The Queensland Science Teacher,
Volume 31, No. 4, 2005
Reviewed by: Ross Bradford
BIOZONE Biology 2005 Student Resource and Activity Manual
The BIOZONE Biology Student Resource and Activity Manuals (separate versions for year 11 and 12) are an A4 sized, paperback series which are essentially a collection of student centred activities. These activities are organised into topics which are generally fairly generic in most secondary school biology courses and the manuals would more than adequately meet the needs of students enrolled in courses throughout Australia.
The presentation of the activities, and the manuals themselves, is exceptional. For each activity there is minimal reading and the annotated diagrams and photographs clearly explain the biological concepts presented.
There are various types of activities presented in the manual. They include data handling and/or interpretation, researching, recall of knowledge, application of knowledge to solve problems and extension material. The level of the activities also varies from simple questions not requiring complex reasoning to more challenging activities which require integration of concepts. Obviously, teachers could employ these activities in a variety of ways. The activities could be used to guide students through each topic, consolidate or test concepts. The activities could be set in class time, for homework or completed in the teacher's absence. As each page is perforated the activities can be quite easily removed and submitted for correction or even as an assessment task.
Each topic in the manual has a list of comprehensive learning objectives, student references, and additional teacher references. Obviously the manuals cater for more than just Queensland schools and therefore they do contain more material than is required by any one particular course of study. However, these inclusions do provide additional material which teachers use to extend and complement their current resource bank.
The inclusion of hands-on practical activities or experiments would be a welcomed addition to the series. However, 'Skills in Biology' is one of the topics covered in the Year 11 manual and the content presented for this topic is very well suited to helping students understand and plan for their Extended Experimental Investigations.
In addition to being an excellent resource for students the manuals are very 'user friendly' for teachers. The introductory pages of each manual clearly articulate how teachers can incorporate the resource into any school's biology course. These pages provide the following useful information:
• a summary for each states syllabus coverage;
• an explanation of common terms in Biology; and
• extensive references to resources such as textbooks, periodicals and websites.
Additional support for the manuals consists of a Teacher Resource CD-ROM which is available for purchase. This handbook (not available for this review) contains additional activities and resources (details videos, software and Science suppliers) and references. A comprehensive Model Answers book is also available.
With the recent changes to the Queensland Biology Syllabus, I believe a resource like this is going to be very well suited. In order to get the students engaged in a way that is truly in the ethos of the new syllabus, activities like these would be excellent. This book could be used as the primary tool of the course, obviously supplemented with the resources it makes references to within its pages and with a practical activity manual. As the manual is upgraded annually (each year 5-10% of the manual is revised) I believe any school's Biology course would be continually enriched by the use of these manuals.
Unfortunately the manuals can not be used as class sets. Students must purchase the books ($22.95) and photocopying is strictly prohibited. If you can incorporate these manuals into your school's Biology course you won't be disappointed. Check out sample pages and internet support for the manuals on www.biozone.com.au |