In my most recent research haul, I had a lot of catching up to do after a particularly hectic couple of months. So I took it upon myself to look over Issue 27 of the Journal of Emergent Science from last November and see what I had missed, only to discover almost immediately an article I can incorporate into my teaching.
If you are not familiar with this publication, it is open access and in partnership with the ASE. It aims to bridge the gap between academic research and teaching in practice. I highly recommend it, especially to teachers who do not have a desire or background in engaging with research, as it is usually very easily applicable research strategies.
The article that grabbed my attention immediately was one regarding the use of folktales in teaching plant biology and biodiversity. I have often used folktales a lot in my teaching of languages, but using them for science had never occurred to me before, but now that I consider it, it makes perfect sense. Folktales often helped cultures explain the phenomenon we saw around us and have, in many cases, been replaced by our scientific understanding of them, meaning there is a direct connection immediately. Folktales also form parts of our culture and shape our awareness, so by linking science to them, we connect that relevance to our scientific knowledge in a more emotive way. The power this has to potentially capture the attention of students who might otherwise not feel engaged seems pretty potent.
The article focuses on the shift in society from a connection with nature to a connection with technology. This shift is evident in our priorities, language, and understanding. We see that where connections to nature exist, the preference lies with attractive megafauna. That affinity directly affects support for conservation and impacts how people modify their actions to protect these species. Unfortunately, plants are not as blessed with such positive PR, and the trend seems to lean more toward disinterest despite the significant importance of plant biodiversity to humans as a species. The article itself provides references to a number of studies that found that a curriculum that focuses on plants increases student awareness of plants. For young people who are more separated from nature in the modern world, especially those in hyper-urban environments, folktales primary purposes of sharing information about the world around us and about the subjects place in our culture can use the power of storytelling to build this missing connections again and engage students in awareness of plants, their importance, and their connection to them.
Of course, the knowledge and power of science are essential for our efforts to conserve vital biodiversity before it is too late, but without a curiosity and interest in the subjects, getting students to engage in this knowledge remains an uphill struggle. The increased curiosity and entanglement of students with plants can be used to provoke this passion and curiosity to drive students to delve into the science of the species. We know that people who have this investment in a species are more likely to express conservationist views and, therefore, may stimulate interest in the science so that conservation can become a reality.
The study itself had a reasonably small participant size but did document a statistically significant positive result. Given what teachers in the classroom already know about student engagement, ‘buy-in’ and their desire to learn more, this makes perfect sense. However, I think the benefits go deep beyond this and the benefits to students understanding that school subjects are more than exams, and are in fact the ways we can understand the world around us is, in itself, highly valuable. I fully intend to explore the use of folklore and legend, not just in plant biology but across the curriculum for Biology, Chemistry, and Physics.
For those interested in just the podcasts from the study, they can be found here.