Make biology relevant again! Pre-service teachers’ views on the relevance of biology education

ABSTRACT

Biology education should be relevant to young students so that they can become interested in biology and understand biological topics in their everyday and vocational lives. We conducted interviews and collected mind maps to examine Finnish pre-service biology teachers’ (N = 16) views on the relevance of biology education. Furthermore, we analysed Finnish secondary school biology curricula, which were compared with the pre-service teachers’ answers. We classified the views on relevance into nine main categories using grounded theory as the methodological frame of reference. Pre-service teachers emphasised the relevance of biology to the student’s own life, whereas scientific practices and the nature of science were expressed in secondary school curricula more often. Novice pre-service teachers put more value on general knowledge, while more experienced pre-service teachers were more likely to mention sustainable futures and societal aspects in their reasoning. Based on the results, we identified two stages in the development of the views. This study suggests that pedagogical studies, teaching experience and teacher training have an impact on the pre-service teachers’ views about the relevance of biology education. Moreover, we could find differences between curricula and pre-service teachers’ views, especially regarding scientific practices and the role of the nature of science in biology education.     

Annapurna expedition game: applying molecular biology tools to learn genetics

ABSTRACT

In this paper, we present an activity called ‘Annapurna Expedition’ through which students should apply basic concepts of genetics to solve a worldwide pandemic disease. Players take the role of scientists, involved in a research to find out which pathogen causes this pandemic and which could be the best way to solve it. Students have the opportunity to use BLAST software as a scientific bioinformatic tool to discover the main game’ enigmas. The activity uses game-based science learning methodology. This methodology incorporates multiple tools and resources, rely on learning by doing, guiding learners through a path of events and into a way of thinking. It provides students to take information from many sources and make decisions, to deduce a game’s obstacles, to understand complex systems and to collaborate with other classmates.

The activity has been developed for a range of audiences, including high school students and pre-service teachers. A case study has been carried out with a group of 80 primary pre-service teachers from the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV) in Tarragona (Spain) in order to verify whether this activity was well designed, engage students and it is satisfactorily implemented.     

Learning genetics through a scientific inquiry game

In this paper we discuss an activity through which students learn basic concepts in genetics by taking part in a police investigation game. The activity, which we have called Recal, immerses students in a scientific-based scenario in which they play a role of a scientific assessor. Players have to develop and use scientific reasoning and evidence-based decision-making to solve the given enigmas along the game. The activity aims to improve students’ knowledge of genetics and show them how genetic evidence can be applied in forensic science. The activity (known as ‘the Recal case’) uses a problem-based learning educational methodology. It is learner-centred and students play an active collaborative role. The methodology requires students to structure their knowledge, and develop their reasoning processes and self-directed learning skills. The activity has been developed for a range of audiences, including high school students, undergraduates engaged in pre-service teaching and adults of all ages. A case study has also been carried out with a group of 120 pre-service student teachers from the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (Tarragona, Spain) to check whether the coherence in the running of the game, whether its effectiveness as a learning activity and whether its dynamics and motivational aspects are acceptable.     

Budding biology teachers: what have botanical gardens got to offer inquiry learning

Teachers conceptualise inquiry learning in science learning differently. This is particularly evident when teachers are introduced to inquiry pedagogy within a new context. This exploratory study draws on semi-structured interviews conducted with eight pre-service secondary biology teachers following a day visit with university tutors to the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew. Emerging findings were: first, pre-service biology teachers’ views of inquiry learning range in sophistication from simple notions of ‘learning from doing’ to complex multi-notions such as student generated questions, developing curiosity and encouraging authentic scientific practices. Second, similarly their views of inquiry learning opportunities in botanical gardens ranged from simply places that offered ‘memorable experiences’ to enabling autonomous learning due to the organism diversity and multiple climates. Pre-service teachers categorised as having unsophisticated views of inquiry learning had limited expectations of botanical gardens as productive learning environments. Third, the majority of pre-service teachers were concerned about managing inquiry learning. A tension was identified between how open-ended an inquiry activity could be whilst ensuring student focus. Further, participants were concerned about the practical management of inquiry learning. We discuss implications for teacher educators and botanical garden educators and the requirement for curriculum development and promotion.     

How do Detergents Work? A Qualitative Assay to Measure Amylase Activity

We present a practical activity focusing on two main goals: to give learners the opportunity to experience how the scientific method works and to increase their knowledge about enzymes in everyday situations. The exercise consists of determining the amylase activity of commercial detergents. The methodology is based on a qualitative assay using a colorimetric process. Quantitative results are also obtained by measuring the halo formed. This activity is suitable for and adaptable to learners at different levels of education: primary school, secondary education or even for pre-service teachers, which is the group the version described in this paper was intended for. This laboratory activity was designed to include the scientific method as a learning outcome. This was especially important in pre-service teachers, as increasing scientific literacy is one of the primary goals of science education. Through the activity, students also learn about micro-organisms and their applications in their daily lives, which is one of the tenets of Science–Technology–Society–Environment programs. A case study was conducted with a group of learners made up of 75 pre-service teachers from Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, in order to verify whether this lab activity is well designed and can be satisfactorily implemented.     

《动物生物学》教学对生命科学发展和人才培养的作用

动物生物学是揭示动物生命活动规律的科学。作为生命科学专业本科学生最早接触到的主干课程之一,动物生物学的教学对于学生了解生物学的基本概念和基础知识、构建生命科学的知识体系和思维方式、培养和巩固专业兴趣十分重要。系统回顾和总结了动物生物学研究对生命学科发展的贡献,阐明了动物生物学教学对生命科学人才培养与学科建设的作用,引起广大的生物学教学工作者和管理者对动物生物学教学的重视,促进传统重要基础课程的建设与发展。     

The Mathematical Basis of Mendelian Genetics

In a climate where increasing numbers of students are encouraged to pursue post-secondary education, the level of preparedness students have for college-level coursework is not far from the minds of all educators, especially high school teachers. Specifically within the biological sciences, introductory biology classes often serve as the gatekeeper or a pre-requisite for subsequent coursework in those fields and pre-professional programmes (eg pre-medicine or pre-veterinarian). Thus, how helpful high school science and mathematics experiences are in preparing students for their introductory biology classes is important and relevant for teachers, science educators and policy makers alike. This quantitative study looked at the association between students' high school science and mathematics experiences with introductory college biology performance. Using a nationally representative sample of US students (n?=?2667) enrolled in 33 introductory college biology courses, a multi-level statistical model was developed to analyse the association between high school educational experiences and the final course grade in introductory biology courses. Advanced high school science and mathematics coursework, an emphasis on a deep conceptual understanding of biology concepts and a prior knowledge of concepts addressed in well-structured laboratory investigations are all positively associated with students' achievement in introductory college biology.     

Self-generated Analogical Models of Respiratory Pathways

Self-generated analogical models have emerged recently as alternatives to teacher-supplied analogies and seem to have good potential to promote deep learning and scientific thinking. However, studies of the ways and contexts in which students generate these models are still too limited to allow a fuller appraisal of these models’ effectiveness in enhancing conceptual learning in science. This study explores how biology students aged 15–17 generated physical concrete models to represent their understanding of the respiration pathway after learning about it through a conventional flow diagram model. The analogies portrayed in students’ self-generated models provide teachers with a supplementary channel to explore students’ conceptual understandings of this complicated topic and allow students to reflect on ways in which the abstract pathway portrayed in textbooks actually makes sense to them.     

A Competence-based Approach to the Design of a Teaching Sequence about Oral and Dental Health and Hygiene: A Case Study

We present a case study to illustrate the design and implementation of a teaching sequence about oral and dental health and hygiene. This teaching sequence was aimed at year 10 students (age 15–16) and sought to develop their scientific competences. In line with the PISA assessment framework for science and the tenets of a context-based approach to science education, the design of the teaching sequence was based on real-life situations. After setting out these premises the paper describes and illustrates the stages and tasks involved in the teaching sequence, and discusses certain aspects of its implementation. We conclude by considering a number of issues related to the teaching sequence, including its transfer to teachers.     

Microscopy images as interactive tools in cell modeling and cell biology education

The advent of genomics, proteomics, and microarray technology has brought much excitement to science, both in teaching and in learning. The public is eager to know about the processes of life. In the present context of the explosive growth of scientific information, a major challenge of modern cell biology is to popularize basic concepts of structures and functions of living cells, to introduce people to the scientific method, to stimulate inquiry, and to analyze and synthesize concepts and paradigms. In this essay we present our experience in mixing science and education in Brazil. For two decades we have developed activities for the science education of teachers and undergraduate students, using microscopy images generated by our work as cell biologists. We describe open-air outreach education activities, games, cell modeling, and other practical and innovative activities presented in public squares and favelas. Especially in developing countries, science education is important, since it may lead to an improvement in quality of life while advancing understanding of traditional scientific ideas. We show that teaching and research can be mutually beneficial rather than competing pursuits in advancing these goals.     

An exploratory study of student teachers’ conceptions of teaching life science outdoors

Abstract

The purpose of this exploratory qualitative study was to investigate elementary student teachers’ conceptions of teaching life science outdoors. The study involved 99 student teachers who were enrolled in an elementary science methods course at a large public university in the United States of America. The study utilised drawings, and narratives to investigate the nature of these teachers’ conceptions. Data analysis revealed that three conceptions of teaching life science were common among the participants: (1) teaching life science is predominantly conceptualised as being situated in the schoolyard, (2) teaching life science outdoors is teacher-directed, and (3) teaching life science outdoors is disconnected from in-class science instruction. Implications include the need for (1) teacher education programmes to provide reflective supports that explicate student teachers’ conceptualisation of teaching life science and thus exposing prior frameworks; and (2) teacher educators to examine student teachers’ prior frameworks for teaching life science outdoors and provide knowledgeable theory and practice platforms that will serve as frameworks for student teachers to adopt, connect and routinize outdoor life science teaching with in-school teaching of life science.     

Fostering systems thinking in student teachers of biology and geography – an intervention study

ABSTRACT

Developing students’ systems thinking is an often-posed demand in education for sustainable development (ESD) and science literacy. Several studies have shown that systems thinking can be fostered in students of different education levels. Therefore, science teachers who are required to teach ESD-relevant topics should be proficient in systems thinking and be able to transfer that knowledge effectively to their students. The research project SysThema (Systems Thinking in Ecological and Multidimensional Areas) investigated the effect of three courses designed to foster systems thinking in student teachers of biology and geography. Courses varied in their proportions of technical fundamentals of system science and didactical content for teaching systems thinking. To conceptualise systems thinking, a heuristic structural competence model for systems thinking was developed. This model served as the basis for a test in evaluating the courses in a quasi-experimental intervention study that employed a pre-, post- and follow-up test control group design. After the completion of the courses, a high effect of fostering systems thinking was found in all treatment groups compared to the control group.     

The Growing Visibility of Creationism in Northern Ireland: Are New Science Teachers Equipped to Deal with the Issues?

The growing visibility of various forms of creationism in Northern Ireland raises issues for science education. Attempts have been made at political levels to have such “alternatives” to evolution taught in the science classroom, and the issue has received coverage in local press and media. A sample of 112 pre-service science teachers answered a survey on attitudes toward evolution. Preliminary analysis revealed many of these new teachers held views contrary to scientific consensus—over one fifth doubt the evidence for human evolution, and over one quarter dispute the common ancestry of life. Over two thirds indicated a preference for teaching a “range of theories” regarding these issues in science. In addition, 49 pre-service biology teachers viewed a DVD resource promoting “intelligent design” and completed an evaluation of it. The biology teachers also took part in either focus groups or additional questionnaires. A majority took the resource at face value and made positive comments regarding its utility. Many articulated views contrary to the stated positions of science academies, professional associations, and the UK government teaching directives regarding creationism. Most indicated a perception that intelligent design is legitimate science and that there is a scientific “controversy” regarding the legitimacy of evolution. Concern is raised over the ability of these new teachers to distinguish between scientific and non-scientific theories. The suggestion is made that the issue should be addressed directly with pre-service science teachers to make clear the status of such “alternatives.” The paper raises implications for science education and questions for further research.

How fieldwork-oriented biology teachers establish formal outdoor education practices

ABSTRACT

Fieldwork is an important part of biology as well as science and biology education. However, teachers perceive several reasons for the limited use of fieldwork in schools. Further, outdoor education is often organised as a single fieldtrip guided by outdoor educators, and little research has been done on fieldwork as a regular part of formal biology education. This case study explores three secondary-school biology teachers who untypically use outdoor education as a major part of their ecology courses for 8^th grade students (median age 14). Berger and Luckmann’s theory of the process of institutionalization as a theoretical background is used to interpret the pedagogical and organizational choices of the case study teachers. Analysis of the interviews of the selected three teachers revealed pedagogical and organizational means through which outdoor teaching is institutionalized into a regular activity in biology lessons. The teachers considered regularity, assessment practices and the school curriculum as major tools to legitimate outdoor learning as a formal schoolwork and foster successful learning. However, they also emphasised students’ freedom during outdoor activities. The findings are discussed in terms of how the teachers succeeded in combining the institutional order of formal schooling with students’ freedom in nature.     

Teaching Evolution Concepts to Early Elementary School Students

State and national standards call for teaching evolution concepts as early as kindergarten, which provides motivation to continue developing science instruction and curriculum for young learners. The importance of addressing students’ folk theories regarding science justifies teaching evolution early in K-12 education. In this project, we developed, implemented, and researched standards-based lessons to teach elements of evolution (speciation and adaption) to kindergarteners and second graders. Our lessons attended to the students’ prior knowledge, and utilized inquiry and modeling to teach and assess their ability to recognize patterns of similarity and differences among organisms. Using their products and comments as evidence, it was apparent the students were able to communicate recognition of patterns and effectively apply their knowledge in near transfer activities, indicating they achieved our learning objectives. This provides support for teaching evolution concepts in the early grades and evidence of the ability for young children to effectively engage in supported inquiry and modeling for learning science.     

Chilean Pre-service and In-service Teachers and Undergraduate Students’ Understandings of Evolutionary Theory

Despite the importance of the theory of evolution to scientific knowledge, a number of misconceptions continue to be found among teachers and undergraduate students. The aim of the present study was to describe and characterise knowledge about evolution among 120 freshman undergraduate students of two natural sciences programmes (environmental biology and veterinary medicine), 80 pre-service science teachers (elementary and biology) and 45 in-service teachers (elementary and biology high school) in Santiago, Chile. The research was carried out based on an eight-question questionnaire about evolution acceptance and understanding. The instrument included seven Likert-scale questions and one open-ended question. An analysis of the data revealed that more than 70% of teachers (pre-service and in-service) and undergraduate students recognised the theory of evolution as established scientific knowledge. When participants discussed the mechanism of evolution in the open-ended question, the most prevalent responses from students and teachers (33%) explained evolution as need-driven changes for survival purposes. Only 13% of the responses could be considered Darwinian, and 10% of responses included more than one view of evolution. The Darwinian responses generally included three important aspects: variation, inheritance and differential reproduction. The implications for biology teacher education are also discussed in this study.     

Engaging students in constructing scientific explanations in biology classrooms: a lesson-design model

Abstract

Constructing scientific explanations of natural phenomena is an important aim of science education. Explanation oriented science teaching approaches encourage learners to engage in sense-making discussions and construct the causal accounts of the phenomena under study. This article demonstrates a lesson-design model that guides biology teachers on how to integrate explanation oriented teaching in their everyday practice. The proposed model includes six phases: (1) presenting a hooking activity; (2) formulating a how-why type focus question; (3) constructing the initial causal story; (4) using authentic data, scientific facts, principles, and disciplinary core ideas to revise-refine the causal story; (5) discussing-rewriting the refined causal story; (6) applying the causal-mechanistic knowledge in a new context or problem scenario. An eleventh-grade lesson on the topic ‘protein biosynthesis in cells’ serves an example about how this model can be operationalized to design and implement explanation oriented biology lessons.     

Perspective: Teaching evolution in higher education

Abstract.— In the past decade, the academic community has increased considerably its activity concerning the teaching and learning of evolution. Despite such beneficial activity, the state of public understanding of evolution is considered woefully lacking by most researchers and educators. This lack of understanding affects evolution/science literacy, research, and academia in general. Not only does the general public lack an understanding of evolution but so does a considerable proportion of college graduates. However, it is not just evolutionary concepts that students do not retain. In general, college students retain little of what they supposedly have learned. Worse yet, it is not just students who have avoided science and math who fail to retain fundamental science concepts. Students who have had extensive secondary-level and college courses in science have similar deficits. We examine these issues and explore what distinguishes effective pedagogy from ineffective pedagogy in higher education in general and evolution education in particular. The fundamental problem of students' prior conceptions is considered and why prior conceptions often underpin students' misunderstanding of the evolutionary concepts being taught. These conceptions can often be discovered and addressed. We also attend to concerns about coverage of course content and the influence of religious beliefs, and provide helpful strategies to improve college-level teaching of evolution.     

Educators of Prospective Teachers Hesitate to Embrace Evolution Due to Deficient Understanding of Science/Evolution and High Religiosity

Acceptance of evolution by educators of prospective teachers remains superficially studied despite their role in having mentored schoolteachers whose weak support of evolution is known. Here, we contrast the views of New England educators of prospective teachers (n = 62; 87% Ph.D./doctorate holders in 32 specializations) with those of the general faculty (n = 244; 93% Ph.D./doctorate holders in 40 disciplines), both members of 35 colleges and universities, and with college students (n = 827; subsample of the 35 institutions) who were polled on: (1) the controversy evolution vs. creationism vs. intelligent design (ID), (2) their understanding of how science/evolution works, and (3) their religiosity. The educators held intermediate positions in respect to the general faculty and the students: 94% of the general faculty, 75% of the educators, and 63% of the students said they accepted evolution openly; and 82% of the general faculty, 71% of the educators, and 58% of the students thought that evolution is definitely true. Only 3% of the general faculty in comparison to 19% of the educators and 24% of the students thought that evolution and creationism are in harmony. Although 93% of the general faculty, educators, and students knew that evolution relies on common ancestry, 26% of the general faculty, 45% of the educators, and 35% of the students did not know that humans are apes. Remarkably, 15% of the general faculty, 32% of the educators, and 35% of the students believed, incorrectly, that the origin of the human mind cannot be explained by evolution; and 30% of the general faculty, 59% of the educators, and 75% of the students were Lamarckian (=believed in inheritance of acquired traits). For science education: 96% of the general faculty, 86% of the educators, and 71% of the students supported the exclusive teaching of evolution, while 4% of the general faculty, 14% of the educators, and 29% of the students favored equal time to evolution, creationism and ID; note that 92% of the general faculty, 82% of the educators, and 50% of the students perceived ID as either not scientific and proposed to counter evolution based on false claims or as religious doctrine consistent with creationism. The general faculty was the most knowledgeable about science/evolution and the least religious (science index, SI = 2.49; evolution index, EI = 2.49; and religiosity index, RI = 0.49); the educators reached lower science/evolution but higher religiosity indexes than the general faculty (SI = 1.96, EI = 1.96, and RI = 0.83); and the students were the least knowledgeable about science/evolution and the most religious (SI = 1.80, EI = 1.60, and RI = 0.89). Understanding of science and evolution were inversely correlated with level of religiosity, and understanding of evolution increased with increasing science literacy. Interestingly, ≈36% of the general faculty, educators and students considered religion to be very important in their lives, and 17% of the general faculty, 34% of the educators, and 28% of the students said they prayed daily. Assessing the perception of evolution by educators of prospective teachers vs. the general faculty and the students of New England, one of the historically most progressive regions in the U.S., is crucial for determining the magnitude of the impact of creationism and ID on attitudes toward science, reason, and education in science.