Biology Assignment 1: Your voice, your professional identity- Blogging an aspect of senior secondary biology education.

Janice Fung

Part A: The chosen area of biology education Throughout my own schooling in VCE biology and undergraduate physiology, it is apparent that the use of animals in education has long been a sensitive domain amongst teachers and students. I remember back in year-11 biology class, one student cried when we had to dissect deceased rats for assessment. I question the educational value of sacrificing animals’ lives to make our science classes more engaging, especially when alternative technological simulations and resources are available today. Part B: Timeline of sources of opinion refinement Date Reference Source Basic premise of ideas developed or refined 6/9/12 (Biology) Teacher A Animal usage is necessary for education. Working with

animals, dead or alive, gives students a hands-on experience with organisms that textbooks and pictures can’t provide.

6/9/12 (Biology) Teacher B Dissections help students understand the relationship between structure and function, and to have experience with organs.

6/9/12 (Biology) Teacher C We need to consider how the students feel about it. Some students would feel uncomfortable with dissections, so it’s important to have animals or alternative visual activities that replicate the investigation.

6/9/12 (Mathematics) Teacher D In the real world, scientists work with animals. If we didn’t experiment on animals in the past, then we wouldn’t have much of the biological knowledge we have now. Hence students need to be exposed to this. Prior consent must be obtained from parents.

7/9/12 Student A Animals’ lives are equally valuable. If we want to use living things in education, start with humans. Scientists may use animals, but it is unnecessary in high school.

7/9/12 Student B The necessity of using animals in high school needs to reflect the learning objectives. It is important to separate animal usage in a research or educational context. Dissections can be performed on pest animals such as cane toads. They will have been euthanized anyway, so nothing really goes to waste.

7/9/12 Student C It seems appropriate for animals to be used if it is for some important benefit, such as scientific research that will bring about improvements in health and science. Pounds should not have so many animals that they can supply experiments with them. Using animals that have been put down might put pressure on pounds to euthanize more animals so that they can provide them for experiments, especially if they get paid for them. Dissections in high school bring almost no benefit for students who are not even interested in their studies.

10/9/12 Student D Allowing the use of alternatives does not disrupt a teacher’s academic objectives. It is preposterous that a science faculty

would argue that using alternatives would deprives students from learning the “art” of dissection. The reason is that many biology majors do not further into medical or veterinary school, and many medical schools do not deem dissection as a necessary skill at undergraduate level.

7/9/12 Scientist E If the animals were already dead due to other reasons (e.g. a pound puts down unwanted animals), then using the animals in classrooms would be un-ambiguously a good thing. It would be cruel if animals were bred and killed only for high school experiments.

9/9/12 National Association of Biology Teachers. (August, 2008). The use of animals in biology education. Retrieved September 9, 2012, from http://www.nabt.org/websites/institution/index.php?p=97

Teachers must have clear educational objectives when using animals in the biology classroom. Any use of animals must be of substantial educational value in terms of biology knowledge, and it must be appropriate for the age and maturity of the students. Biology teachers are in the position to make this decision.

9/9/12 New England Anti-Vivisection Society (NEAVS). (2012). Animals in education. Retrieved September 9, 2012, from http://www.neavs.org/education

All animals that are used for dissection or other educational purposes have been suspect to suffering, stress, and inhumane treatment in their lifetime. Through using animals in the classroom, it could be sending a dangerous message to students that life is disposable, and that the suffering of animals is secondary to their own interests.

9/9/12 Valk, J. V. et. al., (1999). Alternatives to the use of animals in higher education. Retrieved September 9, 2012, from http://ecvam.jrc.it/publication/WorkshopReport33.pdf

Due to moral considerations, other approaches need to be considered to reduce or replace the usage of animals in education:

1. Models and mechanical simulations 2. Films and interactive videos 3. Computer or virtual reality simulations 4. Self-experimentation 5. Plant experiments 6. Observational studies 7. Waste materials from slaughter houses 8. Study cells

Animals from humane and ethical sources (i.e. animals that have died naturally)

9/9/12 Capaldo, T. (2004). The psychological effects on students of using animals in ways that they see as ethically, morally r religiously wrong. Retrieved September 9, 2012, from http://www.neavs.org/docs/atla_paperDrCapaldo.pdf

If students are being forced to participate, or even see their peers participate in behavior that they perceive as unethical, students may be psychologically traumatized, and this may compromise their education with short-term and long-term consequences. Moreover, it may cause students to lose interest in science.

9/9/12 People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). (2012). Dissections: Lessons in cruelty. Retrieved September 9, 2012, from http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-experimentation/dissection-lessons-in-cruelty.aspx

Students do not need to dissect animals to understand basic anatomy and physiology. Students who want to further their studies in such fields will do so at a tertiary level in a controlled and supervised setting. Thus schools need to emphasize the use of alternatives, such as computer simulations and interactive films, charts, and models.

10/9/12 Phillips, T. (February 2012). Taking animal cruelty out of education. Retrieved September 10, 2012, from http://www.globalanimal.org/2012/02/28/taking-animal-cruelty-out-of-education/67185/

When students feel the forced to value animal experiments as a part of their education, this may suppress their feelings of empathy. Moreover, research has shown that there is a relationship between the exposure to animal cruelty in childhood and aggression towards people later in life.

10/9/12 Lock, R. (1993). Use of living organisms. In Hull, R. Secondary Science Teachers’ Handbook, Simon & Schuster, Hemel Hempstead, 179-205.

Dissection may help students learn through personal involvement, and experience is the most effective way of learning. However, one must also weight out the value of education in care and compassion as opposed to science education in the interests of humans.

10/9/12 Lock, R. (1993). Use of animals in schools: Pupil knowledge, experience and attitudes. In Anderson, D., Reiss, M. and Campbell, P. Ethical Issues in Biomedical Sciences: Animals in Research and Education. Institute of Biology, London, 69-87.

Live animals can be used as long as they are investigated within their natural habitat, or an appropriately simulated environment. Moreover, common invertebrates can be used in the science classroom on a “collect, use, and return” basis.

14/9/12 Queensland Government: Department of Education, Training, and Employment. (2012). Animals in education. Retrieved September 10, 2012, from http://education.qld.gov.au/curriculum/area/science/animals-ed.html

Any usage of animals in the classroom must be approved by the ethnics committee of the state, e.g. Queensland Schools Animal Ethics Committee (QSAEC).

14/9/12 Lock, R. (1990). Animals in the science curriculum. Humane Education, 1(2), pp. 1-3.

Students should be provided with a balanced range of information, and be given the opportunity to formulate their own views on using animals in the classroom.

14/9/12 Lock, R. (2007). Dissection: alive and well? Biologist, 54(2), pp. 49-50.

There are rats and mice that are bred for the purpose of feeding snakes, thus it should be okay to use them for dissection.

Part C: Blog Entry The usage of animals in education has long been a sensitive topic amongst teachers and students. Traditionally, high school science classes have incorporated animal dissections in their curriculum. The current Australian system emphasizes that any usage of animals must have a clear learning objective, and all usage are to be approved by the ethics committee of the state. Moreover, any reported misconduct with animals would be lawfully investigated (Queensland Government DETE, 2012). One biology teacher whom I interviewed (Teacher A) expressed that the usage of animals is necessary for education as it gives students a practice experience that textbooks cannot provide (Teacher A, 6/9/2012). Teacher B agreed with this, and mentioned that dissections help students understand the relationship between structure and function (Teacher B, 6/9/2012). Teacher A breeds mice in the high school laboratory. The live mice are used for junior science projects, and are then humanely euthanized to feed the school snakes. There are academic members, such as Lock (2007), who agree that this practice is acceptable. However in my opinion, although the mice were well cared for during their short-lived time and are humanely euthanized, they are to still endure an unnatural death that I do not consider to be humane at all. Although dissections may be an engaging way of learning, one must also consider the value of education in care and compassion as opposed to the interests of science education (Student A, 7/9/2012; Lock, 1993). Studies from the New England anti-Vivisection Society state that all animals used for educational purposes are suspect to suffering in their lifetime, and this could send a dangerous message to the students that life is disposable, and that the suffering of animals is secondary to their own needs and interests (NEAVS, 2012). Each year in America, approximately 30 million animals of more than 170 different species are used in education. Animals such as amphibians, reptiles, mice, birds, fish, and invertebrates are taken from their natural habitats for dissection purposes, or to keep as school pets. Animals may also be sourced from slaughterhouses, pounds, and fur farms, from which the animals may have been shipped in crowded containers of disease and starvation (NEAVS, 2012). Teacher C (6/9/12) expressed that teachers must be empathetic and consider the students’ feelings regarding animal usage. Research by Capaldo (2004) suggested that students are subject to be psychologically traumatized if they feel pressured to participate, or witness their peers participate in behaviour that they deem unethical. Consequently, this may also compromise their education and cause students to lose interest in science. Moreover, when students are forced to value animal experimentation, this may suppress their feelings of empathy, and this may lead to increased chance of aggressive behaviour later in their psychological development (Phillips, 2012). Schools need to emphasize the implementation of alternatives of animal usage, such as films, computer simulations, and models (PETA, 2012; Valk et. al., 1999). The use of alternatives should not disrupt a teacher’s academic objectives, as students do not need to dissect animals to understand basic anatomy and physiology (PETA, 2012). A university student argued that students would not be deprived from learning the “art” of dissection, as many biology majors do not further into medical or veterinary school. Furthermore, many medical schools do not consider dissection as a necessary skill upon entry (Student D, 10/9/2012). It could be considered that if animals were already dead due to other reasons, e.g. a pound puts down unwanted animals, or if pest animals such as cane toads were being used, then using the animals would be un-ambiguously of no harm (Student E, 7/9/2012). Furthermore, it is suggested that live animals could be considered for use as long as they are investigated within their natural habitat, or used on a “collect, use, and return” basis (Lock, 1993). The following are some suggested alternative resources: Online animated virtual/interactive surgery (free)! http://www.edheads.org/ 3D Anatomy Models: http://www.3dscience.com/3D_Models/index.php The digital frog: http://www.digitalfrog.com/ DryLab suite: http://www.biologyproducts.com/generaldetail.cfm?G_UId=F6EAA524-BDB9-0F7E-6A8AB46A98E020DF

Anatomy in clay: http://anatomyinclay.com/ DissectionWorks: http://www.scienceclass.com/ Body Works: http://www.denoyer.com/ Sniffy the virtual rat: http://www.wadsworth.com/psychology_d/templates/student_resources/0534633609_sniffy2/sniffy/download.htm CatLab: http://www.itgworld.com/ Biology Chart Series: http://www.denoyer.com/

References

Capaldo, T. (2004). The psychological effects on students of using animals in ways that they see as ethically, morally r religiously wrong. Retrieved September 9, 2012, from http://www.neavs.org/docs/atla_paperDrCapaldo.pdf

Lock, R. (1990). Animals in the science curriculum. Humane Education, 1(2), pp. 1-3.

Lock, R. (1993). Use of living organisms. In Hull, R. Secondary Science Teachers’ Handbook, Simon & Schuster, Hemel Hempstead, 179-205.

Lock, R. (2007). Dissection: alive and well? Biologist, 54(2), pp. 49-50.

National Association of Biology Teachers. (August, 2008). The use of animals in biology education.Retrieved September 9, 2012, from http://www.nabt.org/websites/institution/index.php?p=97

New England Anti-Vivisection Society (NEAVS). (2012). Animals in education. Retrieved September 9, 2012, from http://www.neavs.org/education

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). (2012). Dissections: Lessons in cruelty. Retrieved September 9, 2012, from http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-experimentation/dissection-lessons-in-cruelty.aspx

Phillips, T. (February 2012). Taking animal cruelty out of education. Retrieved September 10, 2012, from http://www.globalanimal.org/2012/02/28/taking-animal-cruelty-out-of-education/67185/

Queensland Government: Department of Education, Training, and Employment. (2012). Animals in education. Retrieved September 10, 2012, from http://education.qld.gov.au/curriculum/area/science/animals-ed.html

Student A (7/9/2012)

Student C (7/9/2012)

Student D (10/9/2012)

Student E (7/9/2012)

Teacher A (6/9/2012)

Teacher B (6/9/2012)

Teacher C (6/9/2012)

Valk, J. V. et. al., (1999). Alternatives to the use of animals in higher education. Retrieved September 9, 2012, from http://ecvam.jrc.it/publication/WorkshopReport33.pdf