Anat Yarden Group

The teaching of evolution stands as a cornerstone in the realm of biological sciences, yet how best to frame and teach the complex web of concepts that are a part of evolutionary theory is still under debate. To address this issue, we propose two sequences for teaching the evolution ideas and concepts that are included in the Israeli curriculum for upper secondary school, starting from either the foundational principles of molecular genetics or the intricate dynamics of ecology or integrating both. This approach involves considering the strengths of both molecular genetics and ecology as frameworks for understanding evolution, recognizing that each perspective offers valuable insights that can enrich students' understanding of the topic. Molecular genetics is the area of evolutionary theory that relies on terms such as genes, alleles, and mutations. Ecology offers a broader, more holistic view of evolution and includes the dynamic interplay between organisms and their environment. The molecular genetics sequence focuses on the mechanism of evolution and the ecology sequence focuses on the external factors that affect the mechanism. This dual approach creates options for teachers; they can take into consideration each paths advantages and use the characteristics of their classes to choose one of the suggested perspectives or integrate both perspectives to teach evolution.

High-school teachers and students do not usually have access to scientific research advances because original research papers contain many highly specialized words that are specific to the discipline. Scientific newsletters (SNs) summarize current scientific research advances and trends. During the 2022-2023 school year, 21 SNs teaching biology content were written by a team of science-education and biology specialists working at the National Center for High-School Biology Teachers in Israel, according to the following criteria: (a) the SNs were based on primary research papers published in international well-known scientific journals such as Nature, Cell or Science; (b) the biological content was related, albeit not necessarily directly, to the Israeli high-school biology curriculum; (c) some of the SNs were related to biological events that occurred during the week in which the SN was distributed, such as World Diabetes Day. The SNs were written in Hebrew, translated to Arabic, and sent weekly via WhatsApp to 901 high-school biology teachers. After sending 10 SNs, an anonymous questionnaire was sent to the teachers to understand their use of the SNs and identify topics to which teachers would like us to relate in the next SNs. Forty-nine teachers answered the questionnaire, revealing that according to their open-ended answers, some of the teachers valued the importance of receiving SNs teaching biology topics as a way to enrich their own biological knowledge, and to engage their students with meaningful scientific research and with the real-world work of scientists. Further research is needed to analyze the impact of the SNs on teachers' professional development.

In the realm of science education, particularly biology education, keeping abreast of new discoveries and insights is of paramount importance. During the 20222023 school year, we sent 21 scientific newsletters (SNs) via WhatsApp dealing with contemporary biological topics to 901 biology teachers in junior high schools and high schools. The aim of this survey study was to investigate how teachers perceive the possible impact of these SNs on both their own professional development and their students. We sent a questionnaire to the teachers, 110 of which were filled out. The key finding from the teachers responses was that the primary and most crucial contribution of the SNs lies in enhancing teachers biological disciplinary knowledge, contributing to their own professional development, and enhancing their students biological disciplinary knowledge. The SNs were notably less significant for teachers in terms of elevating their own or their students scientific literacy. Future examination of teachers experiences and insights may lead to a deeper understanding of how SNs influence teaching methodologies and content knowledge, and impact instructional effectiveness.