Dissecting for deeper learning

Dissection is an activity where we aim to differentiate parts of the body to understand its morphology. Because of this, it makes it so much easier to study the anatomy of different animal species and see how they work. It is fascinating to see and feel the different textures and shapes of the organs in the body. Most of our education in biology is based on theory, so the Dissection Club is an amazing way of putting the knowledge we have to practice.

The club is held every Tuesday after school in our lab by my fantastic biology teacher Dr. Nadine Sugianto. Before we dissect, she always prepares and presents a PowerPoint presentation explaining about the organ we are exploring and thereafter demonstrates how we should dissect and what to look out for while we do the dissection. This exercise is something I found very helpful.

EF Academy Oxford offers so many different clubs as part of the focus on learning enrichment and I wasn’t sure what to expect from the club when I first signed up. This a big contrast from education system in Norway where I never had the opportunity to actually study the different parts of the body in a way like this. One of my favorites was dissection of a sheep’s brain. This is due to the fact that the specimen between my hands wasn’t just a fragile tissue, it was one of the most complex organs in the body. I felt astonished to hold something that has such an important function in our lives. The way we move, think, see, dream, live, react to our surrounding is basically controlled in this organ. Since I have a strong interest in studying medicine, particularly neuroscience, Dissection Club is an introduction to real life experience.

In addition, the other organs we have explored so far are the heart, testis of a sheep and the respiration tract (larynx, trachea, lungs) of a pig. I have learned so much from the Dissection Club and it just makes it so much easier to understand the body anatomy. Dr. Sugianto always guides and helps us during the sessions so we have a deep understanding of the material. Sometimes it is not so easy to see what we have right in front of us, so I really appreciate that. This is a club I really recommend for everyone. It is a fantastic opportunity especially if you are interested to understand deeper about how these remarkable organs look and work.