Conceptual and Instructional Changes in the Ontario Advanced Level, Grade 11 Biology

Abstract

The introduction of the Ministry of Education, curriculum guideline in Science, 1987, precipitated changes in Hamilton’s Glendale Secondary School Biology program. The primary aims of this project is to translate the Ministry document into a viable course that would both inform the students of the basic language of biology, and make the learning process enjoyable. This project outlines the development, implementation and evaluation of the grade 11 advanced level biology course (SBi3A) at Glendale. In the development of this course, the curricular component attempted to enhance learning by moving from general to specific concepts. To aid in this process the major concepts were organized into conceptual hierarchies that progressively differentiated the major principles and created a network of ideas. The instructional component which actually moves the information to the students uses a diversity of course designs. The variety in course designs allows us to use the best features of each format to accommodate both different rates of learning and various learning styles much more effectively.