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Association for Science Education (ASE)
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Biotech
Biotech, published by the Association for Science Education, was a set of teaching and learning activities devised by a team of advisers and teachers from three local authorities in the days of the Secondary Science Curriculum Review.
The five teaching units on biotechnology were directed towards students aged 14-16 of a wide range of ability. The topics covered both traditional and modern biotechnologies and aimed to provide an insight into the nature and meaning of biotechnology as well as its relevance in today's technological society. Experimental work was limited to simple and inexpensive investigations.
The students were encouraged to develop productive communication skills through the wide variety of small group and paired activities. These activities were designed to ensure that each student would be actively involved in his or her own learning.
Where controversial issues arose, it was not intended that a consensus of opinion should be reached but that students should begin to appreciate and express a diversity of views. The authors took the view that school science should not foster the impression that science simply provides the correct answers to many problems. The intention was that these resources should help to illustrate that science can solve problems but that the solutions in themselves can often be problematic.
Contents
Teachers' introduction
1. A FOCUS ON DAIRY BIOTECHNOLOGY
Teachers' notes
Introduction: The yoghurt business and you
Activity 1: How yoghurt is manufactured
Activity 2: Making a natural yoghurt
Activity 3: Making a nice yoghurt
Activity 4: Designing a new yoghurt
2. YEAST TECHNOLOGY TODAY
Teachers' notes
Introduction
Activity 1: Using science in industry
Activity 2: The Biotech Bugle
3. WASHDAY BIOTECHNOLOGY
Teachers' notes
Introduction
Activity 1: Coming up with an idea to test
Activity 2: Designing your experiment
Activity 3: Carrying out the experimental work
Activity 4: Making a written report
4. SCIENCE AND THE PUBLIC 1: CLONING
Teachers' notes
Activity 1: A discussion about cloning
Extension activity 1: The Cloning Chronicle
Activity 2: Scientists at work
Activity 3: Growers at work
Extension activity 2: Whose views?
Activity 4: Oil-palm cloning: a commercial enterprise
5. SCIENCE AND THE PUBLIC 2: GENETIC ENGINEERING
Teachers' notes
Activity 1: Cells, genes and DNA
Activity 2: So you think you know what a genetic engineer does?
Activity 3: The insulin story
Extension activity: Sporting diabetics
Activity 4: How human insulin was made by bugs
Activity 5: 'Any Questions' on human genetic engineering
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