Teaching awards
These awards recognise outstanding and inspirational school teachers.
Primary Science Teacher of the Year Award: for teaching of biology within primary education.
School Biology Teacher of the Year Award: for secondary school biology teachers.
This award is open to all teachers in these categories – they do not have to be a member of the Royal Society of Biology.
Biology Competitions
Although the competitions are aimed at students, they are also a helpful tool to support teachers encourage and extend their students' knowledge in and engagement with biology.
British Biology Olympiad: a competition for post-16 students that challenges and stimulates those with an interest in biology to further develop their talents.
Biology Challenge: an online competition for 13-15 year olds that encourages them to develop an interest in biology beyond the school curriculum and stimulates their curiosity about the natural world.
Information and idea sharing tools
TalkBiology: an online discussion and sharing forum for all bioscientists with discussion groups for teachers, technicians and other educators, and those with an interest in supporting teachers, such as learned societies, science learning centres and science museums.
BioEd: a monthly e-newsletter aimed at teachers and others with an interest in 5-19 education, teachers may subscribe for free via the Royal Society of Biology's website after giving their name and email address. During registration teachers may select from a list of other free newsletters.
Teaching resources
Practical Biology: a website packed with tried and tested biology experiments that should work in any school laboratory. The practicals can be used as starting-points for investigations and also for enhancement activities, such as science clubs. Each activity is supported by guidance notes for teachers and technicians.
Food security resources (from Biology Week 2013): to support the biology, geography and PSHE curricula.
Scibermonkey: a website with links to websites, games and activities across the sciences. Areas for students aged 5-7, 7-11, 11-14 and 14-16 as well as a teacher resource area.
Biology Changing the World: website, posters, practical suggestions and app. The site covers a range of biologists and the contribution that they have made to science.
Gopher Science Labs: A range of hands on practical activities (teacher booklet available to download) designed to be taught by secondary pupils to primary pupils. There is an online database to match local primary and secondary schools who are interested in taking part in the scheme.
Membership networks and benefits
BioNet: Society membership for 14-19 year olds (£5/year). Benefits include: e-subscription to The Biologist; a quarterly newsletter with latest news, events, careers advice and interesting biology links; quarterly articles to add depth to school biology; and access to exclusive opportunities, such as the Space Camp competition.
Schools and Colleges Affiliation Scheme (SCAS): school membership scheme (£60/year for UK schools; £110/year for overseas). Benefits include subscriptions to The Biologist and the Journal of Biological Education.
Individual membership: offers range of benefits of use to teachers, including discounts on training courses and publications (including the Journal of Biological Education), subscription to The Biologist, access to grants to run regional events and opportunities to engage with the Society's education policy activities.
Careers resources
Although not directly aimed at teachers, these resources support teachers to provide guidance and information to their students on future study and career options in biology.
Becoming a biologist: degrees and careers in biology: free hard copy booklet for post-14 students thinking about a future in biology.
Make a difference with a career in biology: a series of colourful posters highlighting various careers options in biology, and supported by an accompanying website with further information on different areas of the subject.
CPD: Professional Registers
Registered Scientist (RSci) and Chartered Science Teacher (CSciTeach): recognise professional excellence in science and science teaching and encourage teachers to engage in biology and education/pedagogy-specific CPD. Registered Science Technician (RSciTech) is also available for school technicians.
CPD: events and training
Association for Science Education (ASE) Annual Conference: each year the Society exhibits at the conference to showcase our support to science teachers from across the UK and overseas. In addition we contribute to the Biology in the Real World programme of talks, which offer teachers the opportunity to hear about cutting edge research that links to the school science curriculum.
Big Biology Giveaways: free regional twilight events for teachers and technicians that offer teachers the opportunity to gather free resources and listen to contemporary biology talks from bioscience researchers.
Careers events: the Society exhibits and attends a number of careers events throughout the year aimed at school students. These include national careers conferences as well as local events hosted by schools themselves.
Training workshops: the Society's expanding training programme includes a number of workshops suitable for and of interest to teachers. Members receive discounts of up to 75%.
Gopher Science Labs: this project provides opportunities for secondary schools to build links with their local primaries by hosting hands on 'lab days'. In addition secondary teachers can participate in training activities to support their primary counterparts, and support their sixth form students develop valuable science communication skills.
Publications
The Biologist and the Journal of Biological Education: these publications provide some really helpful classroom material, such as articles on cutting edge research; latest policy and curriculum developments; results of research into the teaching, learning and assessment of biology; reviews of new teaching resources; and information on the work of the Society at national and regional levels. JBE subscription is free to SCAS members and £40 to individual RSB members.
Biology Week and citizen science projects
Biology Week activities: Teachers are encouraged to get involved in Biology Week in a number of ways – including BioArtAttack (2014) the live streaming of the 24 hour lecture (2013) and the world's largest memory game (2012).
Flying ant, starling murmaration and house spider surveys: these activities provide a great opportunity for teachers to inspire their students in biology by engaging them in exciting, large-scale science projects supported by free resources like the 'Spider in da house' app.