Classroom teaching can be a "wild" experience, but in March three teachers stepped out of the classroom to take on the Tassie wilderness and deliver their students a different kind of lesson. Joining forces with a team of scientists, the teachers delved into the important task of surveying Australia's biodiversity at the Stony Head…

With the aim of exploring how science is done in collaborative interactions when children discuss reasons for animal diversity, this paper provides insight into the relationships between acts of doing science and collaborative interactions. Video data from four small-group discussions (N = 14) were analysed using Lemke's (1990) talking science…

Ecosystems, interacting systems of biotic and abiotic factors, are a fascinating topic in life science. The "Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSS Lead States 2013) recognize "Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics" (HS-LS2) as one of four overarching ideas in life science that students should understand. Student…

Purpose: Invasive species are under the spotlight because of their detrimental effects on biodiversity. However, management of invasions presents multiple dimensions frequently difficult to disentangle. This complex topic has been tackled through a service-learning project on an invasive insect ("Vespa velutina"), a bee-eating species…

In this study, an extracurricular observation module is suggested for the purpose of observing the sustainability of biodiversity based on gathering evidence regarding different seed dispersal processes in the natural environment. These observations were made during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic, a time when human activity inflicted a…

Research has shown that spending time in nature is beneficial for children's mental wellbeing, but how long must they spend to gain some benefit? Here we present the results from two studies: the Schools' Biodiversity Project, which took place over a year, with children spending an hour a week exploring biodiversity in their school grounds; and a…

The iNaturalist application has been gaining traction in both biodiversity research and education. Increasingly more research is being carried out, looking into using the iNaturalist application in biology education, to promote biodiversity and educate students about this topic. We used the PRISMA systematic literature review method to examine…

The purpose of this study is to design a digital game design-based STEM activity for fifth-grade students learning about endangered organisms and significance of biodiversity for living. This activity was carried out with twenty students in a public school in Eastern Black Sea Region of Turkey during academic year of 2018-2019 spring term. This…

The purpose of this study is to present an activity designed according to inquiry-based science approach and its implementation. The activity set up towards guided inquiry and was performed with participating 12 preservice science teachers and 24 eighth grade students. The activity started with a daily-life problem related to Yozgat Çamlik…

This article describes an activity designed to foster an authentic way for students to learn about the biodiversity in their community. The activity is a half year scaffolding sequence to explore the living environment right outside the classroom. In using the outdoors just outside the window as a classroom, an inquiry based activity accomplished…

I present an activity to help students make the connection between meiosis and genetic variation. The students model meiosis in the first phase of the activity, and by that process they produce gametes of a fictitious reptilobird species, "Chromoseratops meiosus." Later on, they will "mate" their gametes and produce a zygote…

Students learning the skills of science benefit from opportunities to move between the scientific problems and questions they confront and the mathematical tools available to answer the questions and solve the problems. Indeed, students learn science best when they are actively engaged in pursuing answers to authentic and relevant questions. We…

This article describes activities in which students sample, investigate, classify, and compare characteristics (i.e., texture, color, density, porosity) of local soils, evaluating whether the soils are healthy or at risk. Students investigate correlations between geology and geography, predict which soil types may go extinct in their state, and…

Imagine saving just one of the 23,000 species threatened with extinction. Students studying endangered species in a general life science course faced the decision of which species to save as a summative assignment in a unit on scientific explanation and argumentation. They used the claim, evidence, and reasoning (CER) framework in which students…

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of nature-based education on the attitudes of 7th grade students towards the environment and living organisms as well as to assess the affective tendency of this education on the students. The study was carried out with 30 7th grade students at an elementary school. For this purpose, scales…