Insects as Educational Models

Modeling in biological education describes a complex suite of instructional strategies that play a pivotal role in the process of authentic scientific inquiry (Svoboda & Passmore 2013). Utilization of models in the learning process allows students to grapple with concepts, often benefiting from the afforded simplification. In this way, insects are an incredible model for interdisciplinary learning and engage students as a strategy unique to EER as a result of three characteristics; insects are (1) ubiquitous, and (2) extremely diverse, and (3) are easily acquired.  

Male Head Louse

Insects can be found on every continent and inhabit almost every niche; some have even evolved to be obligate human parasites (Pediculus humanus). This ubiquity provides background knowledge, which educators can leverage to make their teaching more engaging and efficient (Fisher et al. 2012). Unlike other biological sub-fields (cellular biology, genetics, etc.), entomology benefits from an assumption that students possess experiential knowledge of insects in some form, thus shortening the conceptual gap between prior knowledge and the targets of instruction. This provides practitioners with a universal starting place, rich with interdisciplinary potential. For example, to broach the topic of nutrient cycling, an instructor could engage students using dung beetles as an example. Younger students may not be as familiar with these coprophagous insects as older students, but in either case it can be assumed that students have some prior knowledge related to beetles.  Instructors can take advantage of this relatively low barrier to entry, capitalizing on background knowledge to engage students in more abstract or complex concepts, especially those at greater spatial or temporal scales.

In addition to their profound ubiquity, insects represent a highly diverse taxonomic group of organisms. Over 1 million insect species have been described, and it has been suggested this number only encompasses one fifth of species present on the planet (Samways 2015). This immense diversity is indicative of the way insects have permeated every aspect of our world. Provided the low barrier to entry, educators can take advantage of the interconnectedness of insects, creating interdisciplinary routes to connect distant ideas and fields of study. For example, science teachers in middle school classrooms often teach science topics from a variety of science disciplines, taking advantage of previous efforts related to dung beetles and nutrient cycling to engage students in an astronomy lesson using the same dung beetles and benefiting from groundwork previously laid. Thus, bridging two very distinct fields of science with a common element that needed very little establishment at the onset. Similar bridges can be established between non-scientific topics as well, highlighting the versatile educational ability of insects; a historical example being that ink made from the galls of cynipid wasps was used to write the declaration of independence (Egan et al. 2018). 

Insects are relatively easy to acquire, require relatively little space or care (Fisher & Lorenz 2018), and are often the only group of live insects approved for public classroom use. This relative ease of use provides the practice of Entomology Education with the unique ability to use living models, a highly valuable intervention to employ in science education (Hummel & Randler 2012). The use of living, or once living, organisms is equally value in the field of biology education, but these practices have declined with the advent of technological alternatives and increased pressure from animal ethics groups (De Villiers & Monk 2005). Entomology education on the other hand continues to benefit from limited cost, reduced red tape, and a synchronous relationship between the use of live insects in supporting insect based curricula. 

These three characteristics in concert uniquely separate EER from BER, and warrant examination into the similarities and differences between the fields of biology and entomology education research. 

TL;DR - Insects are everywhere, there are so many of them, and they are relatively easy to get and keep in classrooms, making them a wonderful teaching tool to engage learners in a variety of science concepts.

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References:

• De Villiers, R., & Monk, M. (2005). The first cut is the deepest: reflections on the state of animal dissection in biology education. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 37(5), 583-600.

  
  

• Egan, S. P., Hood, G. R., Martinson, E. O., & Ott, J. R. (2018). Cynipid gall wasps. Current Biology, 28(24), R1370-R1374.

  
  

• Fisher, N., & Lorenz-Reaves, A. (2018). Teaching with Live Insects. Science and Children, 56(4), 32-39.

  
  

• Fisher, D., Frey, N., & Lapp, D. (2012). Building and activating students’ background knowledge: It's what they already know that counts: Teachers must assess and build on the background knowledge students possess. Middle School Journal, 43(3), 22-31.

  
  

• Hummel, E., & Randler, C. (2012). Living animals in the classroom: A meta-analysis on learning outcome and a treatment–control study focusing on knowledge and motivation. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 21, 95-105.

  
  

• Samways, M. J. (2015). Future-proofing insect diversity. Current opinion in insect science, 12, 71-78.

  
  

• Svoboda, J., & Passmore, C. (2013). The strategies of modeling in biology education. Science & Education, 22, 119-142.