Characteristics and directions for improvement of the Basic Biology classes compared with elementary school science classes

• Published in: Japanese Journal of Biological Education Vol. 65; no. 2; pp. 79 - 86
• Main Author: Sonoyama, Hiroshi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: The Society of Biological Science Education of Japan 2024; 一般社団法人 日本生物教育学会
• Subjects: activities; class improvement; science concepts; teaching plan
• ISSN: 0287-119X; 2434-1916
• DOI: 10.24718/jjbe.65.2_79

Science classes in elementary school were viewed favorably because they involve many thinking activities, but biology classes in high school were often ridiculed as a memorization subject. This study investigated the characteristics of student and teacher activities in these classes by school type by examining teaching plans for elementary school science and Basic Biology. Teacher behavior during class was divided into 10 categories and tabulated. At 33.0%, the activities classified as “making students think and make decisions” was the highest in elementary school, and the highest rate in high school was “explaining the content” at 31.5%. In particular, the concept of “comparison” was often used in elementary school science classes, but it could be assumed that in high school, due to the influence of university entrance exams, there were more activities related to explanation. However, since using science concepts thinking leads to the development of thinking ability, it was thought that it was necessary to improve classes by creating situations where students can use science concepts even when giving explanations.