How To Engage Students With Interactive Science Lessons

Making science class your students’ favorite hour of the day doesn’t have to be hard. Sure, many science teachers have their students sit at their desks, read their books, and watch some mp3s that illustrate topics they need to know for the test. But you can inspire even students who hate science to love science with these ten easy interventions.

Use Lots Of Visuals, Preferably With Hands-On Demonstrations

Some of the most important concepts in modern biology—the structure of DNA, for example—are hard to visualize. So, use lots of visual aids. Think images, videos, YouTube, and, where permitted, TikTok.
A picture is worth a thousand words. For example, a 3-D demonstration of basic biological concepts, electrophoresis, is even better. Engage the senses and kinesthetic learning by allowing your students to create their visuals and do lab work hands-on.

Enlist Influencers

We aren’t aware of any biology videos made by Nina Guerrero, Fateh Hallintar, Andy Jiang, or Noa da Boa (although it would be a great idea). That doesn’t mean you can’t bring local influencers to liven up your biology class.

Recruit an EMT, a doctor, a nurse, a genetics counselor, a microbiologist, or a biological engineer to be a teacher for a day. Introduce your students to adults making biology their rocket to success, who can inspire them and share real-life experiences about the best ways to get ahead.

Show Your Excitement About Biology

The biggest influencer in your biology class, of course, is you. Feel free to get a little geeky with your enthusiasm for the latest developments in biological science. Model enthusiasm for bioscience to your students. Ensure they know the latest developments in the field and why they make a difference. A little (just a little) silliness and groan-worthy biology humor can go a long way toward motivating your class.

Keep Your Class Connected To The Real World

One of Modern Biology’s most popular experiments is the analysis of a mutant hemoglobin gene. In this experiment, students discover whether monozygotic (although they would typically already know), heterozygotic (carriers), or non-carriers of the gene that causes hemophilia.

No experiment from Modern Biology has inspired more hands-on investigation by future scientists than our module on the mutant hemoglobin gene. Students learn to identify the risk of disease in their own lives and in people they know. They think through the social and ethical implications of genetic testing and approach news reports of genetic engineering that cure disease with a new perspective.

Experiments with real-world implications that students do for themselves inspire meaningful careers in science. Don’t just impress on your students that they are the scientists of tomorrow. Confirm that they are scientists today.

Encourage Collaboration

Science is a collaborative endeavor. And, frankly, schools have budgets. Even with the budget-friendly pricing you can find at Modern Biology, you don’t have the money to let every student do their own experiments solo.

That’s not a bad thing. Modern Biology experiment kits are intended for use by pairs of lab partners. Let’s face it. Everybody in biology has had “that” lab partner. Students working in teams not only have to master time management, conserve supplies, take notes, and present conclusions. They have to master all of these skills with a partner. Teaching collaboration skills is not a question on standardized tests, but it most certainly contributes to future success on the job.

Give Your Students Choices

Modern biology is standardized. You have a curriculum from your state board of education. If you want your students to do well on tests, you follow the scope and sequence set by experts (never mind that you may have more experience in the classroom than they do).

Even in this environment, students do better when they can own their choices.

That is the beauty of teaching biology with laboratory content provided by Modern Biology. Not only do you save the time and hassle of ordering, stocking, counting, and reordering supplies, which always seem to be a little short, you give every student—or at least every pair of lab partners—a choice in what they are studying.

No experiment from Modern Biology is just a demonstration. In every experiment by Modern Biology, your students will define a question they want to test. Then they will experiment to test it and report the results. It’s not about getting the “right” answer. It’s about asking a good question.

Give Your Students Multiple Pathways To Learning

We are all concerned about keeping our classes on our students’ level. Sometimes we need to raise their level.

The best approach to encouraging mastery of the basics is not always to drill the basics and drill them some more. The right approach to bolstering your students’ comprehension of the essential elements of biology is to give them chances to learn in different ways. Enlist experts, share videos, and make biology relevant, as mentioned above. And take advantage of the teacher guides that Modern Biology includes with every experiment.

Take Students Outside

What’s biology without fieldwork? Challenge your book-bound students to find examples of the scientific principles they know so well in the world outdoors. Give them chances to excel in the field, not just on their exams.

Do Field Trips

Visit working biologists in their labs. See the results of biological research in venues ranging from corn fields to hospitals to sewage treatment plants. If you can’t get your school to give you a bus, a driver, and chaperones, arrange virtual field trips. Be sure you keep biology connected to real-world activities.

Play Games

Students love computer games. With Modern Biology, they can build a biologically based computer. Give your students an entirely new perspective on gaming.

Modern Biology has helped over 80,000 teachers keep over 500,000 students turned on to biology. Call us at (765) 446-4220 for more information today!