Human anatomy and physiology classes for pre-nursing students at Gordon State College are taught using the body systems approach, focusing on one organ system in each learning unit. The body systems approach does not always generate a deeper understanding of the interdependence of organ systems. To address this issue we developed an analogy-based lab activity consisting of four modules (Module 1, cranial bone markings; Module 2, cranial nerves; Module 3, facial and neck muscles; and Module 4, inter-relationships that produce common activities, such as smiling, frowning, chewing, olfaction, vision, eyeball movements, gustation, etc.). Unlike traditional lab exercises that follow the body systems approach, this set of lab activities can emphasize the specific interactions between body systems for common body functions, such as smiling. This linking method utilizes a number of the hands-on lab activities featuring text, diagrams, and models. Assessment of these activities demonstrates that students can effectively learn the relationships between different organ systems by using a series of lab activities that emphasize creativity and fun.

All teachers hope that students learn to apply and analyze, rather than simply memorize or parrot back, the teacher's words. One method of encouraging the development of students’ higher-level thinking skills is to give learners practice in identifying appropriate analogies for biological concepts, and in forming their own. Analogies focus on the larger concepts we are trying to teach, rather than specific biological details or actual biological examples. They are fun to practice in class, and this practice prepares students for similar test questions.

Engaging students in a predator–prey simulation to teach natural selection is a common activity in secondary biology classrooms. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate how the authors have changed their approach to teaching this activity from a laboratory investigation to a class-constructed simulation. Specifically, the authors drew upon a research-based teaching tool (FAR guide) to help students understand how the simulation is analogous to what happens in nature. Teaching the activity in this way can help students connect the parts of the simulation to four basic components of natural selection.