Share with your class news items on medicine, DNA, the environment, population growth, and other topics that biology touches upon. Offer extra credit to students who will give a brief in-class report on a reference to a biological concept they came across in a television show, movie, etc. Ask them to explain the reference, what biological concept it dealt with, and why it is important. Talk about careers that draw on biology, such as medicine, pharmaceuticals, conservation, public health, etc. You can even invite individuals practicing in these fields to visit your class, talk about their work, and answer student questions.
Plant a garden to learn about photosynthesis. Raise butterflies or other animals to learn about the life cycle. Dissect specimens to learn about anatomy. Test samples of store-bought yeast to see whether or not they are alive. Look at slides of various kinds of cells.
There are valuable resources devoted to using the popular game Minecraft in educational contexts, including biology courses. [3] X Trustworthy Source Edutopia Educational nonprofit organization focused on encouraging and celebrating classroom innovation Go to source Allow students to utilize technology for assignments in your course. For instance, students with interest in web design might develop a website to illustrate a biological concept.
Jeopardy Quiz bowl Taboo Pictionary Twenty questions
A local science museum[5] X Research source A botanical garden A zoo A farm A research lab
Lecturing Cooperative learning (students help each other learn about a topic) Concept mapping Discussion Reading Hands-on activities
Utilize the Socratic method by periodically asking students questions. In a large lecture course, not everyone may have the chance to speak each day, but students will feel more involved. [7] X Research source Have students come to the lecture with pre-prepared questions. You can then address some of their questions. This lets students know that they are being listened to. Consider incorporating iClickers or similar technologies into your lecture courses so that students can respond to informal quizzes or polls during class. This lets you gauge how well they are understanding a topic, and gives them an opportunity to get involved. In smaller classes, set aside plenty of time for open discussion. Expect students to be able to talk about biological topics, ask questions, etc.
You don’t have to overgrade students. [8] X Research source It’s easy to incorporate low-stakes writing exercises in your class. For instance, at the end of each session, have them write a paragraph summarizing what they learned. Rather than assigning a grade to their responses, open the next class session by discussing them.
The biology collection at the Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching (MERLOT). [11] X Research source The American Biology Teacher CBE Life Sciences Education[12] X Research source Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education[13] X Research source Bioscene: Journal of College Biology Teaching
