The nephron is a tricky concept for many students but it doesn't have to be. In this post, I explain how I've taught it recently, without...

Oxygen dissociation curves are difficult for students. I often find that difficulty comes from trying to visualise the mechanism through...

Teaching about natural selection gives a mechanism for how species change but it doesn't directly address how one species can diverge...

The role of individual organisms is vital to understanding ecosystem functions. Often, the organism—and how it goes about its life—is...

The nervous system is a great topic for exploring who we are and what we can do. It's also great for explaining experience. But to do...

What are enzymes? For students that's a strange word. So, firstly, we'd better have a look. To do so, my favourite animation is one of...

The lac operon is a classic of genetics and is common in biology curricula. Yet, students can sometimes find it difficult. I want to show...

If you're teaching Mendelian genetics, monogenic disorders are on the cards. But which ones are good examples? The IB has once again...

The relationship between photosynthesis and respiration—within an individual plant—isn't easy for students. Often I find, they've been...

The peppered moth of industrial England—and the Galapagos finches on Daphne Major during the 1976 drought—are common examples used for...

Teaching the nitrogen cycle is one of my favourite lessons. There's so much to connect to: history and everyday life. But, students also...

A principle of variation theory is identifying the aspect you want students to discern and then varying it. When you vary it, keep all...

How to teach mammalian thermoregulation with a system dynamics model.

How to help students understand osmosis by building a stock and flow diagram with them.

After reading about stock and flow diagrams in my book, many people have asked for more details about how I actually go about building...

I don't have slide decks to share as I teach by conversing and drawing diagrams . Do you want to co-construct meaning without lecturing,...

Where should a topic on the digestive system begin, let's say, for a GCSE class (ages 14-16)? Should it be with the general structure of...

What is the cause of osmosis? Typically, with my students of 14-16 years old (GCSE courses), I don't delve into the mechanism. It's the...

The Powerpoint years Creating presentations were great for organising my thinking while I planned, I could include: Exactly the right...

Glucose homeostasis—What will happen? On the surface we have the learning of the component parts of the human body that function as a...