Some thoughts on teaching biology...

[Jane in NC]

When I began this high school homeschool thing, I was told that biology was the easiest of the big three high school sciences (bio, chemistry, physics) to teach at home, namely because of the availability of lab materials. Nonetheless, my 9th grade son began his high school science career with physics, not biology, in part because he wanted to study physics and he immediately connected with Hewitt's Conceptual Physics text. We certainly did not have all of the equipment for home physics lab, but the Hewtt manual presented so many labs that we found we could at least adapt many of them for home use.

Next up: 10th grade and biology. Having been an avid reader of these boards for many years, I felt a certain sense of second hand familiarity with many of the books that are out there. Campbell and Miller are two authors who are praised by homeschoolers and biology teachers, so using one of their books seemed the way to go. Further, my son had a solid biology background from earlier work. He felt that the basic high school biology texts were beneath him and opted to go with an AP text, that is, a ten pound college volume (Campbell).

Should I have enrolled him in an online course? Probably. I think that we felt cocky given the number of amazing biology courses that my son had taken at a summer science school. He understood taxomy, he had performed numerous dissections, he had spliced DNA from a jelly into bacteria to make it glow. He was ready for AP or so it seemed.

I think what threw us off kilter is the amount of biochemistry that is in a standard AP or college basic biology text. And I'm not alone! I am a member of the AP Biology teachers listserv where teachers regularly comment that they were not exposed to all of this biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics, etc. until later in college, grad school or at all! Teaching the subject of biology is changing given the quantum leaps that biologists are making in the field. My summer neighbor, a retired biology teacher whose father was a rather famous botanist, feels that the fun is gone from introductory courses which formerly focused on observation, classfication, larger systems. Now, biology is about the cell and evolution. It has become the study of biochemical processes.

Should chemistry be a prerequisite for the study of AP biology? A question often posed on the listserv regards whether the participating teachers' schools require chemistry before AP Bio. Some schools do, some don't. The general opinion is that introductory chemistry classes do not teach much biochemistry anyway so the material is simply going to be a challenge--no way around it.

What about those darn labs? To be an approved AP class, one must do 12 specific labs. Lab 8, for example, requires a large sample for participation, something that you won't find in my homeschool or AP biology classes in rural schools. Are there alternatives? Sure. Someone has a great online simulator for a population genetics lab. In fact, many schools cannot afford the equipment required for the AP labs, so they run similar labs with less expensive equipment. Amazing what you can find on the Internet.

We are fortunate in that we essentially live biology in our normal lives. Our ecosystem is interesting and constantly changing. We get up close and personal with shorebirds, migrating birds and raptors on a regular basis at a rehabilitation center. In fact, my son begins his day tomorrow by assisting in the necropsy of a loon. We spend our summer days in a scientific community with many biologists who are performing cutting edge research. Biology as the science of observation of the natural world remains interesting for us. But I fear for kids who only are exposed to biology as the science of biochemical processes. Something magical seems lost, at least to me.

The bottom line, I think, is that younger children should be shooed away from television sets and game systems to watch ants and bees and grow tomatoes and draw or photograph azaleas. So much basic biology can be understood by an elementary aged student armed with a few good guides. That is the time to hook a child on biology--not when the pressure is on to memorize and achieve a high score on an AP exam!

Jane

[mcconnellboys]

I totally agree! My older son is in just a standard biology classroom this year and all they've done all year is biochemistry and now evolution....

Regena

[Chris in VA]

Great post! I am giving you those little stars for it!

[gardenschooler]

Jane, this is so true. Young children are naturally curious about all things living - why not spend time on it, while they are interested?

I agree that early exposure helps them be able to grasp more details later. I have never understood the movement to take science out of the homeschool, or deem it as one of the less important subjects.

[Janie]

Jane,

How helpful! Would you mind listing your favorite texts/authors for the various science disciplines? We need to seriously beef up the science curriculum at school, and I'd like your input.

Thanks!

[momof7]

Jane,

Your post is one of the reasons that I feel completely overwhelmed by the thought that we are moving from our little "homeschool school." The teachers there supplement textbooks so incredibly much that I know I can not possibly duplicate the instruction at home. The biology course has a 3 week stint on chemistry.....indepth, difficult 3 weeks of involved chemistry studies. They do that well before they start studying the kreb's cycle and other cellular processes.

The chemistry teacher sends home weekly lists of independent work outside of the textbook. I think the chemistry class is probably close to 30-40% supplemental material.

I have written several times on the K-8 board that I am becoming convinced that teacher knowledge outweighs materials in the vast majority of situations. When I know the material, I can teach it to my kids 1000x better than when I am trying to learn it alongside them. Since I am not a biologist or chemist, how do I know what supplemental materials I should include?? I know that A and N had a far better science education than I could provide them if I was their sole teacher. Isn't that what they deserve? Should they be limited by my lack of knowledge? Ok.....can you tell I am really stressing out over this entire issue?

I'm ok the rest of this yr since I have enrolled N is high school. L is only in 8th. Next year when she starts biology......that is where I am not sure what I am going to do.

BTW.....our house is empty (except for us and our sleeping bags, and disposable cups and plates! And my internet modem. I have to turn it in tomorrow. We move in our new house on the 6th.)

[Jane in NC]

Originally Posted by momof7

BTW.....our house is empty (except for us and our sleeping bags, and disposable cups and plates! And my internet modem. I have to turn it in tomorrow. We move in our new house on the 6th.)

Wishing you well as you get settled into your new home! I don't know how you have held it together this year--better woman than I!

Jane

[Jane in NC]

What grade level? I have so many favorite books for elementary and middle school in a variety of topics. I'm still figuring out this high school thing!

[Gwen in VA]

Talking about biology --

Is there anyone who is taking biology through Scholars Online this year? I would like to ask you a question!

[Ms. Riding Hood]

Originally Posted by momof7

A and N had a far better science education than I could provide them if I was their sole teacher. Isn't that what they deserve? Should they be limited by my lack of knowledge?

I understand exactly what you mean. I've struggled with this same thought many times. In fact, I regularly question whether my kids would be getting a better education in p.s. and if I'm doing them a disservice by homeschooling them, just because of what you mention. But there are a couple of things that I come back to. First of all, my kids are not homeschooled solely for the purpose of giving them the best education. Does that sound odd? I hope not. I just mean that my reasons have much more to do with our family, our lifestyle, the kind of relationships I want to have, and the kind I want my kids to have with each other. Even if the best possible education was right up the road, I'm not sure if I would want to choose that if it meant my kids being gone every day from 7:30 a.m. till 6:30 p.m. (which is the schedule many of our local p.s. kids keep...and that's not counting the days and evenings where they have games or meets going on.) I keep trying to remind myself that life is about much more than that.

Also, even though it sounds like you had a great situation, I think that my kids are benefitting from learning to learn some things on their own...from studying and having to figure things out. Is that ideal? I don't know. I'm sure there are some wonderful teachers with wonderful knowledge to communicate, but I'm not convinced that they are in the majority. I'd love my kids to be inspired by a teacher with a love for his subject matter. Period. But when it comes down to it, I'm not sure I ever had a single teacher like that in my school career. Well, maybe one. What I did have were a lot of teachers spoon feeding me "knowledge" about various subjects. I never took responsibility for my own learning in the way that I see my kids doing. I think they will be better for it.

I'm sorry for you to be leaving a place where you had something so special for your children, because I know what it's like to leave a great cozy cocoon for something that seems so...less than that. It's very hard, and no getting around it. Like giving birth multiple times, LOL! You have to go through the pain to get to the good stuff. I pray that God will show you and I both his "still more excellent way".