Bringing the real world into the biology curriculum

This study followed a small but diverse group of biology teachers through the first two years of the pilot for a new Advanced Level Biology course - Salters-Nuffield Advanced Biology. SNAB aims to modernise A-level Biology using real world contexts and examples as the starting point, promoting conceptual understanding rather than factual recall, encouraging active learning and developing a capacity for critical thinking and reflection. If the teachers were to implement this new curriculum as intended they would have to change some of their usual practices. The challenges which they encountered and the ways in which they responded were identified through a series of semi-structured interviews with each teacher, supported by lesson observations and interviews with students and technicians. A major constraint on changing practice was uncertainty about how to manage new approaches effectively.     

Book reviews

Book Reviewed in this article: Wildlife Radio Tagging: Equipment, Field Techniques and Data Analysis R. Kenward Genetic Differentiation and Dispersal in Plants. Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Population Biology of Plants at Port-Camarque Edited by P. Jacquard, G. Heim and J. Antonovics. Diseases and Plant Population Biology J. J. Burdon. The Origins of Angiosperms and their Biological Consequences Edited by E. M. Friis, W. G. Chaloner and P. R. Crane.     

Book Reviews

Book reviewed in this article:
Biomathematics and cell kinetics. Developments in Cell Biology , Volume 8. Ed. by M. Rotenberg
Cell Proliferation in the Gastrointestinal Tract. Ed. by D. R. A ppleton , J. P. S unter and A. J. W atson
Advanced Cell Biology . Ed. by L. M. S chwartz and M. M. A zar     

REVIEWS

Review in this article:
British Parasitic Fungi . By W. C. M oore .
Chemistry and Biology of the Starch Granule . By N. P. B adenhuizen .
Plant Pathology: an Advanced Treatise . Vol. 1. The Diseased Plant. Edited by J. G. H orsfall and A. E. D imond .
Protoplasmatologia. Handbuch der Protoplasmaforschung . Edited by L. V. H eilbrunn and F. W eber .
Papierchromatographie in der Botanik . Second edition. By N. F. L inskens and others.
Morphology and Physiology of Plant Tumours . By A rmin C. B raun and T om S tonier .
Exchange of Genetic Material: Mechanisms and Consequences . Cold Spring Harbor Symposia on Quantitative Biology, Volume 23.
Encyclopedia of Plant Physiology (Handbuch der Pflanzenphysiologie). Volume XI. Heterotrophy. Edited by W. R uhland .
The Biology of Mycorrhiza . By J. L. H arley .
Cold Spring Harbor Svmposia on Quantitative Biology . Vol. XXIV.     

Problems Involved in an Educational and Experimental Research Programme

Teachers operating a scheme of internal assessment of practical work for an Advanced level Biology course raise a number of queries or have specific problems, especially if they are new to the scheme. Some of these problems are described.     

Live Animals in School Teaching

Some aspects of the selection and teaching of options of the Joint Matriculation Board's Advanced Level Biology syllabus were investigated by means of a questionnaire. The teachers' opinions of the options and their aims in teaching them are considered. Options seem to be regarded favourably by most of the teachers.     

Project work in social biology at GCE Advanced level

The Cambridge Advanced level GCE Examination¹ in Social Biology includes an individual study (project). The system by which project topics are submitted, modified, and approved is outlined in this paper and an indication is given of the standard and quantity of work expected. The criteria on which assessment is based are explained, the range of individual studies is summarized, and the cases for and against project work are given.     

Can we integrate bioinformatics data on the Internet?

The NETTAB (Network Tools and Applications in Biology) 2001 Workshop entitled 'CORBA and XML: towards a bioinformatics-integrated network environment' was held at the Advanced Biotechnology Centre, Genoa, Italy, 17-18 May 2001.     

Teacher assessment of A-level biology practical notebooks—the development of a system of moderation

From June 1980 onwards most home candidates taking University of London Advanced level Biology are required to submit their practical and fleldwork notebooks to their teachers for an assessment which contributes up to 10 per cent of their final subject mark. This paper describes a trial run assessment of the practical books of 700 candidates, conducted in June 1979, and the statistical moderation procedure produced.     

Designing and implementing a new advanced level biology course

Salters-Nuffield Advanced Biology is a new advanced level biology course, piloted from September 2002 in England with around 1200 students. This paper discusses the reasons for developing a new advanced biology course at this time, the philosophy of the project and how the materials are being written and the specification devised. The aim of the project is to provide an up-to-date course that interests students, is considered appropriate by teachers and other professionals in biology, and takes full advantage of modern developments in biology and in teaching.     

Teacher assessment of University of London A-level biology practical notebooks—a report on the first operational examination

From June 1980 onwards most home candidates taking the University of London Advanced level Biology Examination have been required to submit their practical and fieldwork notebooks for assessment by their teachers. The teacher-assessed component of the examination contributes 10 per cent to their final subject mark. This paper describes the research undertaken during the first operational examination. The method of assessment is reviewed and the moderation techniques are analysed and discussed in the light of known problems. The assessment and its moderation both appear to be functioning satisfactorily.     

Advanced high school biology in an era of rapid change: a summary of the biology panel report from the NRC Committee on Programs for Advanced Study of Mathematics and Science in American High Schools

A recently released National Research Council (NRC) report, Learning and Understanding: Improving Advanced Study of Mathematics and Science in U.S. High Schools, evaluated and recommended changes in the Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and other advanced secondary school science programs. As part of this study, discipline-specific panels were formed to evaluate advanced programs in biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics. Among the conclusions of the Content Panel for Biology were that AP courses in particular suffer from inadequate quality control as well as excessive pressure to fulfill their advanced placement function, which encourages teachers to attempt coverage of all areas of biology and emphasize memorization of facts rather than in-depth understanding. In this essay, the Panel's principal findings are discussed, with an emphasis on its recommendation that colleges and universities should be strongly discouraged from using performance on either the AP examination or the IB examination as the sole basis for automatic placement out of required introductory courses for biology majors and distribution requirements for nonmajors.     

Book Reviews

Book reviewed in this article:
Heitefuß, R., K. König, A. Obst und M. Reschke , Pflanzenkrankheiten und Schädlinge im Ackerbau.
Fahy, P. C., and G. J. Persley , Plant Bacterial Diseases, A Diagnostic Guide.
Palti, J., and R. Ausher (Eds) , Advisory work in crop pest and disease management. Crop Protection Monographs.
Sommer, B., und H. Marschner , Pflanzenverfügbarkeit von Schwermetallen nach langjähriger Düngung mit Klärschlämmen. Agrar- und Umweltforschung in Baden-Württemberg, Band 13.
Thalmann, A. , Fusarientoxine in Futtermitteln und Lebensmittelrohstoffen.
Bailey, E. J. A. , Biology and Molecular Biology of Plant-Pathogen Interactions (NATO ASI Series H: Cell Biology, Vol. 1).
Köhler, J. K. (Ed.) , Advanced Techniques in Biological Electron Microscopy III.
Hickey, K. D. (Ed.) , Methods for Evaluating Pesticides for Control of Plant Pathogens.     

How plants make light work of growth

Entry to medical schools; Harry Grenville

Nuffleld Advanced Biology

Environmental politics and policy

Grants for school nature areas

Biology in TVEI/CPVE courses - new handbook

New AV catalogue     

Book Reviews

Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor: Structure and Function (NATO Advanced Science Institutes Series H: Cell Biology, Vol. 3) Edited by A. MAELICKE Springer-Verlag, Berlin

The Chemical Basis of Radiation Biology C. Von Sonntag Taylor & Francis

Advances in Free Radicals in Disease Corongiu, F.P., Tomasi, A. and Vannini

Modern Biological Theories of Aging Aging Series Vol. 31. WARNER, H.R., BUTLER, R.N., SPROTT, R.L. and SCHNEIDER     

Current approaches to the synthesis and reconstruction of genetic material

Advanced approaches to the synthesis and reconstruction of genetic material developed in the Institutes of Molecular Biology and Genetics during the past years are summarized. The evolution of methods for oligonucleotide synthesis and scopes for their use in gene production are discussed. The principles of localised mutagenesis methods developed in the Institute are described, such as: a) mutagenesis directed to the regulatory gene regions; b) segment-localized mutagenesis; c) mutagenesis directed by phosphotriester analogues of oligonucleotides. Examples of employing these methods for induction of regulatory mutants of phage lambda, production of fused genes, mutant interferon genes, construction of new DNA vectors, construction of hybrid H1-H3 subtype haemagglutinine gene of influenza virus etc. are presented. The approach to in vivo site-directed mutagenesis is experimentally substantiated.     

Book Reviews

Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor: Structure and Function (NATO Advanced Science Institutes Series H: Cell Biology, Vol. 3) Edited by A. MAELICKE Springer-Verlag, Berlin

The Chemical Basis of Radiation Biology C. Von Sonntag Taylor & Francis

Advances in Free Radicals in Disease Corongiu, F.P., Tomasi, A. and Vannini

Modern Biological Theories of Aging Aging Series Vol. 31. WARNER, H.R., BUTLER, R.N., SPROTT, R.L. and SCHNEIDER     

Pictures of Synthetic Biology

This article is concerned with the representation of Synthetic Biology in the media and by biotechnology experts. An analysis was made of German-language media articles published between 2004 and 2008, and interviews with biotechnology-experts at the Synthetic Biology conference SB 3.0 in Zurich 2007. The results have been reflected in terms of the definition of Synthetic Biology, applications of Synthetic Biology and the perspectives of opportunities and risks. In the media, Synthetic Biology is represented as a new scientific field of biology with an engineering-like thinking, while the scientists interviewed mostly define Synthetic Biology as contrary to nature and the natural system. Media articles present Synthetic Biology broadly with positive potential and inform the publics less about the potential risks than about the benefits of Synthetic Biology. In contrast, the experts interviewed reflect more on the risks than the opportunities of Synthetic Biology. Both used metaphors to describe Synthetic Biology and its aspects.     

Q & A. Carl R. Woese. [interview

Carl R. Woese was born and raised in Syracuse, New York. His undergraduate training was at Amherst College (AB 1950) and graduate work at Yale University (PhD 1953). He is currently the Stanley O. Ikenberry University Professor and Center for Advanced Study Professor of Microbiology at the University of Illinois (Champaign-Urbana), where he has been for the past forty years. He was trained as a biophysicist and molecular biologist. He views himself as a molecular biologist in search of Biology. Consequently, his career has been devoted to using molecular methods to approach evolutionary problems. His most notable accomplishments have been determining the universal phylogenetic tree, through molecular sequence analysis, and the discovery of the Archaea, the so-called ‘third form’ of life. For these he has received numerous awards, including a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Award, the Leeuwenhoek Medal 1990 (Netherlands Royal Academy), the Waksman Award (National Academy of Science USA), and the Crafoord Prize (Swedish Royal Academy). At present he works on the evolution of cellular organization.     

Computational biology: plus c'est la même chose,plus ça change

A report on the joint 19th Annual International Conference on Intelligent Systems for Molecular Biology (ISMB)/10th Annual European Conference on Computational Biology (ECCB) meetings and the 7th International Society for Computational Biology Student Council Symposium, Vienna, Austria, 15-19 July 2011.