INTRODUCTION

Traditional method of teaching is prone to inefficient
delivery. It is practiced by teaching the context
without any meaningful learning outcome. The
learner would not be able to relate the existing
knowledge with the previous information on the
subject and thus would be unable to apply the
knowledge in a purposeful way. It is therefore desired
to deliver the context through connectivity in a
meaningful, easier and thoughtful way. Concept
mapping is a methodology for the delivery of facts,
concepts and skills in one package. It makes teaching
and learning; easier and purposeful. Teaching and
Learning through connectivity is a basic idea of
teaching by an arrangement of concepts or issues
through interacting systems in which all relationships
between concepts and issues are made clear, up front,
to the leaner using a concept map-like representation.
It involves establishing a hierarchy of concepts
striving for underscoring a more or less closed system
of concepts to clarify the interrelationships among
concepts. Lesson modeled on the basis of connectivity
diagrams help to overcome the traditional snags. To

Ausubel (Ausubel, 1963), meaningful learning is a
process in which new information is related to an
existing relevant aspect of an individual’s knowledge
structure and which, correspondingly, must be the
result of an overt action by the learner. Teachers can
encourage this choice by using tools such as concept
maps. Some theories postulate that continued learning
of new information relevant to the previous
information produces constructive changes. Michael
(Michael, 2001), stated that meaningful learning
occurs when the learner interprets, relates and
incorporates new information with existing
knowledge and applies the new information to solve
novel problems. Meaningful learning presupposes
that the learner has a disposition to relate the new
materials to his or her cognitive structure and that
new material will be potentially helpful for the
learner. Concept mapping is a device that can be
used to communicate to the learner as well as
providing a vehicle to help the learner with
meaningful learning tasks. It provides the basis of
relating new knowledge to previously assimilated
knowledge in a systemic way (Naqvi, et al., 2012).
Concept mapping also incorporates a strong element
of constructivism; in the sense that a student can

Teaching and Learning through Connectivity Part-IV: A Model Lesson for
Teaching Metabolism

Iftikhar Imam Naqvi1, Shaima Hasnat2*

1 Department of Chemistry, Jinnah University for Women, Karachi-74600 Pakistan.
2 Department of Biochemistry, Jinnah University for Women, Karachi-74600 Pakistan.

ABSTRACT

Teaching without learning and inculcating creativity is a source of boredom for the students
and ends up with traditional rote learning without any knowledge enhancement to the student.
 Through our this effort we aim at changing the scenario of teaching entirety. Concept mapping
or teaching through connectivity is one of such steps that help the teacher and the learner
in making the lectures easier, motivating and constructive. In this model lesson, we tried to
make metabolic process and its interrelated variables simple and understandable.

Keywords: Teaching, Students, Chemistry, Conectivity.

*Corresponding author: shaima.hasnat@gmail.com

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build his/her understanding of new concepts on that
which he/she already has a deep familiarity.

A number of issues pertaining to chemistry have
been thus addressed in our previous discourses (Nazir
and Naqvi, 2011; Shazia and Naqvi, 2002). A lesson
model for teaching biochemistry has been developed
and presented herein.

“Metabolism” is one of the most difficult and
conceptually hard contexts of biochemistry which
often causes the student to get confused or withdraws
them. It involves different terms which themselves
have to have a detailed mapping of their own like
organs, enzymes, biomolecules, energy, nutrition or
diet and nutritional states (fed/starvation) etc. Figure
1 outlays the related material in a linear way.

From here we redirect our presentation such that
teaching metabolism through concept mapping like
that in Figure 2 makes it easier for the students and
it will provide them meaningful and purposeful
outlays. Figure 2 highlights the connectivity of
metabolism with the each of the stake holders that
contribute to the thought process behind this subject
of vital importance. Students usually have previous
knowledge regarding organs, diet, and energy.
However, they may or may not have concepts
developed enough to approach enzymes and their
functions in the body, formation of biomolecules
and the response of body in different biological states
(fed/starved). In figure 2, these vital contributors
towards the life process are indicated and highlighted
for ensuring a lively classroom discussion. Through
this connectivity diagram the student understand
metabolism better and let him/her delve into the

beneficial effects leading towards a better
comprehension.

We expect that when taught this way, student will
be able to appreciate the role of each of the identified
components that controls metabolic processes. The
important issues related to metabolism are expressed

through a concept diagram as shown in Figure 2.
He/she will be able to understand how our body
organs work, where different enzymes are located
and how they perform their actions, what are
biomolecules and what are their nutritional
importance in the diet, they will also appreciate the
route through which the body can get necessary
energy when taking particular amount of
biomolecules in the diet, further to that student will
be able to understand effects of nutritional status
(fed/starvation) on our body organs. Through the

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Figure 1: Linear Inputs

Figure 2



discussion involving interconnectivity of the
individual unfamiliar contents on the face value,
students will be able to grasp metabolism. Following
the discussion on this pattern the connectivity diagram
(Figure 2) is modified as in Figure 3.

This amply illustrates the correlation of salient
variables that relate to the metabolism and their
interrelationship. Clarifying all the individual
contributors to the metabolism by the teacher through
this connectivity diagram will let the students to
correlate each concept with the other and hence they
will be able to understand and value each of the
individual parameter that is important for the
regulation of metabolic processes in the body. This
will also help the student to recognize that when a
person takes in diet or in the fed state; organs will
respond by activating particular enzymes which act
on different biomolecules present in the diet and
provide energy & also initiate anabolic process of
metabolism. The students also grasp the fact that in
starvation condition the organs of our body respond
differently by activating different enzymes leading
to the catabolic processes of biomolecules to provide
energy to the body.

SUMMARY

The implementation of teaching through connectivity
assists to deliver the concepts of underlying metabolic
process in an effective and meaningful way. Concept
mapping provides a better understanding of the basics
of metabolic reactions, their importance in the
regulation of body’s function and in understanding
the associated diseases developing out of improper
metabolic reaction. This teaching technique will
open new thinking approach and develop interest in
students, they will not get confused and worried of
learning. Teaching through connectivity will let the
comprehension of basic concepts in an excellent
way and students will be able to correlate it to the
related issues and will be able to clarify them at a
glance.

REFERENCES

Ausubel, D. P. (1963). The Psychology of Meaningful
Verbal Learning; Grune and Stratton: New York.

Michael, J. (2001). Adv. Physiol. Educ. 25, 145–158.

Naqvi I I., Kanwal G. and Shafi A. (2012). Teaching
undergraduate students through connectivity: Part
3, RADS J. Biol. Res. Appl. Sci., 3 (2): 18-20.

Nazir, M. and Naqvi, I I. (2011). Teaching
undergraduate students through connectivity, RADS
J. Biol. Res. Appl. Sci., 2 (2); 07-10.

Shazia, S and Naqvi, I I. (2012). Teaching
undergraduate students through connectivity: Part
2, RADS J. Biol. Res. Appl. Sci., 3 (1): 07-08.

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Figure 3