The Importance of an Organismic Perspective When Teaching & Learning About Plants

The research base on students’ knowledge of plants has established that misunderstandings develop in the early years of formal education and can persist through middle, secondary, and tertiary education. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate that a lack of emphasis on teaching biology from an organismic perspective helps explain the range of plant misunderstandings reported in the empirical literature. Four themes of misunderstandings are presented—(1) basic needs and contributions, (2) structure and organization, (3) photosynthesis and respiration, and (4) transport systems—followed by an analysis of those misunderstandings from an organismic perspective. The final discussion contends that an organismic perspective for teaching and learning about plants needs renewed attention and leads to pedagogical considerations for biology teacher education and professional development.