Related Learning
Related learning
Leaving Certificate biology provides continuity and progression in the study of biology that begins in learners’ early childhood education, through the primary school curriculum and junior cycle science.
Early childhood
Aistear, the early childhood curriculum framework, celebrates early childhood as a time of well-being and enjoyment where children learn from experiences as they unfold. The theme of Exploring and Thinking is about children making sense of the things, places and people in their world by interacting with others, playing, investigating, questioning, and forming, testing and refining ideas. The role of the natural environment in children’s development is given particular emphasis.
Primary school
Social, environmental and scientific education (SESE) provides opportunities for children to explore and investigate the world around them from a human, social and cultural perspective.
The primary science curriculum supports children in learning about the physical and biological aspects of the world by developing their skills in two areas in particular: working scientifically, and designing and making. Throughout the primary science curriculum emphasis is placed on the importance of children learning through practical investigations.
Junior cycle
The learning at the core of junior cycle is described in the statements of learning, a number of which apply to scientific concepts, processes and practices, as well as valuing the role and contribution of science and technology to society. Student learning in science is placed in the context of science activities, emphasising hands-on engagement. This approach provides coherence with science in the primary school curriculum. There is an emphasis on inquiry through which learners develop an understanding and appreciation of activities and processes that are fundamental to all science as well as the ability to apply science principles to their everyday lives. Many junior cycle subjects and short courses have close links with science, particularly mathematics, geography, CSPE, PE, SPHE and home economics. Learners build on theses scientific concepts, processes and practices as they progress through the two years of leaving certificate biology.
Senior cycle
The biology specification has close links with other subjects in senior cycle, including agricultural science, physics, chemistry, mathematics, geography (in particular those parts of the course that deal with the environment), and home economics—scientific and social, and with the LCVP programme. The knowledge and understanding gained in biology can be used in conjunction with that developed in these other subjects to enrich overall learning. Learners studying biology do not need a specific mastery of mathematics but they are expected to be able to apply skills and strategies of scientific inquiry to solve problems, and to analyse collected data to generalise and to draw conclusions. Some simple statistics are required for ecology in particular and a simple understanding of probability is required for the understanding of genetics.
Further study
The biology specification provides a suitable foundation for the study of biology or a related area in a range of higher education courses or direct entry into employment. A biology qualification can lead to many exciting and rewarding careers. Apart from pure biology there is a diverse range of opportunities in related areas. Biology-based courses include biomedical, environmental, agricultural, food, health, sports and forensic science courses. Biotechnology is at the forefront of some of the most innovative and controversial advances in human knowledge.
Community and society
Learners will develop an appreciation of the social and cultural perspectives of biology and of the impact of science and technology on people and on the environment. Biology has an immediate relevance to our daily lives. Biology also lies at the heart of major social problems that will face the human race in the coming decades, such as sensible management of the environment and effective control of human populations. By studying biology learners will appreciate the role of community and society in the complex ecology of the planet and of its sustainable development. They will consider the biological and physical aspects of health and illness in terms of promoting health and reducing the risk of disease.