BRINGING ETHICS INTO BIOLOGY EDUCATION: A BEST PRACTICE EXAMPLE ON ANIMAL ETHICS

Ethical considerations play an essential role in science education, particularly in addressing socioscientific issues (SSIs) that require students to evaluate scientific innovations within social, political, and moral contexts. However, these aspects are often underrepresented in the science classroom, limiting students' ability to critically engage with ethical dilemmas. A key challenge is the insufficient teacher preparation during their studies. This paper presents an educational approach integrating ethical discussions into biology education, focusing on animal ethics and animal experimentation. The objectives are to: Familiarise students with fundamental ethical concepts, encourage reflection on human-animal relationships, and develop skills in structured ethical discussions and reasoned decision-making. Pupils and teachers have positively evaluated the teaching concept. The approach developed is well-suited for integrating ethics into biology lessons even if the pupils have no prior knowledge.