Experimental Teaching of Biology： A Professional Challenge. How Prepared Are the Teachers of High Schools of Heraklion, Greece？

In this research the education and training that had been received or wished to be acquired by the Science teachers in the experimental teaching of Biology in high schools, was investigated. It focused on the laboratory practice, didactic methods that can be used in more effective experimental teaching of Biology, pedagogic methods that can be implemented in laboratory team teaching, official and legal issues related to laboratory work and the organization of the seminars, which constituted the dependent variables of a quantitative analysis. A questionnaire consisting of closed type questions was answered by Science teachers of many specialties, who served in Secondary Education at Heraklion Crete prefecture. The asked teachers had not received adequate education in carrying out laboratory exercises of Biology neither during their university studies nor in in-service training. Most of them had taught the course theoretically but a few had carried out laboratory exercises of Biology. The need of training on issues of didactic practices and evaluation was firstly classified, with a significant percentage of methods that can be applied to provoke students＇ curiosity in scientific issues related to daily life and recognize the value of the Life Sciences by team collaboration and respect of others.

Kinematics of Terrestrial Locomotion in Mole Cricket Gryllotalpa orientalis

The fore leg of mole cricket （Orthoptera： Glyllotalpidae） has developed into claw for digging and excavating. As the result of having a well-suited body and appendages for living underground, mole cricket still needs to manoeuvre on land in some cases with some kinds of gait. In this paper, the three-dimensional kinematics information of mole cricket in terrestrial walking was recorded by using a high speed 3D video recording system. The mode and the gait of the terrestrial walking mole cricket were investigated by analyzing the kinematics parameters, and the kinematics coupling disciplines of each limb and body were discussed. The results show that the locomotion gait of mole cricket in terrestrial walking belongs to a distinctive alternating tripod gait. We also found that the fore legs of a mole cricket are not as effective as that of common hexapod insects, its middle legs and body joints act more effective in walking and turning which compensate the function of fore legs. The terrestrial lo-comotion of mole cricket is the result of biological coupling of three pairs of legs, the distinctive alternating tripod gait and the trunk locomotion.

The terrestrial locomotion of a mole cricket with foreleg amputation

Mole cricket is a unique insect, it not only can dig and excavate under ground with its specialized forelimb, but also can achieve terrestrial locomotion. This study focused on the difference of kinematics between mole crickets and normal insects in terrestrial walking. In order to study the function of the specialized foreleg, the adjustments made to the foreleg amputation were discussed by analyzing the motion ability, gait, and body posture of the mole cricket with and without forelegs. The re- suits show that mole crickets walk in terrestrial locomotion by using a special tripod gait, with the clumsy foreleg not as func- tional as normal hexapods. Mole cricket can make corresponding adjustments for the situation of missing forelegs, and achieve required molion stability with remained four legs.