Trends in Biological Education-An International Review

We examined selected situational emotions (interest, well-being and anxiety) experienced by 291 secondary school tenth graders during a hands-on gene technology lesson. Two different instruction groups (I-1, I-2) participated in the same teaching unit, in which four basic gene technology experiments were performed. Using a modified ‘constructivist teaching sequence’, a teacher confronted group I-2 with the alternative conceptions of their peers regarding central issues and processes of gene technology in addition to providing the scientific concepts. The pupils within the I-2 group scored higher in the positive emotions of interest and well-being. The negative emotion anxiety was almost absent in both instruction groups. Furthermore, our results indicate a potential influence of interest and well-being upon learning success. Pupils who felt fine and worked with interest in the experimental lessons scored significantly higher on the cognitive achievement test. Eliciting pupils’ alternative conceptions and using them in a wide variety of teaching contents is therefore advisable. By doing so, teachers could help create a classroom environment where pupils feel safe and confident. Also, a pupil’s interest regarding the choice of material needs to be taken into account if positive emotions need strengthening and the learning achievement needs improvement.     

Drama as physical role-play: actions and outcomes for life science lessons in South Africa

Abstract

Two volunteer BEd student teachers in their fourth year of a BEd degree at a metropolitan university in the Western Cape of South Africa designed and taught lessons to two classes of the same age and ability in grade 7 (ages 12–13), using drama role-plays (intervention) and more conventional non-drama methods (control). Lessons were observed and video-audio recorded to identify episodes critical to successful learning. Learners (pupils) in both sets of classes were tested in associated content using tests designed by the student teachers. In both cases test outcomes were in favour of drama lessons (F = .56 and .55) but were not necessarily linked to the number of positive teaching episodes. Lack of interaction between student teachers and their learners, insufficient structure to the role-plays or a tendency to over-contextualise scenarios did not seem to have hindered conceptual understanding. Findings suggest a more nuanced and progressive programme of training in using drama for teaching science would be beneficial and that subject knowledge for planning activities must be particularly sound.     

基于专业定位的野生动物学教学改革探索

高校课程教学基于专业定位,是建立课程教学体系与提高教学效果的先决条件。高等林业院校对非生物类专业开设的野生动物学课程,需要根据专业培养目标与学生特点确定教学内容、方法与评价体系。在对旅游管理专业开设的野生动物学教学改革中,基于专业培养目标,通过对教学内容调整,开展趣味教学、研究性学习、案例讨论等教学方法的探索,总结了教学经验与教训,提出从学校、学院和教师3个层面共同努力以促进野生动物学教学改革的建议。     

A review of the use of the brine shrimp,Artemia spp,for teaching practical biology in schools and colleges

Brine shrimps are salt water Crustacea that are cheaply, easily, and rapidly reared in schools. In several studies they have proved to be attractive to pupils and valuable for teaching ecology and animal behaviour. Using simple and inexpensive apparatus such as plastic bottles, pipettes, sieves, and magnifiers pupils may investigate their feeding, growth, and development, observe reproductive behaviour and, by means of planned investigations, learn important lessons in animal ecology. Brine shrimps have a demonstrated usefulness for teaching and learning at every level of education — from primary, through secondary science, to undergraduate biology project work. In school, brine shrimps present fewer ethical problems than those posed by the keeping of many other laboratory animals, yet at the same time give opportunity for ethical discussion. The extensive utilitarian use of brine shrimps in research and fisheries may provide a technical and commercial link to classroom science.     

Doing Philosophy Effectively: Student Learning in Classroom Teaching

An important aim of teaching philosophy in Dutch secondary schools is to learn about philosophy (i.e., the great philosophers) by doing philosophy. We examined doing philosophy and focused specifically on the relationship between student learning activities and teacher behavior; in doing so, a qualitative cross-case analysis of eight philosophy lessons was performed. The effectiveness of doing philosophy was operationalized into five learning activities comprising rationalizing, analyzing, testing, producing criticism, and reflecting, and scored by means of qualitative graphical time registration. Using CA we find a quantitative one-dimensional scale for the lessons that contrasts lessons that are more and less effective in terms of learning and teaching. A relationship was found between teaching by teachers and doing philosophy by students. In particular we found students to produce a higher level of doing philosophy with teachers who chose to organize a philosophical discussion with shared guidance by the teacher together with the students.     

医学微生物学PBL教学中常见问题与解决对策

PBL(Problem-Based Learning, PBL)是以问题为导向的教学方法, 是一种有效的教学补充手段, 对提高学生的自学能力、交流与合作能力、分析问题解决问题的能力有重要帮助。在PBL教学过程中, 应注意两个重要问题: 一个是教师角色的转换, 从讲授者转为引导者, 教师要把握好角色, 避免过多干涉学生的活动, 防止影响学生的热情与积极性; 同时要时刻让学生意识到自己是PBL教学的主体, 不应过份依赖教师; 另一个重要问题是学生教学活动与教学目标的偏离, 教师要认识、分析影响教学目标实现的常见问题, 有效引导教学活动沿主线向教学目标前进。     

The readability of school biology textbooks

In a study of 104 biology lessons, evidence was found of the widespread use of texts as sources of information, often unsupported by other teaching. The readability of three popular texts for the 14–16 age range was estimated by three different measures. Comprehension tests of material from the books (cloze tests) were given to 100 school biology pupils (aged 15–16 years). The results confirmed that the texts presented serious problems of comprehension for some pupils.

Some implications for teachers and authors are discussed.     

The Teaching of Photosynthesis in Secondary School: A History of the Science Approach

In this article we present a synthesis of the research affecting pupils' conceptions of photosynthesis and plant nutrition. The main false conceptions of the pupils identi?ed in this literature review are: that green plants ?nd their food in the soil; that water and mineral salts are suf?cient to the growth of a plant; the role of chlorophyll, where the transformation of luminous energy into chemical energy is never evoked; and air as a source of matter, which is never underlined. Secondly, we are going to see that several of these false conceptions have been developed during history. For example, the famous philosopher Aristotle (384–322 BC) thought that plants receive their food from the soil already elaborated. Several centuries later, the physician and chemist Van Helmont (1677–1644) added more precision to Aristotle’s conception while claiming that plants use only water for their growth. Finally, we will see that the analysis of the false theories developed during history will permit in a context of teaching to valorize the false conceptions of the pupils. Indeed, the history of sciences could incite a teacher to valorize his pupils’ false conceptions while considering them as an indication of difficulties that deserve particular pedagogical and didactic tools. The false conceptions constructed by the pupils don’t have to be ignored in a teaching context because they obey particular reasoning rules, sometimes similar to those that once guided some scientific steps. This view, drawing on false conceptions developed during history, gives a dynamic and human picture of the science very distant from the one sometimes carried on by dogmatic teaching.     

Differences in how biology teachers represent content structure in classroom discourse: a video-based analysis

Despite the importance of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in practical teaching and the inconsistency of teacher quality in different regions in China, there is little empirical evidence for specific differences in teachers’ PCK in different districts in China. This study attempted to address this gap through analysis of practical teaching demonstrations by three pairs of biology teachers; each pair comprised one teacher from Beijing and one from Hebei province. The teaching content was the same for each pair, including a discussion of blood, blood type, and the heart. The practical teaching demonstration was videotaped for each teacher. Analysis of the PCK focused on one aspect: content structure. Analysis of the six lessons suggested that the Beijing biology teacher presented more structured biology terms than did the Handan biology teacher in each pair. The Beijing biology teachers also performed better in connecting the new knowledge with previously learned knowledge than Handan biology teachers. The current study contributes to the methods for capturing teachers’ PCK in classroom discourse, and it indicates specific differences between Handan and Beijing teachers in the ability to make connections in students’ knowledge.     

Modellsystem Honigbiene

The honeybee provides a suitable context for synergistically uniting a nearly unlimited range of questions from different perspectives. The model system honeybee thus provides a contentual framework for linking subject‐specific biological contents in student and teacher science education. Furthermore, due to the coordination of subject‐specific, didactic, pedagogical and practical school aspects, the observed levels can be linked horizontally and vertically. This article presents four research projects for pupils focusing on the model organism honeybee. Each of the projects corresponds to a different subject area and focuses on working with authentic research questions.     

Expert video exchanges in bilingual biology lessons - student’s intrinsic motivation and subject-specific interest

ABSTRACT

This paper presents an instructional model to incorporate English-language communication between international practicing scientists and English learners into secondary science lessons. The aim was to identify a method that lets pupils practice English as the language of science and that elicits positive affective attitudes in the form of task-specific intrinsic motivation. As a central condition, the approach had to be feasible in realistic school settings. The pupils that participated in the two studies presented (total n = 218) were native German speakers and interacted with English-speaking experts in the curricular contexts of cytology and immunology via videos. We assessed pupils’ task-specific intrinsic motivation (as defined by their interest/enjoyment of the exchange and their relatedness to the expert) and compared it to their subject-specific interest in biology and English before and after the project. We further contrasted the motivational ratings of bilingually experienced and inexperienced groups of pupils. Both groups reported similar and remarkably high task-specific intrinsic motivation for the video exchange. Subject-specific interests remained constant before and after implementing the method and were correlated with interest/enjoyment in the standard, but not in the bilingually experienced classes. The applicability of the exchange model in different topics, subjects, and student groups is discussed.     

研究生高级微生物学课程教学改革与实践初探?

从研究生"高级微生物学"课程的定位、研究生学习该课程的目的、知识背景差异及教学过程中的问题等方面分析了目前研究生"高级微生物学"教学中存在的问题。通过教学内容的优化、教材建设、教学方法改革、师资队伍建设以及建立师生交流平台等方面进行教学改革实践,取得了较好的教学效果。     

Pupils' perceptions of three-dimensional structures in biology lessons

An investigation into 11–15 year old pupils' ability to tackle tasks concerned with the understanding of threedimensional structures studied in school biology lessons is outlined. The investigation takes the form ofapaperand- pencil test, and the test items call for the interpretation of sectional views of three-dimensional structures (represented by diagrams and stereograms) studied in conventional biology syllabuses for 11–15 year olds. Test scores were subject to cluster analysis and the emergent groups are described.

The analysis pointed to the existence of two discrete skills used by pupils interpreting three-dimensional structures. These are the skill of abstracting sectional shapes and that of appreciating the spatial relationships of the internal parts of a structure-. Extracts from tape recordings of pupils ‘talking their way through’ selected tasks corroborate the two-skill theory.     

“图启”教学模式在细胞生物学教学中的构建*

"图启"教学模式是以"图"为主线,培养教师的制图能力、学生的识图能力和学生的绘图能力,并将三者有机结合,即将教师的备课、理论授课、实践教学三个环节融为一体,最大限度地提高教学质量,提升学生的综合能力。本文论述了在细胞生物学教学中构建"图启"教学模式的方法和意义,为"图启"教学模式在生物学教学中的推广与实施奠定基础。     

A study of the hygienic aspects of the pedagogic process

A knowledge of the laws governing changes in the functional state of the organism of pupils during lessons at school is one of the principal bases for solving the hygienic problems of organizing the teaching. The main concern is the dynamics of changes in the actual functional state of the CNS as a result of a whole complex of endogenous and exogenous factors as well as the school work of the pupil itself. Changes in the functional state of the optic and acoustic analysors deserve special attention in this respect because of their great exposure in pedagogical work. The existing interindividual differences in performance and in the work rate of pupils should be solved by an adequate pedagogical approach. Correct use of the principle of differentiated tuition can be a positive contribution to solving some of the topical problems of hygiene of the pedagogical process.     

新课标形势下如何备好课

备好课是上好课的先决条件。不论是新教师还是老教师,认真备课对于保证其课堂讲授的效果,都有着直接的影响。旨从几个不同方面和大家一起探讨＂新课标形势下如何才能备好课＂问题。     

基于QQ平台开展微生物学项目学习的探索

将QQ平台与项目学习整合引入微生物学教学中,开展基于QQ平台的教学探索。教师首先通过QQ群文件夹发布项目学习选题,然后根据项目活动的进程利用QQ群文件夹、QQ一对一文件传输功能给学生传送项目活动相关的文档或发布学习资料,并通过QQ聊天功能解答学生的疑难问题、督促学生开展项目学习活动。问卷调查结果表明:基于QQ平台的微生物学项目学习有利于发挥学生学习的主体性,能够加强师生之间的交流,提高学生的学习兴趣、信息素养及协作学习能力。     

护理士官分子生物学常用实验技术备课体会

目的：通过精心备课,以提高分子生物学教学中护理士官学员的学习效果。方法：在护理士官分子生物学常用实验技术理论教学中,从备学员、备目的要求、备内容、备方法和备小结几方面做好充分准备。结果：教学准备充分,学员学习兴趣浓,热情高。结论：结合护理士官特点备课,可以提高学员学习效果。     

Biology student teachers’ dialogic talk in inquiry-based instruction

ABSTRACT

Inquiry-based learning has generally accepted by scholars as a most effective teaching approach in biology education. The talk during inquiry-based teaching needs to be practiced. There is less evidence how student teachers talk with students during their inquiry-based biology instruction. This knowledge is needed in supporting student teachers to develop their teachership in biology education. In this qualitative case study, the dialogic talk of biology student teachers (N = 6) was studied in the context of inquiry-based lessons in lower secondary school. The student teachers’ lessons were video and audio recorded and the data was analyzed using content analysis. The student teachers used dialogic talk in their inquiry-based instruction only occasionally, mainly in the examination and the conclusion stages. During the introduction stage, dialogic talk was less used and it was mainly explaining and instructing the content. In the examination stage, student teachers also guided students and stated facts. During the conclusion stage, student teachers mainly explained and also evaluated students’ statements. The lesson’s topics and methods used in inquiry-based learning may enable the dialogic talk of student teacher to some extent. However, teacher education should focus more on scaffolding student teachers’ talk with their students in all kinds of inquiry approaches.