Annual Biology Teachers Conference 2021
ANC Education the leading higher educational institution in Sri Lanka in collaboration with the Institute of Biology successfully hosted the 1st Biology Teachers Conference on the 12th of February 2021 at Cinnamon Grand Colombo. The event was held to empower educators in the country to help students achieve their higher educational goals in the field of science.
The event was graced by the following distinguished guests and speakers.
Dr. Mahesh Vipula Jayasinghe (PCC (U.S. A), DTM (U.S. A), DBA (AIU), MBA (Col), B.Sc (Col), FCMA (U.K), Executive Coach, Corporate Trainer and Consultant.
Dr. Devanmini Halwatura, Council Member of the institute of Biology and Senior Lecturer at Department of Zoology and Environmental Sciences, University of Colombo.
Dr. Ravimal Galappaththi (MBBS, DPM, MD, MRCPsych, Did Strategic Psychotherapy, Dip. Clinical Hypnotherapy, Cert in Drama Therapy) Consultant Psychiatrist – Military Hospital Colombo.
Dr. Suratissa Dissanayake (Doctor in Paleobiology & Museum Science) Department of Zoology & Environmental Sciences, University of Colombo.
Ms. Harsha Damayanthi Paranawithana, (M. Sc. (Col), Pg. D. ERD (Col), B. Ed. (1st Class), B. Sc., DTMS (Lyceum))- Lecturer (Permanent) – Lyceum Academy for Teacher Education.
Dr. Punarjeeva Karunanayake – CEO / Executive Director of American Education Center Ltd.
Dr. Harry Prasad (MD) – (Doctor of Medicine/ MBA International Business – University of West Scotland / Diploma in Counselling & Psychotherapy) Assistant General Manager – ANC Education, Medical Officer Gynecology & Obstetrics – Hemas Hospitals (Wattala), Associate Member (SLNIPC).
Educators from leading schools and lecturers were present to collectively discuss the challenges they face during the COVID era for teachers, students as well as parents and to discuss ways to successfully overcome these obstacles. One of the keys points of the event was how to effectively use new platforms for teaching using online tools such as Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Team etc. Another area discussed was the drastic difference in the teaching environment from physical classrooms to online classrooms and how to keep students engaged and interested during these ever-changing times. The discussion topic was conducted by Dr. Mahesh Vipula Jayasinghe.
Dr. Suratissa Dissanayake spoke on how to successfully teach practical lessons for biology students in a manner that students will understand and retain the important areas during lessons, using everyday examples.
The discussion was to help teachers simplify complex diagrams of anatomy and other biology-related topics and inspire students to pursue more science-related careers by shattering the perception that biology is a field that is simply too hard and complex to pursue.
One of the most important topics was conducted Dr. Ravimal Galappaththi on Teen Psychology. Presently, one of the key areas missing from the current educational system is a child’s mental health. Educators as well as parents fail to take into consideration how a child’s personality develops throughout the stages of childhood, adolescence, and adulthood and how these changes affect differently from one child to another. Tackling these differences using effective techniques is of utmost importance to educators as they experience this first hand in the classrooms.
Approaching this using proven psycological techniques can help shape a child’s future and inspire them to aim higher in life.
Ms. Harsha Damayanthi Paranawithana, A renowned lecturer at Lyceum International School spoke on the future of biology education and how teachers can advance higher in their fields. She also spoke on the importance of students and teacher’s health, posture during teaching and their long-term effects and ways to minimize unhealthy habits. As most student who studies biology, aspire to be medical doctors, there are other career prospects a student can choose in different fields such as Micro-Biology, Molecular Biology, Genetics, Medical Research, Medicine and much more. She spoke on the importance of how informed an educator should be ,not just the textbook but also the importance of how to guide a student after their advance level to become successful professionals in the field of science.
Lastly, Dr Harry Prasad spoke on the importance of choosing the right medical university for student who wish to pursue career in the field of medicine. The discussion included the importance of choosing a university depending on your budget, results and most importantly the recognition of the university. ANC Education currently works with leading medical universities most of them recognised by the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC) and other medical bodies in USA, UK, Australia, Malaysia, Russia, Belarus, Latvia, Georgia and more. He also mentioned the importance of choosing a reliable and reputed agent when a student decides to enrol into a foreign medical university.
This is the first step to inspire and educate teachers and lecturers in the field of biology. ANC Education the leading higher educational conglomerate hopes to continue to empower educators to provide inspiration and knowledge to the future biology students in Sri Lanka.