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.     

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.     

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.     

Make biology relevant again! Pre-service teachers’ views on the relevance of biology education

ABSTRACT

Biology education should be relevant to young students so that they can become interested in biology and understand biological topics in their everyday and vocational lives. We conducted interviews and collected mind maps to examine Finnish pre-service biology teachers’ (N = 16) views on the relevance of biology education. Furthermore, we analysed Finnish secondary school biology curricula, which were compared with the pre-service teachers’ answers. We classified the views on relevance into nine main categories using grounded theory as the methodological frame of reference. Pre-service teachers emphasised the relevance of biology to the student’s own life, whereas scientific practices and the nature of science were expressed in secondary school curricula more often. Novice pre-service teachers put more value on general knowledge, while more experienced pre-service teachers were more likely to mention sustainable futures and societal aspects in their reasoning. Based on the results, we identified two stages in the development of the views. This study suggests that pedagogical studies, teaching experience and teacher training have an impact on the pre-service teachers’ views about the relevance of biology education. Moreover, we could find differences between curricula and pre-service teachers’ views, especially regarding scientific practices and the role of the nature of science in biology education.     

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.     

Genome science: a video tour of the Washington University Genome Sequencing Center for high school and undergraduate students

Sequencing of the human genome has ushered in a new era of biology. The technologies developed to facilitate the sequencing of the human genome are now being applied to the sequencing of other genomes. In 2004, a partnership was formed between Washington University School of Medicine Genome Sequencing Center's Outreach Program and Washington University Department of Biology Science Outreach to create a video tour depicting the processes involved in large-scale sequencing. "Sequencing a Genome: Inside the Washington University Genome Sequencing Center" is a tour of the laboratory that follows the steps in the sequencing pipeline, interspersed with animated explanations of the scientific procedures used at the facility. Accompanying interviews with the staff illustrate different entry levels for a career in genome science. This video project serves as an example of how research and academic institutions can provide teachers and students with access and exposure to innovative technologies at the forefront of biomedical research. Initial feedback on the video from undergraduate students, high school teachers, and high school students provides suggestions for use of this video in a classroom setting to supplement present curricula.     

Assessing the concept of controlled experiments in science teachers

Biology teachers, attending a post-graduate training course, were given a written test in which they had to identify the controlled set-up in two different experiments. A teaching strategy was designed to help the subjects to construct and consolidate an understanding of controlled experiments, in line with scientific inquiry methods, by following the process of hypothesis, formulation and testing.     

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.     

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.     

对分课堂在生物教学中的效果反馈分析

PAD(Presentation-Assimilation-Discussion)课堂即对分课堂,是一种突破传统课堂、但又区别于翻转课堂和研讨式教学的新模式,已被列入上海市教委新进教师培训内容和教育部网培中心"卓越教学法"系列,正在被广大教师采用。笔者2015年首次将对分课堂引入高等生物学教学,迄今已分别在专业必修课"微生物学"和通识选修课"改变生活的生物技术"中全程实践,共4个学期。本文分析了关于PAD教学模式的106份有效问卷,给读者呈示出该模式在生物学教学中的应用效果,希望为同行提高课堂教学质量提供一种思路,推荐一种新模式。     

From Anna University to America and to Agriculture

Anna University (AU) is an awesome alma mater for attracting the attention of the invincible through awareness from education. It is a place with a plan for preparing a palace in a person''s life. It is an avenue for America through adequate cGPA and Advanced GRE (AGRE) with good TOEFL score. The views,visions, modes and models of several faculty members shaped many technocrats, teachers, entrepreneurs, journalists, editors and even farmers. Technology is engineering with science. The foundation and facilities at AU is priceless. AU created the framework for Industrial Biotechnology, a truly inter disciplinary curriculum with an optimal blend of Engineering and Science (Biology especially Agriculture and Healthcare through Organic chemistry) in 1992 almost 28 years back. The place was positioned just perfect in the world for wonders to come true. The Raman auditorium (in reverence to the Nobel Laureate Sir CV Raman) reassured rational research with reasonable respect in many minds at the ACTECH (Alagappa College of Technology) under the administration of AU. The admiration, acknowledgement and accountability for the alma mater, the AU will always remain precious.     

Genomic Instability in Cancer: Biological and Mathematical Approaches

The workshop, organized by Natalia Komarova and Arnold Levine, was sponsored by Institute for Advanced study and DIMACS (Rutgers). Held on the grounds of In-stitute for Advanced Study in Princeton on June 8 and 9, it brought together about 60 distinguished researchers in the areas of Molecular and Cell Biology, Evolution-ary/Theoretical Biology and Mathematics.     

细胞生物学双语教学的探索及思考

双语教学是我国教育改革的一项全新尝试,双语教学是指在教材使用、课堂讲授、课程考试等教学环节同时使用汉语和非母语并以外语为主要教学语言的教学活动,其最终目标是学习者能同时使用母语和外语进行思维,成为既懂专业又懂外语的国际性人才;细胞生物学发展迅速,是一门前沿性、国际性课程;对细胞生物学进行双语教学,使学生在掌握专业知识的同时,提高了英语水平,能满足学生查阅英文文献、写作专业英语文章、进行英语交流的需要,我们对细胞生物学双语教学进行尝试与探索,通过选择合适教材,保证教师师资力量,运用合理的教学方法,建设素材库和网络课程等方面进行努力,取得了较好的效果,提高了教学质量,为培养高素质的人才打好基础。     

How fieldwork-oriented biology teachers establish formal outdoor education practices

ABSTRACT

Fieldwork is an important part of biology as well as science and biology education. However, teachers perceive several reasons for the limited use of fieldwork in schools. Further, outdoor education is often organised as a single fieldtrip guided by outdoor educators, and little research has been done on fieldwork as a regular part of formal biology education. This case study explores three secondary-school biology teachers who untypically use outdoor education as a major part of their ecology courses for 8^th grade students (median age 14). Berger and Luckmann’s theory of the process of institutionalization as a theoretical background is used to interpret the pedagogical and organizational choices of the case study teachers. Analysis of the interviews of the selected three teachers revealed pedagogical and organizational means through which outdoor teaching is institutionalized into a regular activity in biology lessons. The teachers considered regularity, assessment practices and the school curriculum as major tools to legitimate outdoor learning as a formal schoolwork and foster successful learning. However, they also emphasised students’ freedom during outdoor activities. The findings are discussed in terms of how the teachers succeeded in combining the institutional order of formal schooling with students’ freedom in nature.     

Diving into the Rio Grande Valley: Meaningful experiences in arts educator preparation

As the Texas Education Agency implements new standards for arts teachers and U.S. arts education policy stakeholders articulate a need for culturally competent educators, teacher preparation programs must respond and consider methods to prepare developing teachers to meet such standards. Preservice arts educators need exposure to a variety of art forms and opportunities to practice teaching in diverse settings in order to explore and exercise culturally responsive arts education. This research project examines the impact of a university program that places preservice teachers in the Rio Grande Valley near the Mexico/U.S. border in South Texas. The group surveyed includes 10 student teachers, two thirds of the total program participants. The research specifically examines the value of the experience for student teachers through surveys and follow-up interviews. The study concludes that student teaching in the Rio Grande Valley helps prepare participants to teach across identity markers and offers them important experience that helps prepare them to meet these new standards set by state policy makers. The article recommends offering more support and reflexive opportunities for these student teachers.     

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.     

Bioinformatics Goes to School—New Avenues for Teaching Contemporary Biology

Since 2010, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory''s (EMBL) Heidelberg laboratory and the European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) have jointly run bioinformatics training courses developed specifically for secondary school science teachers within Europe and EMBL member states. These courses focus on introducing bioinformatics, databases, and data-intensive biology, allowing participants to explore resources and providing classroom-ready materials to support them in sharing this new knowledge with their students.In this article, we chart our progress made in creating and running three bioinformatics training courses, including how the course resources are received by participants and how these, and bioinformatics in general, are subsequently used in the classroom. We assess the strengths and challenges of our approach, and share what we have learned through our interactions with European science teachers.     

Arts curriculum implementation: “Adopt and adapt” as policy translation

This article examines macro, meso, and micro understandings of policy enactment within Western Australian primary school arts education where a new national arts curriculum is being revised and implemented through a process colloquially known as “adopt and adapt.” This article focuses on how a government-led implementation policy has influenced arts teaching and learning in unintended ways. It Includes a theoretical reflection and a consideration of the effects of such policies. Using policy enactment theory as the enquiry lens, four contextual variables are highlighted for their impact on teachers and schools. The variables include situated contexts, material contexts, professional cultures, and external factors. Effects are discussed through the perspectives of 11 arts curriculum leaders drawn from in-depth semi-structured interviews. Marginalization of the arts, the disconnection of schools and teachers to the arts and professional learning impacts are discussed as results of this policy translation.     

基于通识教育理念的合成生物学课程设计与实践

合成生物学作为生物学中新的分支学科,发展迅速,理论研究和应用潜力巨大,在带来了很多新的研究理念和研究方法的同时,给高校教学也带来了新的挑战.目前就合成生物学课程而言,国内可供参考的教学经验不多.文中以浙江大学"博雅技艺"类通识课程—"合成生物学"为例,从课程背景、课程设计、课程实施情况、课程成果与存在问题等方面,全方位...