Top 5 YouTube Channels for Biology Teachers
Sometimes we need a break from lecturing. More often, I find my students are simply tired of listening to me. When I notice a lowering of enthusiasm, I start to sprinkle in a few educational videos. There are many one-off videos from various creators that I use, but listing all of those probably won’t be helpful to you. So instead, below are four solid biology channels that will probably have something to supliment your lecture, no matter what biology topic you are on.
WARNING! Please preview every video before playing it for your class. You are responsible for the videos that you show your students. Make sure you are following the teacher guidelines and best practices. When in doubt ask your administrator what to do, and if they do not know, do not show the video. Biologicool is not reasonable for what you show your students on YouTube!
The amoeba sisters do a wonderful job of explaining every high school biology topic on a level for high school biology. The creator used to teach biology in Texas and built their channel around explaining topics to high schoolers. Great for every biology TEKS. All content from the Amoeba Sisters should be school appropriate. However, you are still responsible for previewing the videos before playing them in your classroom.
This channel is geared toward college students, and thus is great for PreAP, AP, and Honors level classes. Hank talks quickly, which is great for students who are ready for that higher level, but not so great for english learners. It is important to note, that this channel is geared to college students and has some content not suitable for high school students. Please preview all videos before watching them in class.
Dr. Mike is an actual doctor who provides commentary on pop culture through youtube. He can be great to sprinkle in if you want to have a culturally relevant discussion. He is very energetic and always positive. I have used his channel during my biomolecule unit to introduce healthy eating habits. Because Mike is using pop culture to educate about health, not all of his content may be appropriate for the classroom. Please preview every video before you play it for your classroom.
Bozeman has very in depth videos that connect a lot of ideas. His videos are best for the AP, PreAP, or genuinely interested student. He can be dry at times, but all of his information is solid. He created his videos for his classroom and uploaded them to the internet to help everyone else out too. This means his videos should be appropriate for the classroom. However, you should always preview any video before playing it for your class.
John Perry does a great job of elegantly explaining one of the most misunderstood topics, evolution. Each of his videos have great art, and great explanations that go along with them. If you have any student who needs extra help understanding evolution, send them to Stated Clearly. Please preview every video before playing it in your classroom.
Khan Academy is a non-profit organization providing tutorial videos on a wide range of topics. Their biology videos are a bit dry, and sometimes not 100% accurate,. but they are a great additional resource for struggling students. Just make sure you watch any videos you play for students or direct students to before hand just to double check for inaccuracies.