In Huh Curriculum conversations between subject and senior leaders, Helen Slipper talks about how the biology curriculum is planned in her school.
‘Our mantra is, ‘Knowing stuff makes a difference.’ We want students to possess scientific knowledge that opens their eyes to the world around them. They use these processes everyday, but don't always realise it. First-hand observations & investigations bring concepts to life.
‘We focus on sequencing, making sure students know how knowledge links together. Students are keen to learn when they have something to hang new knowledge on. Our ultimate question to students is, “How is what you are learning now going to enable you to learn in the future?”
‘When we have considered some core things we want students to know. When we want them to know something specific, such as the word equation for photosynthesis, we make sure they know that verbatim, which we have found has built their confidence. And then students believe they can tackle some of those more challenging aspects of the subject.
‘When you consider the different strands of biology, you can make connections between them, but some of them stand alone as well, such as plant biology, human biology, and environmental studies. It’s important for a Year 9 student to possess a solid foundation of scientific knowledge, the factual side of science that just opens their eyes to the world around them.
‘We work hard to make the abstract concrete.
‘How do we get them to see something that is invisible? We do a lot of work on cells, a key core concept in biology – it’s important for pupils to know the different types of cells, the different contexts they then arise in, and how they have an effect on the organism. Earlier this year, I taught pupils what a palisade cell is. I taught them that this is a cell within a leaf and we were then moving on to photosynthesis and leaf structure.
‘I thought I cannot really put all this together unless they have got some appreciation of what we are talking about. I took the class outside to look at some leaves on plants. And I said, ‘I want you to be really observant: not just, it is green, it is round but textures and shapes. Is it all one part? Is it made of multi- parts? What can you actually see on a macroscale?’
‘When we gathered together to discuss it, they made observations like, ‘Well the top was leathery or waxy.’ And then they said, ‘Well it had lines in it; it looked like veins’ (veins were something that they already knew). So, they were able to piece some knowledge together.
‘We were able to talk about the cuticle, the waterproof layer on the top of the leaf, and how it prevents water from evaporating. Suddenly, they had the context in real life. They said things such as “I saw that waxy layer” or, “I saw those veins; now I understand that they connect into the stem, and they go right down to the roots. And this is how water is transported through the plant.”
‘Working in this way brought it to life for the class, rather than the 2D diagram that we stick on the board, and say this layer is this, this layer is that. It really made a big difference.’
‘The recent increase in both breadth and depth of knowledge in the science curriculum made us think hard about what we need to do to ensure students can deepen their learning. We decided they needed to ‘recall’ the science knowledge rather than rely on being told again, or looking something up, or re-reading it from somewhere.
‘We worked across the department to decide the key science knowledge all students require. We produced knowledge organizers to use with students and introduced retrieval quizzes at the start of our lessons. What we have noticed is a transformation in the quality of student discussion. They are increasingly keen to know ‘stuff’. And they are increasingly keen to learn because they have got something to hang the new knowledge on.’
Three documents to support line managers for science
1. Powerful Ideas of Science and How to Teach Them by Jasper Green
2. Cracking Key Concepts in Secondary Science by Adam Boxer, Heena Dave and Gethyn Jones
3. National Curriculum Science Programmes of Study
If you’d like to hear more you can watch the full conversation with Helen, John and on Myatt & Co. (£/free trial
Until next time
Mary
When you’re ready, you might find these helpful for curriculum and leadership development in your school
NEW: Secondary subject networks are now available (£/free trial)
The spring Primary Subject Networks are also available (£/free trial)
And there’s also the popular Primary Curriculum Booster which include live check-ins with me!
Huh Curriculum Leaders Course: UPDATE: The June course is now open, and places are filling up fast and it’s the last chance for the live sessions!
Huh Leadership Lobby: a blended, self-paced course with live check-ins, led by me and Andrew Morrish. It is designed for aspiring, new and established leaders, it starts April 2023 and places are limited