To Muck About & Create A Community of Scientists in Your Classroom

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Originally appears in the Spring 2021 issue.

By Daniel J. Bisaccio

Often, my classes and writings start with a story. You as a savvy reader and educator know why… to cast “the hook.”

Here comes my hook. You may wonder, “Why I am starting a piece on how to get your students outside conducting field research with a misadventure?” (possibly a second hook?) Read on…

Brad is a student in my conservation biology class. He is also the starting quarterback on our school’s football team. One week, due to an unfortunate encounter with ground wasps in that class, Brad was sidelined. His coach, understandably and clearly upset, asked what had happened. Brad’s response: “I am taking full-contact biology with Mr. B.”

Full-contact science is messy, and as educators, we always need to first prepare for the safety of our students, whether in the lab or out in the field. Certainly, the outdoor lesson plan includes variables that are sometimes hidden and therefore require even more preparation to ensure safety for our students as best we can. This is paramount and sometimes, even with utmost planning, encounters such as Brad’s, happen.