Biology II classes enjoy learning in a new way
By Averie Grace-Hayes
Photo of student, Trae Hall, dissecting taken by Mrs. Robison
Every year, Mrs. Robison’s Biology II class starts off the second semester with a heart and a brain dissection. This year, the class had the pleasure of dissecting these parts of a sheep's anatomy. Though some students didn’t like the smell, all students enjoyed participating in the activity Mrs. Robinson planned. Along with the Biology II classes, Mrs. Robison’s Marine Biology classes have been dissecting several different types of animals and organs all year. To end the lesson, students engaged in a highly anticipated heart dissection activity after studying the functions of the heart.
Robison expresses, “I love showing my students the inner workings of the heart, especially sheep hearts since they’re basically identical to human hearts.”
Mrs. Robison has taught about the heart utilizing heart dissections for over ten years. She teaches about the functions of the heart, heart diseases and the overall anatomy. Heart dissections are not only enjoyable for students but also enjoyable for the teachers and supervisors to see their lessons pay off in real-time.
“Students are incredibly engaged in hands-on activities. I feel like they learn as much in one 30-minute dissection as they do in a week of notes and diagrams,” states Robison.
Students were initially curious about where Mrs. Robison would get the hearts and even what condition they would be in.
Robison elaborates, “We order them from scientific supply companies. That way, they are preserved and free from any illness that could be spread by fresh hearts from a butcher.”
Ordering from these companies ensures that students can have a safe experiment and have healthy access to the sheep hearts.
Robison has a rather hands-off approach to dissections. While Robison recited the instructions, the students observed and cut into the hearts with Robinson’s careful supervision. With little regard to observing the actual dissection, the kids were very interested in the dissection process itself.
Skylar Steward, a student in Mrs. Robison’s third hour was very interested in the heart dissection. Along with the other students, Steward was in a group of three others. Though most students were slightly disgusted with the organ, Steward was very invested.
Steward expressed, “At first I thought it was gross, but once I got over the smell it was fun to really get in there.”
Mrs. Robison’s third hour mainly agreed that the dissection was a more enjoyable experience than notes or a worksheet and wished to do it more often, like the Marine Biology classes do.
“I think the dissection is a great hands-on way to learn and grabs not just mine, but all the students’ attention way more,” Steward earnestly stated,
The students who participated in this experiment will also participate in the sheep brain dissection. This dissection will proceed similarly to the previous one and serve as a helpful activity and a fun experiment. As Mrs. Robinson has shown in her classroom, a hands-on approach to anatomy is the most entertaining way to learn biology.