Biology, as a discipline, is a science dealing with knowledge about living creatures. It is the study of animals and plants existing in nature. Biology begins from smallest living forms of animals and plants up to most enlarged forms. This subject explains in details the lifecycles of plants and animals about growth, physiology, birth, reproduction and anatomy.
There are certain branches of biology:
Botany- This is the branch of biology dealing with thestudy of plants.
Zoology- This mainly deals with animals.
Microbiology -This is the branch which deals withstudy of micro-organisms especially.
Some easy ways to learn Biology:
- Dopractice to draw the diagrams and structures
Learning of Biology can be made interesting and simpler at the same time by using the diagramsand three-Dimensional structures of both plants and animals.There is aspecificexplanation regarding the various parts of physiology andanatomy, so you need to see them first before understanding in details.
When you see them carefully, you can memorize them better. The diagram also helps in knowing the functionalities of that part or organ. Since pictorial depictions enhance the memory of the topics, so you will find that any chapter that you have read with diagram is better remembered than others.
- You need to understand the terminology
In biology, there are many scientific terminologies which are tough. One of the reasons why studentdoes not like this is the gigantic terms. But each and every terminology has a meaning and if you understood that it would be easier to learn.
Most of the scientific terms of biology are originatedfrom Greek or Latin. When you know the real meaning of these words in the specific languages, it will be easier for you to understand and remember.
Say for example “meta†the word; itmeans “next“. The scientific word of “metamorphosis†can be broken into smaller parts to know the actual meaning. Let’s break “metamorphosisâ€as Meta+morpho+osis which in English means next+physical+condition.  We can consider another word “metaphase†which is a stage of cell division.  So, basically metaphase is the next phase. You can see from the above examples if you know the actual meaning of these bombastic words it becomes so simple to understand or memorise in your course of study.
Here are some more examples of the terms that need to be understood:
- The word “Amphi†means both. So “amphibians†=amphi+bians means “both+livingâ€in simple terms. So, Amphibians are animals that live on both land and water like frogs, snakes.
- The word “apo†means Tip
- The word “teleoâ€means Tail
- The word “arthro†means many and hence “arthropods†=arthro + podos= many+ foot. Animals with many feet are arthropods.
There are thousands of such terminologies in biology, so instead of disliking them if you understand the terms it helpsyou inlearning biology easily.
- Use natural,real life experiences to learn biology
With biology, you need to apply your daily life activities instead of mugging from the textbook always. If you have to learn about physiology or metabolism etc. take knowledge from real life experiences. If you have the practical knowledge, it will be easier for you to remember the topics.
Take the example of theheartbeat. You can hear the heart beating of your own. Moreover, you may even do a counting of the number of beats per minute.
So you then realize that the pulses mentioned in the book is the same as you have counted by yourself and you will never forget that in life. This enhances your confidence, and the knowledge becomes more dependable.
- Use of laboratory classes
If you are a student of biology, you will find that doing practical classes in the laboratory is mandatory. This is a nice way to learn biology.
Similar to other science subjects like chemistry and physics, biology will need demonstrations in the laboratory. If you take an interest in doing the laboratory classes for studying biology, it will help you in enhancing yourcuriosity in the discipline.
There are a huge number of experiments in the biology curriculum. Examples of the experiments are plant tissue pieces are stained, animal tissue parts are observedin microscopes, dissection of anesthetized animals like frog or earthworm, etc.
This assists you in understanding physiology and anatomy better. So always try to attend all the lab classes, never miss one.
- Like any other subject, biology needs repeated reading and revision
An important tip for studying biology methodically is to revise a chapter after coming back home that is taught in the class on that day.
Do not put it aside to be learnt later. You should also clarify your doubts in that chapter from your tutor the very next day, so when you revise the topic later on it will be easier for you to memorize. Also since you are in sync with the class, you are sure to achieve better grades in the biology exams.
You must follow your textbook and additional biology books which are standard with images/flow charts to explainbetter and emphatically.
- You need to learn biology in a detailedmanner
Since biology is the study of all aspects of living beings, so you need to know the various aspects such as anatomy, physiology, taxonomy, life cycles, etc.
Anatomy explains the detailedstructures of the body parts of microbes, plants and animals. Beforehand you must know the basics like tissues, cells, organs, etc.
Again cell organelles havedifferent constituents like a cell membrane, nucleus, Golgi bodies, microtubules, ribosomes, mitochondria, etc. Cells make up tissues and tissues makeup organs. A collection of organ creates an organism or animals.
Physiology helps us differentiating animals and plants. It includes cell division, reproduction, cell death, digestion of food by animals, etc.
Taxonomy categorizes animals, plants and microbes so that it is easier to study and describe.Other important topics are Life cycles, morphology and habit and habitats.
So as you can see Biology is not that difficult, youshould follow some simple rules as described above. When you put your effort to learn biology with attention and keeping pace with the class, you are bound to excel in it like any other subject.