I've alluded to science education reforms several times throughout this specialization. I've mentioned the Next Generation Science Standards or the NGSS; an effort to try and improve science education across the United States. As well as the STEAM movement, which focuses on increasing the emphasis of arts education as part of science education. In higher education, research is shifting from research on what works in science classrooms to help people learn, to understanding why it works, who interventions work for, why they work, and how do we leverage that information to make our classrooms more equitable. This has resulted to more interdisciplinary approaches to studying science education. What do I mean by this? It's combining what we know about human learning with the perspective of what it means to actually be a biologist. Perhaps after completing this specialization in course 4 in particular, it isn't surprising to you that I am one of the researchers sitting at this juncture. As science issues become more polarizing and as issues keep arising that require the general public to critically engage with science issues, it's becoming increasingly important to rethink how we approach science education. As we talked about course 2, it isn't just limited to the ability to reason scientifically about issues. Current approaches to teaching genetics can unintentional fuel white supremacists thought. Discussions about human rights movements like the Black Lives Matter movement and how to change the story in the United States for people of color, needs to involve how we teach science, both in terms of content and how we create more inclusive classrooms. Traditional approaches about weeding people out of introductory science courses need to end. When we spread the idea that only the elite can succeed in science, the so-called elite are the only ones that are going to actually engage with science as part of their daily lives and that's a real disadvantage for all of us. As I said at the beginning of this specialization, I believe that anyone can engage with and understand biology or any science discipline of their choosing. The best way to help build and in many cases, rebuild the competence to engage with biology and sciences starts with making that content relevant, relatable, accessible. My goal with the biology [inaudible] book and the specialization. This specialization started off with big ideas about what makes biology, biology, and the chemical foundations. In course 2, we talked about the smaller side of biology and explored biochemistry, cells, and genetics. Course 3 was about the bigger side of biology and discussed ecology, evolution, and the specific eye to conservation. Finally, in course 4 we switched gears and explored topics typically not found in biology courses. Interdisciplinary topics that demonstrated biology is far more interconnected with other disciplines than perhaps many realize. Biology interfaces with the arts, business, psychology, and education as well. How else would we know how to teach biology if we didn't think about it through the lens of human learning. My hope is that you'll leave this specialization empowered to engage with biology in your own life and start to come up with your own examples. You've heard my stories, you've heard many of my stories. Now it's your turn. What are your stories and which of my stories can you personally relate to? Where do you see biology every day? Will you do anything different with how you interact with biology after taking this specialization? Maybe you might think twice about buying a 23andMe kit. Maybe you rethink your gift buying habits to be more focused on either up-cycling or buying people experiences rather than things that are going to be disposed. Hopefully you use best practice for interrogating scientific information that you hear. How many different ways do you interact with biology over the course of your day? Can you count them? I hope that you'll keep this conversation going and that you'll come back and share your experiences and story with me, and the rest of the Biology Everywhere community. Please do keep in touch on social media. You can find me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Come find me and answer the question: Where did you experience biology today?
