Biology from High School to University
All of us have studied biology at junior school and high school. It is generally the first exposure of children towards scientific studies and experiences. These sciences develop certain skills in children, like:
- The birth of curiosity and interest in the sciences.
- They start developing questioning skills.
- Children acquire scientific knowledge and start to connect it to the technological world.
- Understand the evolution of humans and other organisms, which is vital for existence.
- They start getting ready for higher fields of study and scientific careers.
At the primary level, biology is taught as a part of General studies, which has a combination of science education, humanities education and technological skills. The subjects are mapped in such a manner, so as to give holistic education to the young mind. The study of biology at primary level starts with nature study, a little bit of botany and then zoology. The general syllabus includes nature of life, ecology, cells, genetics, evolution and energy flow in eco systems, to name a few.
As one goes up the ladder, other higher facets of the subject are introduced. Students are taught how to control life, health and diseases, plant biology and ecology. Then there are other topics like, organisms and their life processes, animal physiology and other higher forms.
Once, you cross school level and have the desire to pursue higher studies in biological science, several options crop up. The undergraduate course generally takes about four years to complete. You will need to study various subjects like biology, chemistry, calculus, biochemistry and microbiology. These are all laboratory-based courses and need a lot of practical knowledge.
How to Score Well in Biology
- Take class notes properly. There are certain topics which are not described that well in your books. Concentrate on what your professor or teacher says, in the classroom and try to take down notes. Clear your concepts, then and there. Write everything point-wise.
- You should supplement your lecture notes, with your book. The text books tend to be a bit complicated; however you need to connect the notes with the books. Skimming just before examinations, come useful only if you have understood the matter properly. Biology is a very diagram oriented subject, so check the parts of the diagram properly.
- Do not wait until the examination. If you are not clear with your concepts, get help early. E-mail your teacher or professor and ask questions. In that manner, you also show your mentor, how much you care about the subject.
- When you are preparing for examinations, try to study in groups. Groups of 2-5 people work best. Review all the study material, that you have at hand and then sit for the group study. In this manner, you can find out the problem areas and work on those during the group study.
- Vocabulary plays a very important role, in studying science subjects. Know the jargons, practice the definitions and learn them by heart. There are a lot of terminologies to master in biology.
- Practice active study for biological subjects. Passive study will not help you. Take part in hands-on activities in the laboratory to clear your concepts. Try to draw the flow diagrams, pictorial diagrams and explain it to yourself and others.
- Try to go through the questions at the back of each chapter. They are the first to help you, during examinations. These are good for practice as well.
The Easiest and Most Important
Biology is one of those subjects, which can be aced with some practice and tricks. Always, do a study of the previous year’s papers and tests. Some of the easiest and most important that you can target, or choose as electives are Applied Biology, Human Physiology, Environmental Science and Modern Genetics.
Applied Biology
The stream deals with science of life and living organism, in general. The study involves the cells, growth, origin, evolution and is usually concentrated on botany, zoology, mycology and microbiology.
It generally involves a lot of scientific research and development topics. The subject opens up a whole lot of career options like, food technicians, scientists, environmental engineers, biological technicians, food scientists and many more. The Applied biology Programme mainly aims at providing a foundation for more specialized courses. The Programme is well suited for students who wish to pursue successful careers in the life sciences.
The top reasons to choose this course are:
You will receive wide variety of knowledge and it opens up a variety of career options for you.
The class strength is small and the teachers can give specialized attention to students.
Human Physiology
It is the study of human organs and the cells. It applies to various fields like medicine, fitness and biology. It explains the mechanism of the functioning of human organs and cells. There are various levels to the study of Human Physiology. The most basic is the study of the organs on molecular level, then comes tissues, then whole organs and last but not the least whole systems or bodies. The major systems in the human body as we all know are nervous system, digestive systems, respiratory systems, urinary systems to name a few.
Numerous occupations are connected to the study of human physiology. You can get to work as fitness trainers in the fitness industry, gyms, spas and also as surgeons. Many others pursue degrees in biomedical or physiological sciences.
Environmental Science
This interdisciplinary academic field, deals in ecology, biology, physics, chemistry, zoology and a variety of other subjects, inter-related to one another. Related areas are environmental studies and environmental engineering. It is basically the study of natural and unnatural processes and interactions between the physical components of the environment. The best career option for those who study this subject is as an Environmental scientist. Environmental Scientists have a rewarding career, with good pay and excellent growth.
Other job options include consultant, marine biologist, sustainability, water quality scientists and many more. The growing nature of problems in and around our environment is creating a need for skilled professionals in the field of environmental sciences. These professionals use their knowledge to solve the problems of the society.
Modern Genetics
It incorporates the methods of analysis of the genes and the nucleic acids in the body. It deals with genetic traits, hereditary and genetic diseases. This overlaps with other biological fields like agriculture, medicine, biotechnology and related fields.
Armed with a genetics degree, on can pursue higher studies in Clinical research, genomics, pharmacology and research scientist among other jobs.
Teaching & Learning Biology
Most of the country’s biologists are in the teaching profession. There is less of pay in scientific research work, thus most learned biologists switch to teaching. Different faculties are running laboratories simultaneously to supplement their income. The character of teaching is a bit non-progressive so, the biologist tends to pay more attention to their labs than anything else. The sufferer is the student in such cases.
If the teachers and professors incorporate proper teaching methodologies in biology, students can definitely excel.
- Teachers should give more time to students to thinks about all that they learn in class. The examination should not be the only target in a student’s life. Clearing the problems at the base level is of prime importance.
- Teachers should encourage active participation of students in laboratory activities and practical aspects of the subject.
- Teachers should monitor the behavior to cultivate biology-based thinking.
- A proper student –teacher relationship is one of the prerequisites to achieve all of the above.
Most of the topics in biology are theory-based. Ecology, biodiversity, conservation and systems biology are all theoretical. Teaching students about climate changes and taxonomy needs a lot of explanation than just bookish knowledge. Active teaching methods like process-based teaching, problem-based learning and collaborative learning are essential parts of the teaching methodologies.
Outdoor education is another means to study and teach biological sciences. Field work is an important part of the curriculum and also brings out effectiveness in learning. Unless sand until students face real-world situation in biological spheres, a complete understanding of the facts cannot be mastered. Teachers arrange various outdoor programs like adventure education, wilderness therapy and expeditions to make the students understand what their related area of study is all about. Developing a relationship with nature is one of the important prerequisite to understanding the biological aspects, natural inter-relationships, relationships between man and nature.
The promotion of biological education contributes to a huge extent to sustainability. Sensory methods are to be used in biological education, with examples. Visual learning is an important of biological education. After practical exposure, the same learning’s are connected to the theoretical aspects of learning.
There are various facets to the field of biology. One is not enough. All the fields are inter-related to one another. Various online tutoring companies have come forward to provide solutions to your biology problems. It is the most studied subject. Biologists need to be really well-informed all the time. As, things and the environment around us changing very fast, you need to grasp the changes quickly. The same goes for technological advancements in the subject.
It has a huge impact on society. The problems we face in biological education is regarding the research opportunities. The student intake is also large in certain academic institution, leading to lack of attention in the classes.
Online Teaching and Tutoring in Biology
Many companies have come up in the market, which are helping and supporting all students to come out of their problems in biology. Keeping up with classroom is not possible for certain section of students. They have a hard time, just like you in keeping up with assignments, questions, homework and classwork, all bound into one. Fortunately, online biology tutors and sites have come to the rescue.
Many of the companies are providing assistance 24x 7, helping with biology homework, science projects and test preparation as well. You can call or Skype them for assistance at any time. All kinds of biology lessons are taught in the classroom, in an online environment. These companies recruit experts in biological fields and can assist with most of your problems.
The problem-solving can be time consuming and hard to answer sometimes. Your biology tutor provides online assistance with answers, flow charts, diagrams and more. These fetch good marks in your assignments and class tests. You can gain complete mastery over biology with these tutors.
Requesting online help in biology is the best way to score well in biology examinations and clear your doubts. Learned panel of tutors can help you in understanding all the facets of the subjects. Learn about flow charts and diagrams as they can fetch a lot of marks for you. The prices they ask for are reasonable enough. Just fill up their forms, ask for a quote and confirm your order with a specific turnaround time and you are good to go.
You get free revisions as well, if your assignments are not up to the mark. It is the best option nowadays. You can blindly trust the tutors for your biology assignments. Biology gets easy with online homework assignments and help. This is as good as it gets. You get the best of worlds, great help and good career prospects. Now you can also engage in extracurricular activities, without getting bogged down with biology studied, problems and assignments. Someone does it for you. So, how you can relax and still get good marks. Professionals are there to help you with your biology homework. Get the best in assistance and create a great career without sacrificing your college or university life.
Author Bio:
Mary Clooney is one of the professors at an academic institution in USA. She holds a PhD. in chemistry along with Biology and Physics as additional subjects. Mary is an alumnus of Princeton University. She is adept at the latest skills and methodologies of teaching the above subjects. Her teaching pedagogy is unique and opens up pathways in front of the students, so that they can excel.
