In this month’s column, the experts address the following question: When you lose 10 pounds, where does it go?
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For many students, high school science is biology and our best—and sometimes only—opportunity to impact students’ knowledge of and interest in science generally will remain linked to the quality and nature of biology instruction in U.S. high schools. This article examines the history and current state of biology education through a review of educational statistics. Some compelling conclusions led the author to believe that “biology is the most important science subject taught in school!”
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Drawing knowledge from many fields—including science, engineering, and art—space architects such as Constance Adams design structures for nonterrestrial environments. In one such project at NASA, Adams works on elements for the International Space Station (ISS), which is currently being assembled, and inhabited, in outer space. For Adams, and everyone involved with ISS, each week brings new, unanticipated challenges as scientists learn about the orbital environment 330 km above Earth and what it takes to exist there.
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This article explores the tensions embedded in the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) that pose both opportunities and challenges for biology instruction with implications for all the sciences. It highlights issues that may arise as biology instruction is adapted to “fit” the NCLB mandates with specific focus on biology content standards and assessments, curriculum, and teaching.
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The ability to sequence genes has vastly altered our understanding of higher-level relationships among organisms such as those found at the kingdom level. It is important for biology teachers to incorporate these new views and not retain outdated concepts still present in some textbooks. This article provides an overview of our new understanding of higher-level taxonomy, and suggestions for the utilization of current taxonomy in classroom instruction.
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In this month’s column, the field editor shares an epiphany he had while finishing up a genetics unit with his high school students—“It’s a wonderful time to be teaching biology.” He discusses the events that led him to this conclusion, and provides an array of website resources that can be used to incorporate the endless marvels of biology instruction into the curriculum.
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Many students view biology and chemistry as two unrelated, separate sciences; how these courses are generally taught in high schools may do little to change that impression. The study of enzymes provide a great opportunity for both biology and chemistry teachers to share with students the interdisciplinary nature of science. This article describes two laboratory activities that demonstrate the roles of hydrolase and oxidoreductase enzymes found in common foods. The activities are designed to promote student interest and provide practice in scientific-inquiry skills.
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At Oklahoma City Community College, they have developed gel electrophoresis activities that support active learning of many scientific concepts, including: pH, electrolysis, oxidation reduction, electrical currents, potentials, conductivity, molarity, gel electrophoresis, DNA and protein separation, and DNA fingerprinting. This article presents six different ways that electrophoresis can be used to help students learn multiple science concepts.
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Although the cell membrane is a complex structure, its basic form, and the self-organizing behavior of the molecules that produce it, can be easily simulated in a high school science classroom. One such simulation, described in this article, uses oil, water, and the cell membrane-forming molecules (phospholipids) of egg yolk. The demonstration allows students to observe the self-assembly of phospholipid membranes around oil and water droplets, which shows how easily polar forces help construct then hold together the cell membranes in living organisms.
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In a collaborative effort between university researchers and high school science teachers, an inquiry-based laboratory module was designed using two species of insecticidal nematodes to help students apply scientific inquiry and elements of thoughtful experimental design. The learning experience and model are described in this article.
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Bloodborne pathogens are microorganisms found in human blood that can infect and cause disease in people who are exposed to blood containing the pathogen. The precise risk of bloodborne pathogen transmission during exposure to open wounds or mucous membranes such as eyes, ears, nose, and mouth is not fully known. However, scientific evidence suggests the chance of exposure may be extremely low but not zero. The good news is that precautions can be taken to ensure that no bloodborne pathogen transmission occurs. The guidelines outlined in this article are important for avoiding contact with bloodborne pathogens during high school laboratory or field work.
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Due to his work to determine how cholera was spread in the 18th century, John Snow (1813-1858) has been hailed as the father of modern epidemiology. This article presents an inquiry model based on his life and work, which teachers can use to develop a series of biology lessons involving the history and nature of science. The lessons presented use a combination of literature, history, critical thinking, and simulation to promote “the use of history in school science programs to clarify different aspects of scientific inquiry, the human aspects of science, and the role that science has played in the development of various cultures” as recommended by the National Science Education Standards (NRC 1996, p. 107).
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Constructivism is the basis for standards, inquiry-based instruction, and a candidate for buzzword of the decade. But what is constructivism? This month’s column provides the answer to this thought-provoking question, and explains why it can be a challenge for students to grasp brand new, abstract science concepts.
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