Learning what you need to know

The heart of being a scientist lies in experimental design and statistics.  If students can understand statistics and use that to design experiments in the classroom (in addition to learning how to observe nature), then America can have more scientists.

Connecting with Nature

I lay in bed unable to sleep.  Too excited by the conclusions I had made about learning science.  About how it all starts with observing nature, and then about learning how to study nature.  I started thinking about Winged Migration and feeling connected with nature through sitting and observing.  I sought the truth in that moment.  In knowing nature.  So often school is so detached from nature.  We are removed from it through the exercises, the books, the worksheets.  We put nature in a box.  We kill it instead of bringing it to life.  The way science is taught, we can't actually experience it.  I realized that I had been craving that feeling for so incredibly long.  Someone had told me once that I have a natural connection with nature.  I began focusing on that.  The emotion became so intensified and I felt so connected with the universe (it is weird, I felt something I've never felt before) - I felt as if I was communicating to some Gaia, some portal.  I felt like all the molecules in my body were interfacing with all of the other molecules around me in my physical space (my bed).  I didn't recognize myself as separate from the objects around me....I could only feel the bond energy between my elements and those of my elemental surroundings.  It was amazing.   It was very three dimensional and layered and colorful.  It was more intense than an orgasm, but not entirely in a physical way, in sort of a mental way.  It was like a mental and emotional orgasm (as opposed to a physical and emotional orgasm).

Making Biology Come To Life

Biology is the study of life.  Biology is the exploration of nature, of observing creatures interacting with their environment and understanding how organisms adapt, grow, and reproduce in those environments.  Biology is highly sensational, beautiful, engaging and amazing.  Those who study biology are biologists.

So, why then, are we not teaching students to be biologists in our biology classrooms?  Why are our classrooms filled with worksheets, powerpoints, diagrams, and books instead of more sensational interactive media?  If we want biologists, we need students to engage with the content.  The first component of scientific inquiry is observation.  Our students must practice observing first and developing into biologists.  All actions in a biology classroom must aspire to be biologist oriented.  We must aspire to go beyond "student" and go into "biologist - one who studies life."