Biological Education

Information for my Finnish University students in Biology Education:

Käytämällä mitä tahansa selainta ja laittamalla yläikkunaan (URL-ikkuna) CmapTools-kansioittemme osoitteet pääset selaamaan niiden sisältöä. Osoitteet ovat: cmap.helsinki.fi ja cmap.edu.fi

In 2006, I have started an international R&D program, NatureGate(R), with Eija and Jouko Lehmuskallio. It uses patented digital software for fast identification of plant species. Plants and other organism species are like a gate to ecosystems, and sustainable development (integrating ecologically, economically and socially sustainable development). Flowering plants and other vascular plants are our first step, because people are attracted by them and they are very important also from evolutionary viewpoint.

I have visited the Eden project, Cornwall, England, together with professor Patrick Dillon. These big educational greenhouses were full of people. Hundreds of thousands of people have visited these greenhouses already. It seems that people are interested in plants and sustainable development. There were good interesting information posters in well-selected places. The guidebook was excellent (Readman & al. 2002). It is a good example of integrating approach to informal education. Science, culture, economy and arts were creatively integrated around plants and sustainable development. However one singing bird (robin) inside a greenhouse collected more human attention than any single plant.

People often prefer more plants than animals. Wandersee (1999 and 2001) has developed a theory of plant blindness. I have supervised PhD research on plant species recognition, learning from viewpoint of biodiversity education, and their theoretical underpinnings (Åhlberg & Kaasinen 2001, 2002a, 2002b, Kaasinen & Åhlberg 2002a - 2002c). Loreau, Naaem and Inchausti (2002) have edited an important book, in which research on connection between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning is discussed. This is one of the underspinnings.

Biology as a science of life is important for many purposes. It provides basic knowledge e.g. for Environmental Education, Education for sustainable development, health education etc.

Ecology is a particularly important biological science to promote Education for sustainable development, e.g. Odum (1971, 510 - 516), Hjort (2003) and Towsend, Begon & Harper (2003).

Mayr (1981, 67 - 71) discusses conceptual structure of biology, but he has not in his use such powerful tools as improved concept mapping or other similar methods (e.g. Åhlberg 1990, 1993, 2001, Thagard 1992) .

Nowadays I am supervising educational research on biological education, e.g. Vuokko Ahoranta's and Arja Kaasinen's doctoral dissertations.

I have introduced three new quality tools (Improved Concept Mapping, Improved Vee Heuristics and ARRA or Analysis of Reasoning, Rhetorics and Argumentation ) to monitor and promote biological education.

Personal history:

I first studied in Helsinki University to become a biology and geography teacher, MSc. with the teacher certificate. I was a lecturer for two years in combined primary and secondary schools. The first year I was in the becoming experimental school of Helsinki University. The second year I was in a private school in Espoo in the Greater Helsinki Area. I have used biological content often in my research (e.g. Åhlberg 1977, 1988, 1989a, 1989b). Many of my university students have used biological content in their Masters' Theses and PhD theses (e.g. Kankkunen 1999 and Pitkänen 2001).

References:

Åhlberg, M. 1977. Thesis: Elämänikäisen biologisen ja maantieteellisen kasvatuksen teorian kehittelyä [Towards a theory of lifelong biological and geographical education]. University of Helsinki. Department of Education.

Åhlberg, M. 1988. Kasvatustavoitteiden teoreettinen kehikko ja sen empiiristä koettelua [Theoretical framework of educational objectives and its empirical testing]. PhD Thesis. University of Helsinki. Department of Education. Research Reports 117.

Åhlberg, M. 1989a. Biologian ja maantieteen opettamisen ja oppimisen tutkimisen perusteista. V. Meisalo & K. Sarmavuori (toim.) Ainedidaktiikan tutkimus ja tulevaisuus II. Helsingin yliopiston opettajankoulutuslaitoksen tutkimuksia 68, s. 161-185.

Åhlberg, M. 1989b. Kasvatuksen arvoperusta: Arvioihin liittyvän ajattelun ja kasvatustavoiteajattelun yhteydestä Helsingin yliopiston opettajankoulutuslaitos. Tutkimuksia n:o 75.

Åhlberg, M. 1990. Käsitekarttatekniikka ja muuta vastaavat graafiset tiedonesittämistekniikat opettajan ja oppilaiden työvälineinä. [Concept maps and other graphic knowledge representation methods as tools for teachers and pupils.] University of Joensuu. Research Reports of the Faculty of Education N:o 30.

Åhlberg, M. 1993. Concept maps, Vee diagrams and Rhetorical Argumentation (RA) Analysis: Three educational theory-based tools to facilitate meaningful learning. Paper presented at The Third International Seminar on Misconceptions in Science and Mathematics. August 1- 5, 1993. Cornell University. Published digitally in the Proceedings of the Seminar, http://www.mlrg.org/proc3abstracts.html (Read 26 2. 2003.)

Åhlberg, M. 2001. Concept mapping as a research method. (www.metodix.com/showres.dll/en/metodit/methods/metodiartikkelit/kasitekartta_tutkimusmenetelmana/ )

Åhlberg, M. & Kaasinen, A. 2001. Learnscapes for promoting plant species learning and plant species recognition. Poster and handout at the OECD/ENSI workshop LEARNSCAPES ACROSS THE GLOBE. October 6 - 9, 2001. Payerbach-Reichenau, Austria.

Åhlberg, M. & Kaasinen, A. 2002a. Kasvilajien tuntemuksesta. Osa 2: Kasvilajien (ja yleisemminkin eliölajien) tuntemusta selittävän teorian kehittelyä. Helsingin yliopiston ainedidaktiikan symposiumissa 1. 2. 2002 pidetty esitelmä.

Åhlberg, M. & Kaasinen, A. 2002b. Biodiversity, plant species recognition and a cognitive theory under construction how to explain it. Paper presented at the 27th Annual Conference of the Association for Teacher Education in Europe (ATEE), Research and Development Centre 17 (RDC17). August 24 - 28, 2002. University of Warsaw, Poland.

Hjort, I. 2003. Ekologi -för miljöns skull. Stockholm: Liber.

Kaasinen, A. & Åhlberg, M. 2002a. Kasvilajien tuntemuksesta. Osa 1: Miten oppilaat ja opettajat tuntevat kasvilajeja peruskoulun 1 - 6 luokilla? Helsingin yliopiston ainedidaktiikan symposiumissa 1. 2. 2002 pidetty esitelmä.

Kaasinen, A. & Åhlberg, M. 2002b. Kasvienkeruuperinteestä Suomessa. Teoksessa Elo, P., Järnefelt, H. & Paalanen, T. (toim.) Elävää kulttuuriperintöä - tutki ja opi. Helsinki: Museovirasto, opetushallitus ja ympäristöministeriö, 24 - 34.

Kaasinen, A. & Åhlberg, M. 2002c. Kasvienkeruuperinteestä Suomessa - täydentäviä näkökohtia. Teoksen 'Elävää kulttuuriperintöä - tutki ja opi. Helsinki: Museovirasto, opetushallitus ja ympäristöministeriö' julkistamistilaisuudessa Kansallismuseon luentosalissa 30. 9. 2002 jaettu ja selostettu alkuperäisen artikkelin (Kaasinen, A. & Åhlberg, M. 2002a) käsikirjoitus, jolla toimittajien artikkeliin aiheuttamat lukuisat virheet osoitettiin.

Kankkunen, M. 1999. Opittujen käsitteiden merkityksen ymmärtäminen sekä ajattelun rakenteiden analyysi käsitekarttamenetelmän avulla. PhD Dissertation. University of Joensuu. Publications in Education 54.

Loreau, M., Naaem, S. & Inchausti, P. (Eds.) 2002. Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Synthesis and perspectives. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Odum, E. 1970. Fundamentals of ecology. Third edition. Philadelpia: W. B. Saunders.

Pitkänen, R. 2001. Lyhytkestoiset tehtävät luokan ulkopuolisessa ympäristökasvatuksessa. PhD Dissertation. University of Joensuu. Publications in Education 68.

Readman, J. & al. 2002. Eden project: The guide. Revised and expanded edition. London: Transworld Publishers.

Thagard, P. 1992. Conceptual revolutions. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press.

Towsend, C., Begon, M. & Harper, J. 2003. Essentials of Ecology. Second edition. Oxford: Blackweel.

Wandersee J. & Schussler, E. 1999. Preventing Plant Blindness. The American Biology Teacher 61(2), 84-86.

Wandersee, J. & Schussler, E. 2001. Toward a theory of plant blindness. Plant Science Bulletin 47(1), 2-9.