I guess i'm old-school. Not really impressed by the way biology is taught in schools. It used to have a huge medical bias (for med school people - which is true, given that in the 90s most people only took bio to get into med school), with a huge focus on human physiology. Option 4, remember people? Then now, it's shifting to biotech apps. I have nothing against that, i'm all for that, but an inherent bias to that particular area of biology isn't very useful at the school level. We need to lose our focus of studying at the DNA/genes/proteins level. Zoom out, people. If not you are falling into the dawkinsian ideas of the Selfish Gene. The organism as a whole, its interactions with other abiotic and biotic factors are so important too. And we need to teach our students that.
So what if you know all about a particular gene? It is not very useful and informative, until you place it in context of the organism. The problem is molecular biologists and eco/evo biologists are so polarised in their work, there's little acknowledgement of each other's work, to the extent that there's some level of contempt for each other. We need to bridge the gap between the schism. True, it's my inherent bias that i like both areas, i like making use of molecular techniques to study processes that have an impact on the organism: its ecology and evolution.
We need to return to the basics of biology. Remember primary school science? With all the nature garden visits to look at fishies and water hyacinth. Biology is not just a lab science. That would mould it in a similar vein to the physical sciences. It's also a field science. Get out there and look at the trees and wonder why they look like that. Climb up hills, and see how the leaves change in shape and orientation. Bring specimens back into the classroom and investigate them. Beats looking at textbook pictures and what not. That's how we ignite passion for something in someone. We must first radiate that passion from ourselves to infect others.
That's my rant for the morning. I guess the rant arose from my experiences here - an amalgation of the great classes i've been taking this quarter. From bacterial genetics to general botany to biochemical evolution. Covers the scale pretty nicely. And they have been taught by great lecturers, with different styles. And given me loads of ideas.
So what if you know all about a particular gene? It is not very useful and informative, until you place it in context of the organism. The problem is molecular biologists and eco/evo biologists are so polarised in their work, there's little acknowledgement of each other's work, to the extent that there's some level of contempt for each other. We need to bridge the gap between the schism. True, it's my inherent bias that i like both areas, i like making use of molecular techniques to study processes that have an impact on the organism: its ecology and evolution.
We need to return to the basics of biology. Remember primary school science? With all the nature garden visits to look at fishies and water hyacinth. Biology is not just a lab science. That would mould it in a similar vein to the physical sciences. It's also a field science. Get out there and look at the trees and wonder why they look like that. Climb up hills, and see how the leaves change in shape and orientation. Bring specimens back into the classroom and investigate them. Beats looking at textbook pictures and what not. That's how we ignite passion for something in someone. We must first radiate that passion from ourselves to infect others.
That's my rant for the morning. I guess the rant arose from my experiences here - an amalgation of the great classes i've been taking this quarter. From bacterial genetics to general botany to biochemical evolution. Covers the scale pretty nicely. And they have been taught by great lecturers, with different styles. And given me loads of ideas.
posted by Monty Elm at 3:07 am
1 comments
1 Comments:
Well said! It's disgusting, the way biology's taught in schools. Obviously those people are there to earn a salary, not to share their passion. I've had tutors telling me tadpoles become frogs by dropping their tails. I still think Option 1 shouldn't be an option at all - you want to study cell biology (currently masquerading under the term "life science"), you jolly well know your ferns first. We're breeding a generation of people to whom plants will just be tools, for beautifying and whatever other exploits. Wonder if this happens only in Singapore? Too ... factory-moulded. Brains full of math and physics and 10011010110 binaries and no inkling of what that plant living right outside their window is. It's such a shame.
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