Biology
“If you can’t explain it in a simple way, you don’t understand it well enough.” – Albert Einstein
Enquiry-based learning to develop science thinking skills
The Biology Department promotes enquiry-based learning by using simulations and life-related scenarios to create experiments or investigation tasks to allow students to apply biological knowledge. It also helps them to develop scientific inquiry skills, scientific logic, critical thinking skills and creativity, allowing them to solve problems independently or collaboratively.
Self-directed inquiry into biological issues
Students develop their own themes, discover inspiration from everyday life and discuss possible directions of inquiry with their teachers. After formulating a theme, students search for information in the library or the Internet, conduct analysis and research under the guidance of their teachers and present what they have learned in the classroom to share with their peers. The topics that have been explored in the past include the spread of pneumonia and the absorption and metabolism of alcohol, which are closely related to real life.
Online Learning: KTL Biology YouTube Channel
Teachers explain key biological concepts and advanced topics, record videos, and publish them on YouTube. The content is also classified in Google Classroom. When students encounter difficulties during the learning process, they can find and browse related videos more efficiently, thereby consolidating and deepening their knowledge.
YouTube Link：https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFb3zTEidsQfOTsdD8zMdjA
Detailed analysis of student performance
Aside from the score, each student receives a detailed analysis report upon each crucial assessment. The report provides the following data:
- Performance in different learning skills, such as assessment of basic concepts, data analysis, integrating concepts, etc.
- Performance in different topics
Students can learn from the data analysis report where they can improve their performance to excel.
Schoology Academic Concepts Question Bank
Aiming at all the basic concepts of the scope of the diploma examination, the teacher uses the online learning management system Schoology to establish a school-based question bank of different biological systems, organ functions and academic concepts, to ensure that students have a solid foundation on the concepts of the scope of the assessment and can enhance their capabilities in handling higher-order thinking questions.
A BYOD strategy integrating OneNote Class Notebook, Microsoft Office, and learning management system Teams
Teachers use OneNote Class Notebook as a platform for collecting and correcting paperwork to provide students with in-depth multi-modal feedback (including audio tracks, images and hyperlinks). Students can systematically organize various assignments in computer folders, and can also extract all teaching resources anytime, anywhere to promote personalized learning. With the help of Microsoft Office App and the learning management system Teams, Biology teaching and evaluation is fully electronic under a unified system.
Research-based training to nurture scientific research talents
KTL Scientific Research Team is led by the Biology and Chemistry Departments. Our tutors are dedicated to training the gifted students’ research mentality, and to nurture students who are interested in university studies in medicine and science. By conducting, reviewing, and optimizing scientific experiments, students can practically use subject knowledge to solve problems related to life.
Under the tutors’ guidance, students read a large amount of research-related scientific literature and research reports in order to find applicable science and technology theories and continuous improvement strategies.
The following are some of the scientific competitions that schools have joined in recent years:
| Hong Kong Student Science Competition Research Project (Biology and Chemistry) | Digital Science Film Making Competition |
| Research Group of Hong Kong Youth Technology Innovation Competition | Hong Kong Young Scientist Award |
Ocean Park Expedition
Teachers bring students to a biological investigation at Ocean Park to study the relationship between different biological characteristics and biological concepts.
Ecological Survey
Through mangrove surveys, students use ecological knowledge to explore environmental pollution issues.
University Visits (The University of Hong Kong, School of Biological Medicine)
Students’ interest in medicine is raised for developing talents for future practitioners in the medical field. Activities include university experience room activities, visit to human anatomy laboratory, etc.
Biology Lectures
Students attended a lecture by Nobel Prize-winning scholar Professor Barry James Marshall to learn about the theory of Helicobacter pylori and his commitment to scientific research.
Hospital Visits
Students participated in the hospital’s work shadow program to learn about the daily work of different types of hospital professionals such as doctors, pharmacists and nurses.
Promoting Health Information
Game stalls promoting diet and exercise enable students to understand the benefits of exercise easily.
KTL STEM Hub
The Biology department collaborates with other STEM subjects to organize STEM experience workshops for students. During lunch break, students experience some short and interesting scientific experiments with advanced instruments to learn scientific knowledge in a fun way. This increases their interest in learning science.
In the picture above, students are extracting plant DNA and making a DNA neckband.
Reading Scheme
The Biology Department has been cooperating with the school library to cultivate students’ habits of extensive reading. In the Science Book Fair, biology books and literature housed in our school library are displayed. Students write reading reports to reflect upon what they gain after reading. Suggested reading topics include the research of many well-known biologists, such as Mendel, Darwin and so on.
Participation in the EDB's school-based support program
To develop an inquiry-based STEM interdisciplinary collaboration course
- We participate in the Education Bureau’s school-based support programme, and regularly communicate with the Education Bureau and fellow school co-workers to organize an inquiry-based “Chocolate Factory” course.
- The course can enhance students’ critical thinking through lesson plan discussions, class observations, assessments, and the concerted efforts of all parties.
Collaboration with Universities
- We nominate students to participate in workshops conducted by institutes and universities, and organize a number of study tours to local institutes and universities for senior students to stress the importance and wide application of biological knowledge in university studies.
Mr To Yiu Kwan
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The Biology Department invited School Manager Mr To Yiu Kwan, who is the writer of the best-seller Biology textbooks, to teach students the effective ways of studying biology.
Participation in the Quality School Improvement Program of the Chinese University of Hong Kong（QSiP）
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Teachers optimize the use of English as the language of instruction and the skills of teaching students to analyze problems.
Promoting professional exchanges between teachers and building a culture of teaching and research
- Biology teachers hold professional development conferences on the annual theme. The discussion includes strategies to improve students’ common mistakes and analysis of assessment data to promote learning.
- In addition, each panel also conducts “mini-lesson studies”. Through the activities of problem identification, teaching plan design, open class and post-observation conferences, teachers actively communicate to continuously improve the effectiveness of learning and teaching.
The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups - Training in experiment and report writing skills
- This programme provides advice for the KTL Scientific Research Team to participate in territory-wide competitions, enabling them to understand university-level experiments and develop report writing skills.
- Gifted science students can have a preview regarding their future study mode at university.