5-MIN-BIOLOGY a method to enhance species knowledge Jonathan Hense & Annette Scheersoi Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-University Bonn, Biology Education BACKGROUND Biodiversity loss and its impact on humanity is one of the key challenges of the 21st century (e.g. CARDINALE et al., 2012). This problem is even more aggravated by the loss of spe- EXAMPLE OF A 5-MIN-BIOLOGY ON cies knowledge in society and also in science (e.g. FROBEL & COMMON BIRDS SCHLUMPRECHT, 2016; RSPB, 2017). This extinction of the ex- perience (expert knwoledge) has a strong effect as species Conducted in a regular university seminar presenting the following species: knowledge is a prerequisite for the research on biodiversi- 1. Common chiffchaff 8. Common firecrest ty loss and therefore for conservation approaches (MILLER, Phylloscopus collybita Regulus ignicapillus 2005; COX & GASTON, 2015). 2. Common chaffinch 9. Common redstart GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS Fringilla coelebs Phoenicurus phoenicurus 3. Short-toed treecreeper 10. Song thrush The method was developed by ALPHONS BEILER (1965) and Certhia brachydactyla Turdus philomelos redefined by STICHMANN (1992) and describes a short (5 mi- 4. Great tit 11. Blackbird nutes) off-topic and repetitive period at the beginning of a Parus major Turdus merula regular teaching situation, which can be used to either take 5. Blue tit 12. Eurasian blackcap up issues of the audience‘s current interest or to develop Parus caeruleus Sylvia atricapilla species knowledge. 6. Eurasian nuthatch 13. European robin The method was originally developed for a school setting, Sitta europaea Erithacus rubecula but it is also applicable for the university context. 7. Great spotted woodpecker 14. Dunnock AIMS Dendrocopus major Prunella modularis The aim of a 5-min-biology is to develop students‘ interest in biological topics. Interest is the main precondition for knowledge acquisition and learning (e.g. SCHIEFELE, 2009). A REPETITION OF PREVIOUS SPECIES & SELF-EVALUATION DESIGN PRINCIPLES 1. Songs or calls 2. Appearance A 5-min-biology for the enhancement of species knowledge should consider the following design principles (STICHMANN, 1992; HENSE et al., in prep): • consistent structure through: • same compilation of components/objects • similar look of illustrations • order of presentation • focus on the most important features • „Stützwissen“ (catchy information or anecdotes which are astonishing, surprising or contra-intuitive) • short repetition of previously presented species • opportunity for self-evaluation of individual learning PRESENTATION OF NEW SPECIES progress B SOUND EXAMPLES • first-hand experience with originals, e.g. living orga- WITH PHONETICS & nisms or preserved specimens (taxidermy, skulls, her- NAME MNEMONICS barium specimens) (if possible) Great spotted woodpecker • visualisation with models (if possible) • multisensory experiences including smell and taste (if Dendrocopus major „kick kick kick ...“ possible) „kix kix kix ...“ ♀ EVALUATION & RESUME ♂ drumming in Investigations on the effect of the 5-min-biology (HENSE et al., short rolls of in prep) reveal a high impact on students‘ species knowled- 0.4-0.8 seconds ge. Both visual and acoustic recognition of species are sig- nificantly enhanced. After attending a 5-min-biology sequence of 14 units, uni- versity students report an increased and sustained interest in birds and their songs in particular. The awareness of birds in their everyday life grew distinctly. 1 2 The use of this simple method is highly recommended to excavates a new nest extremely long tongue hole every season winded around the skull any biology teacher or lecturer to prevent further decline in GENERAL ILLUSTRATIONS „STÜTZWISSEN“ species knowledge in students as well as society in general. INFORMATION REFERENCES BEILER, A. (1965). Die lebendige Natur im Unterricht. Henn: Ratingen. C FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE: ORIGINAL SKULL OF A WOODPECKER CARDINALE, B.J., DUFFY, J.E., GONZALEZ, A., HOOPER, D.U., PERRINGS, C., VENAIL, P., NARWANI, A., MACE, G.M., WARDLE, D.A., KINZIG, A.P., DAILY, G.C., LOREAU, M., GRACE, J.B., LARIGAUDERIE, A., SRIVASTAVA, D.S. & NAEEM, S. (2012). Biodiversity loss and its implications on huma- nity. Nature, 486, 59-67. COX, D.T, & GASTON, K.J. (2015). Likability of Garden Birds: Importance of Species Knowled- ge & Richness in Connecting People to Nature. PLoS ONE, 10(11), e0141505. FROBEL, K. & SCHLUMPRECHT, H. (2016). Erosion der Artenkenner. Naturschutz und Umweltpla- nung, 48(4), 105-113. MILLER, J.R. (2005). Biodiversity conservation and the extinction of experience. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 20(8), 430-434. RSPB (2017). Can you identify your swallows from the swifts. Retrieved from http://www. rspb.org.uk/our-work/rspb-news/news/439919-ca SCHIEFELE, U. (2009). Situational and Individual Interest. In: WENTZEL, K.R. & WIGFIELD, A, Handbook of motivation at school (pp. 197-222). New York: Routledge. STICHMANN, W. (1992). Das Konzept der Fünf-Minuten-Biologie. Unterricht Biologie, 176, 4-13. D SHORT VIDEO CLIP COMBINING AUDITIVE AND VISUAL IMPRESSIONS Contact: Dr. Jonathan Hense Picture references: Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-University 1: http://ntb.wolfgang-schlegel.eu/BS/B/080327145erraemtauf.jpg 2: http://biologypunk.blogspot.de/2012/05/black-woodpecker-dryocopus-martius.html Biology Education all bird drawings adapted from SVENSSON, L., MULLARNEY, K., ZETTERSTRÖM, D. & GRANT, P.J. (2011). Der Kosmos-Vogelführer: Alle Arten Europas, Nordafrikas und Vorderasiens. Kosmos, Stuttgart. Meckenheimer Allee 170 all audio examples derived from www.xeno-canto.org 53115 Bonn [email protected].