There has never been a more important or urgent time in our country for science education than today. Technology is advancing faster than the speed of light, discoveries are being made by the hour and information is literally at our fingertips. Thus, science education must keep pace with an ever-changing scientific world in which theories are made and remade before manuscripts hit the press. This fast pace requires an educator capable of interpreting this evolving information to aspiring generations of science learners. As a science educator and as a biologist, I believe it is important that biological information be taught and made available to all people. Acquisition of this knowledge is important because it helps us to understand the natural world and our place within it. The constant addition of new information necessitates new ways to teach it effectively. Biology must be taught using technology, such as computer programs that simulate photosynthesis and pH testing of local water sources. Natural laboratories like mountains, creeks, mangroves and forests cannot be replicated in a lab or on a computer screen and should be sustainably utilized for field trips and lessons.

     Today’s multicultural classrooms call for versatile teaching methods, and so I strive to cultivate a welcoming classroom culture and incorporate a mix of assignments and activities that promote positive engagement and helps students connect to the subject being taught. I believe that biology is best learned by using an engaged, hands-on approach. All lessons require a lecture component, but one of the best ways to communicate biology to a student is to teach them how to participate in it themselves. For example, in my classroom, students dissect grass frogs to learn gross anatomy and dig in the dirt to determine localized soil profiles. Inquiry-based learning is also emerging as an effective science-teaching tool. It is more engaging and exciting for students if they can take something into their hands, ask open-ended questions and produce an analytical summary. This style of learning is motivating for students because it leads to an enhanced scientific awareness. That leads to better grades, improved critical thinking skills, increased self-efficacy and long-term knowledge retention. As an educator, it is a desired outcome that students make the best possible grades. As an educator and a scientist, I wish for the latter outcomes even more, because these are lifelong skills that carry beyond the college experience.

     Carl Sagan said, “science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge.” I agree and believe moving forward that our classrooms at all educational levels would benefit from increased use of accessible technology and inquiry-based learning methods, thus equipping students with the tools they need to be critical thinkers and enabling them to take an active role in architecting a more scientifically literate world.