Montessori School Welcomes Compassionate Teaching Tools to Foster Respect for 'All Living Creatures'
For Immediate Release:
March 29, 2011
Contact:
Robbyn Brooks 202-483-7382
Gettysburg, Pa. —To support Gettysburg Montessori Charter School's decision to implement modern and humane virtual dissection labs for its biology classes, PETA is donating the popular Digital Frog 2.5 anatomy software as well as portable netbook computers to run it on. In a letter to PETA, the school wrote, "[O]ur students will learn more about ecology and preserving our planet while at the same time respecting all living creatures." Digital Frog 2.5 is an interactive computer program that allows students to "cut" using a digital scalpel and learn about frog ecology, and it has been shown to teach anatomy better than animal dissection.
"We're delighted to help Gettysburg Montessori Charter School take the lead in teaching biology with humane, modern teaching methods," says PETA Vice President of Laboratory Investigations Kathy Guillermo. "At less progressive school, cats, frogs, pigs, and other animals suffer and die for dissection even though non-animal methods for teaching biology have proved to be superior."
The millions of animals who are used in school dissections come from biological supply houses, which breed some animals and obtain others from animal shelters or the wild. Comparative studies have repeatedly shown that non-animal teaching methods such as interactive computer programs are more effective at teaching biology than crude animal-based methods. They also save time and money and increase student confidence and satisfaction. The National Science Teachers Association endorses the use of modern non-animal methods as replacements for animal dissection.
Gettysburg Montessori Charter School emphasizes the cognitive, social, and emotional development of students. The school also stresses the principles of peace and environmental sustainability and provides opportunities for students in neighboring schools to follow its lead.
The school's letter to PETA is available upon request. For more information, please visit PETA.org/dissection or TeachKind.org.