lot of work, I enjoyed having something different to do and think about. between myself and the teacher we managed to get all the students going with some type of activity.
We did a lot of EEI's using seed germination kits purchased from Southern Biological, they contain growing tubes and all equipment needed to germinate bean or corn seed, they are foolproof and space saving and of course plant growing has many different aspects to investigate. We have quite a few kits and are useful for all grades, you can buy replenishment kits, they are well worth the investment.

[smiley]

Pilar,

What kind of things did you do with your seedlings? Our kids have to investigate "tropisms" - you know phototropism, geotropism etc. Do you think the bizzos from Southern Bio were worth it?

[SGG]

15g Junket powder containers are also available from Franklins stores. Cheaper than Health Food stores.Regards Sue G

[lizzieb]

Thanks Sue - Franklins opened a store here recently, so I'll have a look for it there when I need some more.