A group of Grade 9 students from Kelowna香蕉视频直播檚 Okanagan Mission Secondary are advocating for a humane change in biology class.
Erin Work, Lexie Pfenning, Annabelle Lee, Lucia Nutley and Caitlin Mahony want their school 香蕉视频直播� and the entire Central Okanagan School District 香蕉视频直播� to phase out physical animal dissections and switch over to virtual dissections instead.
They argue that using technology to understand biology has many positive impacts, including students avoiding trauma when it香蕉视频直播檚 time to cut open an animal, as well as making it more inclusive for students, who for religious or cultural reasons may not be able to participate in dissection, among others.
香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 actually been proven that 88 per cent of students learn better using alternatives over actual animal dissections,香蕉视频直播� Pfenning said. 香蕉视频直播淭hese alternatives have been classroom-tested to give the same, and in many cases a better level, of education. It香蕉视频直播檚 cost-effective, it香蕉视频直播檚 ethical香蕉视频直播� it reduces our environmental footprint.香蕉视频直播�
The group said they have all been passionate about animal rights for a long time but they saw an opportunity to act through the competition Sustainable Development Challenge.
The group, called , first reached out to the BC SPCA to help them achieve their goal. The non-profit then helped them connect with the , a charity that works to 香蕉视频直播渁chieve better science without animals香蕉视频直播�. The charity香蕉视频直播檚 founder and CEO Elisabeth Ormandy said this means helping students, schools and school districts access alternative resources.
Ormandy said there are various tools that can help teach biology, including apps for tablets that enable students to 香蕉视频直播渂uild香蕉视频直播� an animal, as well as other apps divided into body systems that enable students to 香蕉视频直播渄issect香蕉视频直播� a specimen, as well as virtual reality programs.
香蕉视频直播淭here are other tools that aren香蕉视频直播檛 as tech-involved. Clay modelling is extremely good for education where you have a plastic skeleton and you can put in the animal香蕉视频直播檚 internal organs yourself. There are some paper kits as well, where you cut out organs and 香蕉视频直播榖uild香蕉视频直播� the animal,香蕉视频直播� she said.
Ormandy and Our Voice for Change are now working together to form a pitch for the competition, hoping the group will win a grant, which can help them get the project off the ground and operational in their school to begin.
But the group said even if they don香蕉视频直播檛 win the competition, they want to push forward with their project and hope that the entire school district takes it on.
香蕉视频直播淲e香蕉视频直播檝e gotten quite a positive response, but of course there are those who are hesitant or are against the use of alternatives but quite often after we香蕉视频直播檝e explained the details of it and the pros and cons, they香蕉视频直播檙e very open-minded,香蕉视频直播� Lee said.
Our Voice for Change will be presenting their project pitch on Feb. 24.
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