Action potential can be demonstrated through an interactive display in the classroom!

Once an action potential has been initiated at the ‘start’ of an axon, it ‘moves’ down it. However, nothing physically moves along the axon. Rather, the reversal of charge is reproduced continuously along the axon.

The process of action potential can be likened to a ‘Mexican wave’ at football matches. Whilst the wave of people standing up and raising their hands (action potential) travels around the stadium, the people themselves do not physically move from seat to seat.

How this can be brought into the classroom:

  • Get students to make a line for a mini Mexican wave.
  • Ask them to make their individual movements.
  • Get them to relate their movement to the polarisation, depolarisation and repolarisation of an axon.

Dr Jeremy Rowe, head of Biology at The Thomas Hardye School, was inspired to suggest this teaching idea after hearing Dr David Bainbridge (University of Cambridge) and Dr Gabriele De Luca (University of Oxford) speak at The New Teacher Subject Day course on Nerves and Hormones.

Schools Programme members can download the resources from the event in the PTI Staffroom.

Want to discover more inspiring subject knowledge? See our upcoming courses and events for 2016/17, including our CPD subject days: Biological transport and Biotechnology at Key Stage 5.

Find more knowledge nuggets here.

Image: By Naparazzi via Flickr, licensed by Creative Commons. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/).