Flying Pigs
These questions from a student popped into my inbox this afternoon: What is the plasma membrane? What does it do? What makes it up? Does the membrane like or hate water? I knew where she'd gotten the questions. They are from a study guide I posted for chapter 3. What subject does chapter 3 address? Cells.
So color me amazed when I read the student's response: I want to say the plasma membrane is a lipid bilayer and proteins in constantly changing fluid mosaic. But I can not figure out what it does, what it makes up, and if it hates water or likes water.
Amazed might not be the proper word for my feelings. Something like gobsmacked might better describe what I felt sitting in front of my computer. Sure, the student had a portion of the answer correct. Yes, the plasma membrane is a lipid bilayer. Yes, it has proteins embedded in it. Yes, we consider the membrane to be a fluid mosaic. The student clearly had no trouble copying the words I'd given them on an outline. But from there, she can't quite make the proper connections. Which makes me wonder what in the hell she was doing while I was lecturing.
I mean, what does the plasma membrane do? After we described the plasma membrane, we spent days--yes DAYS--on what the membrane does for a cell. I repeated, over and over and over again, how the structure of the plasma membrane--including the phospholipids, integral proteins, peripheral proteins, cholesterol, and glycocalyx--how all of those structures helped the plasma membrane do what it needs to do. We talked about all the nitty gritty things she probably thought weren't important: diffusion, active transport, vesicular transport, and brought it back to the big picture--that the plasma membrane helps keep things in and other things out. And she doesn't have a clue as to what that membrane does. REALLY?
I shouted expletives at the screen and set about righting this student. I emphasized that she needed to look in the notes, perhaps read the chapter (novel idea there), and maybe even look on the internet (yes, I had to suggest this). I wanted to tell the student to do all of this next time before she sent me questions like these, but alas, I'm too nice. In the end, I answered her questions and hope that come Monday, she'll be able to put everthing together and pass the exam.
When pigs fly, as they say.
So color me amazed when I read the student's response: I want to say the plasma membrane is a lipid bilayer and proteins in constantly changing fluid mosaic. But I can not figure out what it does, what it makes up, and if it hates water or likes water.
Amazed might not be the proper word for my feelings. Something like gobsmacked might better describe what I felt sitting in front of my computer. Sure, the student had a portion of the answer correct. Yes, the plasma membrane is a lipid bilayer. Yes, it has proteins embedded in it. Yes, we consider the membrane to be a fluid mosaic. The student clearly had no trouble copying the words I'd given them on an outline. But from there, she can't quite make the proper connections. Which makes me wonder what in the hell she was doing while I was lecturing.
I mean, what does the plasma membrane do? After we described the plasma membrane, we spent days--yes DAYS--on what the membrane does for a cell. I repeated, over and over and over again, how the structure of the plasma membrane--including the phospholipids, integral proteins, peripheral proteins, cholesterol, and glycocalyx--how all of those structures helped the plasma membrane do what it needs to do. We talked about all the nitty gritty things she probably thought weren't important: diffusion, active transport, vesicular transport, and brought it back to the big picture--that the plasma membrane helps keep things in and other things out. And she doesn't have a clue as to what that membrane does. REALLY?
I shouted expletives at the screen and set about righting this student. I emphasized that she needed to look in the notes, perhaps read the chapter (novel idea there), and maybe even look on the internet (yes, I had to suggest this). I wanted to tell the student to do all of this next time before she sent me questions like these, but alas, I'm too nice. In the end, I answered her questions and hope that come Monday, she'll be able to put everthing together and pass the exam.
When pigs fly, as they say.
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