Technology provides new alternative to classroom dissection

[Guest guest]

January 11, 2000

Web posted at: 11:17 AM EST (1617 GMT)

 

WASHINGTON (AP) -- For decades, the experience of dissecting a frog, fetal pig

or earthworm was a rite of passage in high school biology class. Today, in more

and more schools, technology is becoming an alternative to the smell of

formaldehyde and the snap of surgical gloves.

 

Some computer-savvy teen-angers apparently prefer to use a " virtual scalpel " --

a cursor on a computer -- to slice into an image of a frog rather than operate

on a real amphibian.

 

Some teachers consider computers just another way to get youngsters excited

about science and allow students to practice what they have learned, whereas a

dismembered frog cannot be stitched up again for a second dissection.

 

" I really don't have any blanket objections to animal research, but I am not

comfortable with a waste of life at this level. And if kids object, I am not

going to force them, " said Deborah Hill, who teaches biology to sophomores and

seniors at a high school in Norman, Oklahoma.

 

" In a regular biology class, you do a dissection very hurriedly, and a lot of

times, it's to satisfy morbid curiosity, " she said. " I don't know if they can

fully appreciate the opportunity. It's a very tedious procedure to do it

correctly. "

 

Other teachers believe there is no substitute for the experience of an actual

dissection, and the lesson, in addition to teaching biology, can foster respect

for animals as complex organisms.

 

" Virtual and plastic models are idealized, and real rats are not. For one thing,

they have no texture, and there are no anomalies in models, " said Bob Brown, who

teaches freshman biology at St. Francis High School in Louisville, Ky.

 

" It's also important to see comparisons between various sizes and ages and

genders all being examined by various students in the same classroom at the same

time. "

 

He sees one substantial advantage to the virtual, however -- no mess.

 

The National Association of Biology Teachers in Reston, Va., agrees with

teachers like Brown that dissection is a valuable classroom lesson. The

association's position is that " no alternative can substitute for the actual

experience of dissection or other use of animals and urges teachers to be aware

of the limitations of alternatives. " At the same time, the association

encourages teachers to be sensitive to students who object.

 

The National Science Teachers Association in Arlington, Va., advises teachers

that dissection objectives must be appropriate to the maturity level of the

students and that students' views should be considered.

 

 

Check it out...

http://www.peta-online.org/cmp/crexpfs3.html

 

http://george.lbl.gov/ITG.hm.pg.docs/dissect/info.html

 

ps. Hi Stan!

 

--

 

 

_____________

Free email services provided by http://www.goodkarmamail.com

 

 

powered by OutBlaze