Plant identification is a skill that takes years to hone and develop, yet it is important in understanding diversity in biology while in school. This is highlighted when studying ecological succession in A-level biology where students are often unable to notice the different species, which leads to the production of poor-quality data, potentially…

Short-answer questions are commonly used for assessment in secondary biology education, but their scope limits what can be observed. If a curriculum intends to encourage students to think deeply about how biological systems function, or to integrate physiology, development, evolution and ecology, then longer-answer assessments are required. This…

The third edition of the ASE's "Teaching Secondary Biology" sets out a vision for teaching and learning biology. Learning biology is not about learning the contents of a textbook. It is about conceptual learning, learning what it means to do biology and learning what it means to be a biologist. Our hope is that "Teaching Secondary…

The world is currently living through an unsettling and strange time as it is subjected to the COVID-19 pandemic; a new infectious disease for which, at the time of writing, there is neither vaccine nor cure available. This article discusses the need to promote biology and health literacy from childhood to elderhood to address the challenges…

The "Evolving 5-19 Biology" report (RSB, 2021) presents eight key recommendations and a framework for the development of biology curricula for ages 5-19. The framework proposes organising the curriculum in 23 coherent themes that form learning progression pathways. These pathways build answers to seven 'big questions' related to big…

Should entropy and energy be emphasised as relevant concepts for biology education? This question will be discussed, highlighting the ways in which the concepts of entropy and energy can contribute to a better understanding of biological processes. Organisms are open systems. Therefore, the chosen perspective is different from the traditional…

This article introduces biomimicry as an approach to STEM learning with a strong real-world application. It provides an introduction to biomimicry itself and some of the key principles behind using biomimicry as an approach to design. It draws upon almost three years of work within the BioLearn project, which is working with secondary schools in…

The infrared camera, or thermal imaging camera, can be used to complement the teaching of a number of topics in high school science. Here, we provide seven examples of its application in teaching physics, chemistry and biology concepts at high school level. We also discuss its strengths for such applications and provide some pointers for science…

Conrad Hal Waddington's epigenetic landscape is now a central paradigm in evolutionary developmental biology. This article proposes that it should be adopted into middle-years (ages 11-16) biology curricula as a way of visualising the interactions of the genome with the environment. The epigenetic landscape is explained, with some biographical…

Conrad Hal Waddington (1905--1975) was an English biologist who was especially interested in the big (metaphysical) questions of life. His thinking has become part of the foundation of modern systems biology. This article applies his thinking to middle-years school biology curricula (for ages 11-16), to see if their approach to epistemic questions…

It is common to use anthropomorphic labels when talking about technology, for example describing some robots and phones as smart, thinking and talking. This article describes a workshop in which students considered ways that words such as 'hearing', 'smart' and 'intelligence' might change in meaning when they are used in the context of robotics…

Defining what is meant by 'life' seems, on the face of it, straightforward. But, as this article explores, once you delve below the surface you find that providing a definition that everyone agrees upon is nearly impossible. By first considering how biologists and philosophers of science debate the issue of defining life, the article then goes…

Balanced science was a possible answer to a perceived need in England, Wales and Northern Ireland for students to study the three major science subjects up to age 16 without taking too large a proportion of curriculum time. Experience has shown that it is not a simple problem to solve, and this article describes various attempts going back several…

Evolution has been positioned at the centre of conflict between scientific and religious explanations of the workings of the world. However, little research has examined other possible reasons for some people rejecting scientific explanations. The author's research indicates that for some people, irrespective of faith, the ideas associated with…

Traditionally we consider infection to arise from viruses, bacteria and parasites. Prions are infectious proteins without any nucleic acids, and therefore do not represent living things. Despite this, they have the ability to replicate themselves and cause diseases such as mad cow disease (bovine spongiform encepthalopathy) and human…