CONTENT - International Society of Zoological Sciences

ICZ2008 – Abstracts S26
Teaching zoology in Paris: from the accomplishments - and
mistakes - of the past towards a realistic future
Armand de Ricqlès
UPMC P6, Osteohistologie UMR 7179, case courrier 19, 75252
Paris cedex 05, France
French Zoology had its most glorious decades from the mid
Eignteenth century (Buffon's time) to the end of the nineteenth
century (opening of the "Galerie de Zoologie" at the Paris Museum
was in 1889).Since then, as a "mother science",the aims, practices
and teaching of zoology have tended to be split and spread among
several "daughter sciences", often causing critical "struggle for
survival" in a restricted academic ecosystem. By the middle of the
last century, fields such as embryology, cells and tissues biology,
general biology, comparative anatomy, physiology, paleontology
and, lately, genetics were well delineated disciplins in the french
academic world, often anxious to be recognized as such and apart
from zoology, and with their own teaching.
Accordingly, to zoology sensu stricto were left the description and
classification of animals, with the relevant specialized subdisciplines
(entomology, herpetology, ichthyology...) and fields
which still had not conquered autonomy and recognition of their
own, such as marin biology, ecology, ethology, ecophysiology and,
to some extent, evolutionary biology. This trend had massive
negative consequences on the teaching of zoology by the nineteen
sixties and, accordingly, on how zoology was valued by the
students. Because the heavy official program in zoology at the
University was a mandatory part of the curriculum required by the
students preparing "les concours" (agregation) to become
appointed teachers in the State national education system, the
trend was to offer a more and more practical, standardized but
dogmatic teaching. This teaching was very facts rich and well
organized but not questions-inspiring, and far away from most "hot
spots" of the current scientific endeavors. Above all, it almost
completely lacked of historical backgrounds and of epistemological
and critical dimensions (there were happy exceptions!). The 1968
riots brought severe blows to this system, the structure of
traditional Zoology as a well-established and respected field within
Academia being one of the casualties.
Since then, zoology has managed to survive in practice and in
spirit, here and there, often within its various "daughter sciences",
to the point that it is very difficult now to offer any meaningful and
operational definition of what zoology is, or should be, and of what
should not be recognized as zoology within the full realm of
functional or comparative-evolutionary sciences dealing with
animal life.
If it is possible to learn from the past, what little will survive of
zoology in the French Academic ecosystem will be rooted in what
raises current questions and interest in the mind of students at the
level of research. For instance, systematics was dogmatically
taught sixty years ago as a definite corpus of frozen knowledge
fixed forever (and boring to most). My generation has pushed it
back on the bench of a living research endeavor and it is why
many students love it now. Every part of zoology may experience
similar rejuvenation.
The Beagle in the 21st Century
Motonori Hoshi
The Open University of Japan, 2-11 Wakaba, Mihama-ku, Chiba
261-8586, Japan
Darwin and Wallace’s papers on natural selection were read in
their absence at the Linnean Society of London meeting of 1st July
1858 when the remarkable and revolutionary theories were given
their first public exposure. It is believed that Darwin conceived the
idea of natural selection during his five-year journey around the
world as chronicled in his book, The Voyage of the H.M.S. Beagle
(1839).
S26 - Diversity in teaching Zoology
- 101 -
Through my personal experiences of teaching zoology in Japan for
decades, I have become convincing that contemporary students of
biology need the Beagle in the 21st Century to practice the never
fading words, Study Nature Not Books. In this paper, I will discuss
more details of the Beagle in the 21st Century and propose an
international project to implement this dream.
The future of Zoology undergraduate curriculum: a canadian
perspective.
Anthony Russell
2500 University Drive NW, T2N 1N4, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
In this presentation, I will explore the structure of the Zoology
curriculum in the North American arena, using Canada as my
primary focus of a curriculum built upon a course-credit, liberal arts
background. I will compare this with other approaches to
curriculum design in other areas of the world and contemplate the
concept of what might reasonably be expected of Zoology
graduates in the North American system. This will include
considerations of curriculum constraint imposed by entry into
Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, Dentistry and the like requiring at
least two years of undergraduate training in a liberal arts program.
I will summarize what progress has been made in curriculum
design. I will conclude by exploring curriculum design changes in
courses in which I teach, injecting inquiry-based and blended
learning approaches, and the degree of acceptance of these
changes by students.
Show and tell: college style – a method to improve student
engagement
Mark Schlueter
1000 University Center Lane, Lawrenceville, Georgia, 30043,
Lawrenceville, USA
Two major challenges that exist in college teaching today are: (1)
getting students actively involved inside the classroom and (2)
getting students to learn outside the classroom. One teaching
method that has been very successful in overcoming both of these
challenges is the “Show and Tell” method. In my zoology class,
students are assigned a particular animal group from which they
must choose a single species. Each student begins by searching
the Internet for information and videos. Then, the student returns
to the classroom and gives a 7-minute presentation. Each lecture
class begins with 2 student presentations that serve to introduce
the day’s topic. Each presentation begins with several short videos
(60-90 seconds) that immediately engage the audience, followed
by several slides of interesting facts.
The presentation concludes with a question slide in which the
audience must answer 1-2 focus questions about the animal.
Survey data indicates a significant amount of zoology learning
outside the classroom while researching the Internet for the
presentation. Also, students indicate a high degree of satisfaction
using the Internet to track down entertaining videos and
information. Most students reported rewatching the videos and
viewing related topics after class. This teaching method has
additional benefits. Students develop presentation skills and use
technology to research information. Students go beyond the
textbook and get a better understanding of the biodiversity of the
planet. Video clips provide a safe way to view dangerous and
exotic animals. Finally, this method can upgrade passive lecture
classes into active learning environments.