Biology Education Articles for Teachers - Page 3

There is an overall conundrum when it comes to high school science education. If you look at the way science is organized, physics forms the basic concepts that support chemistry, and chemistry is essential in understanding biology. Students, however, do not usually have the math skills necessary...

Ecology is one of my favorite subjects. I love its complexities and interconnectedness. Not surprisingly, I also find it one of the easiest subjects to teach. Unlike many concepts in chemistry and microbiology, most ecological principles are directly observable. Plus, most children have an inborn...

At the beginning of the school year, I usually end up losing my voice. There is no other point during the year that I talk as much as those first few days. Like all teachers, I spend time explaining the course and my procedures. As a science teacher, I also need to review the scientific method an...

One of the first concepts taught in ecology is that of the ecological hierarchy. Organisms of the same species are grouped into populations; different species are grouped into communities, which interact with nonliving components to make up the ecosystem. Dynamic interactions take place between m...

Biology can be a very broad subject. Considering that all of life is fair game, there’s plenty to work with. When studying different species of organisms, it’s important to note that insects account for the majority of the biodiversity on Earth. There are over 750,000 species of insects, about th...

If a student were to ask me what the single greatest threat to the environment was, I would answer with the exponential growth of the human population.  As we near a global population of seven billion people, the growth is showing signs of slowing, but is still continuing.  More people mean more ...

Forestry is an interdisciplinary subject that can incorporate biology, ecology, measurement, mathematics, and even language arts. If you have just a few mature trees on your school campus, you can include a forestry unit in your curriculum. Teaching forestry is fun because it is naturally hands-o...

The beginning of a new school year is a good time to take stock of your lab materials in preparation for biology lessons to come. Often, funds are available at the start of school that will rapidly diminish, so being prepared with a wish list is a good idea. I have taught in schools with few reso...

When you ask most students where their food comes from, they will generally tell you that it comes from the grocery store or their favorite fast food restaurant. While this may be partially true, it is only a small part of our food chain. To get students thinking ecologically about their food, th...

Looking outside at the amazingly green world, I can’t help but think about one thing – photosynthesis.  All the green leaves are working overtime, converting solar energy from sunlight into the chemical energy of glucose and other organic molecules.  If it wasn’t for those green leaves, life on E...

Summer is a great time to explore the outdoors. If you are teaching during the summer months, taking students outside is a great break in the regular routine. If you are enjoying some well-deserved time off, going outside with your own children, or on your own can be relaxing and rewarding. The t...

Evolution is still one of the most controversial subjects that we teach in our science classes. Only about 40% of Americans believe in evolution, according to a 2009 Gallup Poll. Yet, evolution is part of the standards of many courses, and is fundamental to understanding biology and ecology. So, ...

In my environmental science course, I always begin with a unit called “A Global Perspective.” In this unit, I introduce the concept of thinking globally and acting locally. I also preview the topics that we will discuss in the course. This unit is essential to fostering the environmental awarenes...

I admit to coming down with spring fever just like my students. After months of cold weather, all you want to do is get outside in the sunshine.  As understandable as this is, students still have a lot of work to do, and many concepts to master before summer vacation. My solution is to take my cl...

I am always amazed when I think about how recently humanity learned about DNA. It was less than 60 years ago when James Watson and Francis Crick identified the structure of the double helix. Since that time, a basic understanding of DNA has been infused into popular culture – consider the popular...