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A few primary teachers will have completed some post 16
study or even have a degree in biology, and about half of
the secondary science teachers will have a degree with some
biology content. However that means that a substantial
number of trainee teachers of both primary and secondary
phases will have an understanding of Biology equivalent only
to a grade C at GCSE. The aim of these five ‘biology’
units is to provide support for these trainees (via their
tutors) so that they can either teach to GCSE level, or
acquire an understanding at that level so they have the
confidence to teach at primary school. The emphasis is on
the conceptual changes needed by learners (tutors, teachers
and their pupils) to come to an understanding of living
things.
Primarily younger children need to interact with science
at the level of their senses, which provides concrete
experiences to support scientific understanding of the
world. This is the basis of all KS1 science activity.
However, at KS2 it is appropriate to introduce them to
macroscopic perspectives of the universe through the topic
‘Earth and Space’, whilst they will be also interested
in microscopic perspectives through early introduction to
use of microscopes (note that younger KS1 children will also
be fascinated to look into the world of the very small
through informal introduction to microscopes by looking at
everyday objects). This introduces them to the concept that
the universe is far greater than their senses perceive and
that instruments such as microscopes and telescopes can
extend our senses to show us features of the universe that
we couldn’t know about without them. These ideas are
refined and developed through KS3 and 4, where perspectives
of scale can be developed further, and within this context,
investigations of cells and cell functions provide an
important perspective to understanding how whole organisms
function.
The National Curriculum Programmes for Study for Sc2 ‘Life
Processes and Living Things’ refer to cells and cell
functions at KS3 and 4, while KS1 and 2 refers to life
processes of living things. This acknowledges that younger
primary children need to develop understanding of the
features and properties of living things, whilst microscopic
features of life processes are most appropriate for
secondary pupils.
All topics in science are intrinsically fascinating, and
can lead us into understanding features of the universe that
may not be accessible through immediate sensory experience;
within this particular topic this leads us into an appreciation
of the awesome beauty, intricate elegance and
interdependence of life through detailed microstructure of
living things and life processes. However, it is most
important that we match pupils’ levels of thinking and
experience with the concepts of science in a way that
engages and interests them. These ideas may be fascinating,
but they can be taught in a way that makes them very
uninteresting and seemingly irrelevant. We need to hold at
the forefront of our minds that as children mature and become
adults their capacity to deal with abstract ideas and
features that are not immediately accessible to direct sense
experience increases, hence we need to find ways of making
ideas accessible at all levels.
At KS1 direct experiences and observations are most
relevant to introduce children to ideas of life processes,
and at KS2 these can be developed more systematically
through the mnemonic MRS GREN as a particularly useful way
into investigating how organisms are adapted to environments
(Movement, Respiration, Sensitivity to
environment, Growth, Reproduction, Excretion and Nutrition).
The topic of cells and cell functions is most applicable to
KS3 and 4, though it is useful at KS2 to introduce the
concept of living things being made of cells and how the
properties of living things are fulfilled by cells in the
context of organs and organ systems. At all stages we need
to help pupils make connections between the features and
properties of living things and how cells function to their
own observations of animals, plants and themselves. We need
to help pupils make connections between the ideas about how
cells work to provide insight about their own bodies and to
inform health and lifestyle choices. Also, this topic shows
how all living things share similar processes, which
provides insight into evolutionary relationships and the
idea of ‘the family of life’. This sense of
interconnectedness with other living organisms may foster a
sense of empathy, which is essential to environmental
education and environmental action to conserve the
environment, which must be a primary focus for education in
a world that is suffering increasing environmental damage.
There are many practical activities that link the
concepts to observations of living things. In every case,
the ideas need to be linked closely to observations and
applied to a wide range of living things so that the
concepts make sense. The ideas of science are powerful when
they nest in hierarchies and the big ideas at the highest
level are the most useful. The problem is that detailed
information is often needed to understand the big ideas and
it is all too easy to get lost in the detail and miss out on
the connections. The challenge for science educators is to
introduce learners to the big ideas through appropriate
detail without ‘obscuring the forest through too close
attention to the trees’. Many students will have negative
experiences of science through uninspired or uninformed
teaching and have failed to see the significance of
scientific ideas. Primarily, we need to encourage a sense of
significance in teaching science for appreciation of the
beauty, deep interdependence of all living things and
elegance in life processes. The details of cell functions
nest into this perspective and, if the big ideas are
communicated well, this should provide a motivation for
learners to be interested in and investigate a topic that
gives us insight into the very nature of life through
understanding its processes.
A significant aspect of the big picture for the topic on
cells and cells function lies within developing a sense of
place and scale. KS1 children will find it difficult to
appreciate micro and macro perspectives, but can be
introduced to concepts of very small through topics such as
‘minibeasts’ where they can look at small invertebrates
through hand lenses or stereo microscopes to show details
that are not obvious to the naked eye. They will also be
fascinated to look at everyday objects under a microscope to
see more details that not visible to normal vision.
Similarly, KS2 children will be fascinated to look at a
range of objects through microscopes, including cells, so
that they can start to appreciate that organisms are built
of these tiny structures and that they can take on many
forms and functions. (A sense of scale and place in the
universe can be promoted by children drawing examples of
cells, in an organ, within a person, in a house, in a
street, in a town, in a county, in a continent, on planet
Earth, in the Solar System, in the Milky Way Galaxy, in the
Universe (showing many galaxies). This approach makes a very
effective classroom display, which can be complemented by a
time line running around the room of events since the
formation of the Earth showing how the Earth and living
things have changed in time.)
At KS1 and 2 the main focus of section one of SC2 of the
National Curriculum is to develop understanding of living
and non-living things and to understand the common
properties of living things. At KS3 and 4 the focus of this
section is the topic of cells and their functions. It is
important for students to appreciate this perspective of
scale and sense of place, and many teachers miss this aspect
when addressing topics about the micro (as cells, made up of
chemicals built from atoms) and the macro (as Earth in
Space), failing to recognise this as part of a continuum of
science that embraces all aspects of the universe. A good
way to emphasise this for students is to show that living
things are organised into a number of levels which interact
with each other. Branches of science are related to one or a
number of these levels. Students can be invited to link
branches of science with appropriate levels of biological
organisation.
Download 3.2 introduces approaches to key ideas within
the topic including
- All living things are made of cells
- Plant and animal cells
- Cell structure and function
- Chemicals of cells
- Movement of materials in and out of cells
- Growth and respiration
- Photosynthesis
- Cell division and reproduction
Download 4 provides examples of practical activities to
develop the main ideas associated with cells and cell
functions
- About Education: Biology. http://biology.about.com/
- Birchfield Educational Software. http://www.birchfield.co.uk/
- Curriculum online. http://www.curriculumonline.gov.uk/
- Kennedy, J. (1997) Primary Science: Knowledge and
Understanding. London: Routledge.
- Jones, M., Fosbery, R. and Taylor, D. (2000) Biology
1. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Jones, M., Gregory, J. (2001) Biology2.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- LCP Teaching Resources http://www.lcp.co.uk/
- Littledyke, M. et al. (2006) Teaching
Primary Science: BEd and PGCE course study guide.
Cheltenham: University of Gloucestershire.
- Littledyke, M., Lakin, E. and Ross, K. (2000) Science
Knowledge and the Environment. London: David Fulton.
- Mackean, D. G. (2002) (Third edition) GCSE Biology.
London: Hodder Murray.
- National Biological Information Infrastructure:
Teacher Resources. http://www.nbii.gov/education/index.html
- National Curriculum in Action. http://www.ncaction.org.uk/
- National Curriculum Online. http://www.nc.uk.net/webdav/
- QCA National Curriculum 5-14. http://www.qca.org.uk/232.html
- Resources for Teaching and Learning Biology Using
Technology http://www.wisc.edu/cbe/tech/learntec.html
- Ross, K. et al. (2005) Science Issues and
the National Curriculum. CD Rom. Cheltenham:
University of Gloucestershire.
- Ross, K. et al. (2001) Teaching Secondary
Science. London: David Fulton.
- The Biology Corner Teaching resources. http://www.biologycorner.com/index.php
- Resources for teaching Biology. http://www.csun.edu/~vceed002/biology/index.html
- School Science. http://www.schoolscience.co.uk/
- Teachernet Teaching Resources http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/teachingandlearning/resourcematerials/
- University of Birmingham: Biology PGCE Student
Resources http://www.education.bham.ac.uk/subjects/PGCE/biology.htm
Downloads in this Unit:
Section Developed by:
Michael Littledyke, University of Gloucestershire
August 2006
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