Chatting with a colleague the other day, I had one of those light bulb moments. She said how difficult it was for her to admit that she found teaching biology difficult.
As a degree qualified chemist with industry experience, she had subject expertise and plenty of ideas for teaching chemistry and physics, but didn’t feel confident about her biology knowledge or finding engaging ways to teach it. The biology she had studied at school seemed a long way in the past and, even when she did know the basic subject content, how on earth was she supposed to make things like plant science interesting?
A trainee teacher recently told me that, although their course was great, most of the subject content and pedagogy was about chemistry and physics, because the majority of them has graduated in biology related degrees. It was assumed they would know the biology and how to teach it, but they said how much they would like a similar approach for biology to the one they had for physical sciences.
It can be difficult to ask for help with biology teaching. Other teachers have told me about the ‘funny looks’ they get. Walking into the prep room and saying you don’t ‘get’ physics or that you’re struggling to find a way to get a chemistry idea across is more acceptable than saying you are finding biology difficult. Is admitting that biology can be hard to teach the last taboo? That got me thinking about which bits of biology teaching are challenging and where teachers can go for help with tricky biology.
What support is available?
The new curriculum in England, with its greater emphasis on plant biology and microbiology, is causing many teachers problems. Luckily there is lots of support available to help teachers get ideas and inspiration for their lessons.
The Science and Plants for Schools (SAPS) website has free resources and ideas for practical work, teaching about plant diseases and careers. I am looking forward to adapting the lesson on anti-cancer properties of plants which links practical work to science careers.
For microbiology, Microbiology Online does exactly what it says on the tin with everything from Microbial Recipes to Fact Files on current topics.
Using microscopes to make observations and drawings for the new required practical throws up questions about how whether it’s safe to use human cheek cells, so it’s great to see the advice from CLEAPSS which covers not just safety, but how to do the practical effectively. Your school or college does need to be a member to access CLEAPSS, if your school or college isn’t sure whether you are members, check via the helpline.
Another thorny issue in biology is fieldwork, even going out on the school field can be daunting. Trust me it can be scary even for biology specialists to be faced with something like identifying playing field plants. Fieldwork was something I was often asked for advice about when I was a Head of Subject.
Worries about not being able to identify plants or animals and looking foolish in front of the students is a common concern, so the OPAL resources, which have free printable identification guides, are great. Working with a colleague and joint planning fieldwork can be a great way to get started. The Field Studies Council have online training materials to help you brush up your skills.
Face-to-face training in subject-specific content can also be a fantastic help, so CPD such as Preparing to teach biology can help to boost your confidence, practical skills and subject knowledge. For newly qualified teachers and those changing subjects there is a Summer school. Those looking to improve practical skills will find ideas for biology and more at the Practical work summer school.