Translating research on evolutionary transitions into the teaching of biological complexity. II. A NGSS-aligned framework for teaching the hierarchy of life

Complexity is inherent in most biological phenomena, yet there is little effort to teach biological complexity per se in the classroom. Levels of organization and hierarchical complexity are familiar features of living systems and taken for granted in most instructional materials including the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) of the United States. However, the evolution of the hierarchical organization of life is not being taught because there has been no instructional framework for doing so until now. We seek to address this gap in instruction by translating recent research on evolutionary transitions in individuality (ETI theory) into an integrative, instructional framework for teaching the hierarchy of life that aligns with the three dimensions of the NGSS. ETI theory presents an evolutionary framework for teaching hierarchical complexity using the social principles of cooperation and conflict. These principles are intuitive for students because they are analogous to many of the social situations in their lives. By making use of the ETI framework, instructors can explicitly teach the evolution of the hierarchical organization of life, the organizing framework for all of biology.