Only about half of Americans are convinced that human activity is the major cause of climate change. This statistic highlights the increased need for high-quality climate science education but also highlights the fact that lessons on this subject are often complicated as denial argumentation abounds in classrooms. In order to achieve greater efficacy of and receptivity to climate science instruction, I propose the inclusion of lessons on the nature of science and the reframing of lessons in terms of risk management.

Creating and interpreting visual displays of data is an important component of quantitative and scientific literacy. We examined a figure-analysis activity called “Figure of the Day” (FotD) and its impact on undergraduate biology students' figure creation skills. The treatment FotD activity required that students interpret a figure with some contextual information missing (e.g., titles, labels, legends). The control FotD activity required that students interpret a figure with no missing contextual information. Students in both the treatment and control groups made significant gains in their figure creation abilities. Bootstrapping of the Wilcoxon signed-rank effect sizes, r, shows large effect sizes for both the treatment (r ± SE = 0.708 ± 0.034) and control (r ± SE = 0.688 ± 0.0395) activities. Students most often reported that the activity's positive aspects were increases in their figure interpretation and creation skills. Commonly reported negative aspects of the activity were that it took too much time and the figures were confusing. Students in the treatment group more often reported that the activity was enjoyable. This suggests that regular interaction with figures in the style of the FotD activity can improve students' figure creation skills in a meaningful and enjoyable way.

Socioscientific issues have proved to be excellent tools for fostering the development of higher-order thinking skills that lead to superior socioscientific reasoning and decision making. This educational construct, with a focus on a local coastal environmental situation, was incorporated into a science class of high school biology students in Puerto Rico to assess relevant content knowledge and enable socioscientific reasoning. We describe how socioscientific reasoning was introduced, implemented, and assessed and the influence it had on students during a four-week in-depth exploration on the topic.

Engaging students in hands-on inquiry helps them develop skills associated with the scientific process. Development of simple experiments using model caterpillars can provide an experiential demonstration of the scientific process and ecological principles for high school students. Caterpillar models are formed from plasticine, a nontoxic, nondrying modeling clay, and are an excellent tool for quantifying relative predation rates by birds, small mammals, and invertebrates. Lifelike surrogate larvae are glued to vegetation for short periods (one week) and retain identifiable marks (beak, teeth, mandible imprints) following predator attack. This technique is simple, inexpensive, and provides rapid and clear results, rendering it a highly effective method of inquiry for high school students. Students can use these methods to ask a variety of research questions, such as comparison of predation in nearby habitats (park vs. backyard), vegetation (tree vs. shrub), season (spring vs. fall), or coloration (aposematic vs. camouflage). For many students, this may be one of few opportunities at the high school level to investigate science “in the field” and integrate scientific practices, such as the scientific method and inquiry, in an authentic research experience. Participants develop their scientific reasoning skills through creation of research questions and interpretation of results. They learn experimental technique, build field skills, and work collaboratively. This experiment aligns with the Next Generation Science Standards.

Given that science and engineering practices are a large focus in the Next Generation Science Standards, biology teachers need to find ways to incorporate the engineering design process into their curriculum. To address this need, I present a lesson that allows for student collaboration in designing and developing a solution to a global problem resulting from overfishing and our use of unsustainable fishing practices. This lesson also demonstrates to students that larger, global issues that seem insurmountable to solve can be broken down into smaller, more manageable pieces. My approach involves having students research a problem related to sustainable fishing practices and design a physical model of a solution to combat their specific issue. Peer review is then used in order to help students revise and edit their models during the lesson in response to the peer feedback received. The lesson will culminate in a presentation to the class about the biological, social, and economic ramifications of both their assigned problem and a potential solution.

Using live vertebrate animals to demonstrate learning and memory is typically not done in high school biology classes. We designed an apparatus and protocol by which students observe learning in fish. Students generate questions and discover answers (e.g., does age, sex, species, or chemical exposure impact learning and memory outcomes)?

The abundance of online resources that students have access to makes it difficult to determine whether the information they find is accurate. Several online sources have claimed that hamburgers from fast-food chains do not decompose, and we developed two exercises that allow students to (1) test this claim, (2) learn about fungi, and (3) reflect on their eating habits. In both exercises, we inoculated fast-food items with the fungus Rhizopus stolonifer. The first exercise was a controlled experiment with hamburgers, and the second was a screening trial in which all students brought in their own fast-food items. In both exercises, animal-based products and fatty baked products (e.g., biscuits) allowed R. stolonifer to grow, while condiments and bread products tended to inhibit growth. Our students indicated that they would be more critical of online information and that they would eat less fast food. These exercises met our objectives and engaged our students, and we encourage others to develop exercises that examine online claims.

The Hardy-Weinberg principle and associated calculations are often challenging for students to learn for three reasons. First, several assumptions need to be understood to correctly apply the principle. Second, a series of calculations are required for proper application. Third, the principle, assumptions, and calculations are often taught separately from students observing population changes over time. We describe a classroom activity in which students investigate how the allele frequencies of soft-shell clam (Mya arenaria) populations change over time as a result of environmental disturbances by simulating the effects on population data. These classroom population changes are then compared to authentic research data collected on populations of M. arenaria. This activity was implemented at three institutions in introductory- and senior-level biology courses. Students reported that the activity helped them better understand and apply both the principle and its calculations.

In biological membranes that are permeable to water and ions but impermeable to other solutes, the diffusible ions cannot reach a concentration equilibrium. Instead, a state of electroneutrality is achieved on each side of the membrane, which requires that the diffusible ions be found in different concentrations on either side of the membrane. The Donnan equilibrium is a major contributing factor to the polarized state of cells, and appreciating it is vital to the understanding of neuronal physiology. This article presents a nonmathematical active-learning exercise that will help AP and college biology students understand how the Donnan equilibrium is achieved.