Teaching Biology in Schools

Kostas Kampourakis is a researcher in science education and a lecturer at the University of Geneva, Switzerland. Michael J. Reiss is Professor of Science Education at UCL Institute of Education, University College London, UK.

• 1. Introduction: Biology Didactics 2. Cognitive Biases or Cognitive Bridges? Intuitive Reasoning in Biology 3. Biology and Young Children 4. Molecular Biology 5. Cell Biology 6. Human Biology 7. Health and Disease 8. Reproduction and Sex Education 9. Development 10. Genetics 11. Plant Biology 12. Energy, Photosynthesis, and Respiration 13. Ecology 14. Evolution 15. Microbiology 16. Biotechnology 17. Using Authentic Texts to Promote Disciplinary Literacy in Biology 18. Nature of Scientific Knowledge and Scientific Inquiry in Biology Teaching 19. Explanation in Biology Education 20. Argumentation in Biology Education 21. Worldviews in Biology Education 22. Concluding Remarks

"Teaching Biology in Schools is a comprehensive collection written by leaders in the field. The authors address a broad range of topics demonstrating how important biology is to our lives and why an education in the subject is vitally important. Each chapter shows how research can be used to inform the pedagogical choices that teachers make. I strongly recommend this book to anyone involved in biology education in schools.Justin Dillon, University of Exeter, UK"Teaching Biology in Schools brings together a wonderful collection of scholars who are able to impart their wisdom based on years of research in science education in a manner that is clear, meaningful and accessible to teachers, graduate students and researchers alike. It brings a fresh perspective to teaching biology that is based on seminal and new trends in the field. It is also written from diverse viewpoints using scholars from around the world. In this sense, the book transcends borders and educational politics—focusing on underlying and unifying conceptual trends and issues in the field."Dana L. Zeidler, University of South Florida, USA"Teaching Biology in Schools [is] a resource aimed at teachers, educators and anyone tasked with teaching biological concepts to school age students. … One of the most useful features of this book is the highlighting of common misconceptions that students have and that teachers should be aware of in their teaching. Anyone who teaches biology and takes this book off the shelf will find it informative and instructive in all areas and levels of the biology curriculum. It will appeal to recently qualified teachers as well as those with years of experience." Leighton Dann, Biologist"The book covers key areas of biology curricula, from cell biology to evolution, as well as considering wider areas such as teaching biology to young children and worldviews in biology education. … All in all, this book comes highly recommended. I for one will refer regularly to it before I teach topics and will also be recommending it to members of my department. One for the department library!"Peter Anderson, School Science Review"[A] superb collection of essays written by leading researchers in the field and from a variety of countries. . . . [T]his book substantially contributes to the development of biology didactics and, thus, to students’ learning of and engagement with the subject. The book highlights global issues, problems, and trends in biology education, with an emphasis on misconceptions. . . and, in my opinion, the inclusion of this aspect makes this an excellent and unique book that is a must-have resource for in- and preservice biology teachers, teacher educators, researchers and graduate students. [A] first step in the important and interesting mission of providing biology teachers with up-to-date knowledge in the field of biology education."Dina Tsybulsky, Science & Education"There is much to commend about this book. . . . Other biology education researchers will benefit from the insights presented and the extensive references provided in each chapter. Teachers will find this a useful resource when seeking research focused guidance on the teaching of a particular topic. A particular strength of the book is the international range of authors. Their differing national perspectives provide a variety of ideas and as a consequence this is a book that has the potential to make a very valuable contribution to the spreading of good practice in the teaching and learning of biology around the world."Nigel Skinner, Studies in Science Education