The Plant Science TREE is an on-line teaching tool giving access to inspirational educational resources from the research community.

Taxonomic education and botany are increasingly neglected in schools and universities, leading to a ‘missed generation’ of adults that cannot identify organisms, especially plants. The ‘taxonomic illiteracy’ of Western cultures has been recognised but limited research exists on the most effective methods for teaching species identification, especially in adults. A recent House of Lords inquiry [...]

This paper, just published in the Journal of Biological Education, strikes me as having a lot of potential. The method would also be appropriate for online learning and in developing countries where facilities might be limiting. Why not give it a go?   Stephen P. Bonser, Patrick de Permentier, Jacinta Green, Gary M. Vela , [...]

I’m writing an AoBBlog post (or maybe posts) on ten plants that all botanists should know quite a lot about. Criteria for inclusion include importance in the environment, importance to people as food or culturally, scientific interest, global nature, and evolutionary position. What are your suggestions?

Jeff Karron (AoB’s “pollen Editor”) recently tipped me off about Galleria Carnivora, a museum of colour photographs of carnivorous plants. There are lots of images online, but Galleria Carnivora is laid out as a virtual mueseum you can tour, and the comrehensiveness of the collection is stunning. Reuse of images for education purposes is allowed, [...]

Jeff Karron (AoB’s “pollen Editor”) recently tipped me off about ChloroFilms, a competition for new videos illustrating remarkable aspects of plant life. Entrants create a relevant video, post it on YouTube, and complete an entry form on the ChloroFilms website. Videos on energy and the environment are particularly encouraged and thousdand of dollars are awarded [...]

A single well-designed and timely intervention can influence future student behavior and offers a framework of potential use.