Provide students with a strong understanding of religion with high quality, engaging and content-rich resources building a firm foundation for the new GCSE 9-1 Religious Studies.

Deliver a rich, coherent RE course at KS3 and equip pupils with a deep understanding of religion with ready-made, flexible and high quality KS3 lessons.

‘Knowing Religion’ is written by an author team of experienced RE teachers and led by series editor Robert Orme of West London Free School.

• Discover the history and beliefs of Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhism as well as these religions in the modern world
• Start teaching straight away with Teacher Guide resources available on Collins Connect, including teaching ideas and support along with answers to questions in the student books
• Give pupils the grounding they need to excel at GCSE RS
• Ignite an interest in religion through a compelling narrative, fascinating facts and extraordinary people
• Aid pupil memory with a ‘knowledge organiser’ at the end of each unit covering key vocabulary, people, places, and dates
• Spark discussion and assess understanding with questions for each lesson including longer-form discursive questions to provide extended writing and essay practice
• Each book structured as 16 lessons to offer flexibility and map onto the school timetable with ease
• The ‘Knowing Religion’ series also includes resources on Christianity, Judaism and Islam

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‘This is a book that all teachers, not just biology teachers should read.’
—Ben Strathearn-Burrows, Head of Biology, Emanuel School

Introduction
I’ve been motivated to discover what biology is to us as humans. What it means to understand biology, and how I could make it meaningful for my students. I’ve read as much as I could and reflected, I’ve discussed and listened, I’ve taught and observed. This book is about sharing what I’ve learnt with my secondary-school mixed-attainment biology classes.

‘Not only is this book likely to change how you teach biology but also how you perceive yourself within the living world.’
—Dr Alex Sinclair, Institute of Education, St Mary’s University, Twickenham

What you’ll find inside:

• A vision for an integrated and meaningful biology education.
• A framework for teaching for meaning-making, which cuts planning time.
• Ways of creating a unified narrative across disparate topics.
• A taxonomy of understanding that unlocks problem-solving with minimal workload.
• Tried and tested examples from mixed-attainment biology classrooms.

Chapter 1: Meaningful biology relates principally to organisms:
This sets the scene for the whole book. It brings together many threads to define what I see as most meaningful to secondary biology students. And therefore what we could do about it when designing our lessons & curricula and thinking about how students progress through their biology education. Planning for meaning-making has vastly enhanced interest and motivation to learn in my classroom.

Chapters 2 & 3: Teaching for meaning using variation theory:
Next I introduce a powerful—relatively unknown and often misunderstood—pedagogical theory. Variation theory. In these chapters I set out to show how useful it is—and easy to use—in the secondary biology classroom, with many examples.

Chapter 4: How to integrate organisms, ecology & evolution:
Now I pull together the previous chapters to present a new framework for teaching for meaning-making that cuts planning time & focuses on biology.

‘An excellent text demanding we think not just about what we teach but also why and how.’
—Dr Paul Ganderton, Consultant and researcher

Chapter 5: Concepts of the organism that unite a biology course:
Here I discuss two concepts that I think can unify all the topics on the curriculum.
1. Seeing biology through thermodynamic systems lens and
2. Seeing biology through an ecological-evolutionary lens via the concept of life strategies. I lay out the reasons why and discuss how I’ve introduced these ideas with students.

Chapter 6: Teaching systems thinking to help students see interconnectedness:
I show how stock and flow diagrams are very useful for the biology classroom and give examples. Next, I introduce a new taxonomy of understanding biological systems that unlocks problem-solving in biology.

Chapter 7: Establishing a thinking classroom:
This chapter is focused on the whys and hows of embedding the taxonomy into biology curricula. I give examples of how I use it and examples of my students answers from lower and upper secondary courses.

Chapter 8: Navigating classroom and biological complexity:
This chapter rounds up the book by considering the complexity of our subject and the classroom.

‘Biology Made Real comes with an education health warning—be prepared to have your beliefs challenged.’
—Dr Alex Sinclair

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Join Lauren Aldridge as she navigates the exhilarating and sometimes overwhelming world of teaching. From the nerve-wracking first week to the challenges of managing transitions and adhering to the ECT framework, every step of the journey is documented with honesty, wit, and a deep sense of empathy.

But this isn’t just a collection of anecdotes—it’s a roadmap to success in the classroom. Lauren Aldridge doesn’t shy away from addressing critical topics like teacher wellbeing and the job application process. They provide a wealth of resources, tools, and strategies that can help educators not only survive but thrive in their chosen profession.

Prepare to be entertained by the endearing and humorous moments that unfold within the pages of “Lessons Learnt”. Lauren Aldridge captures the essence of children’s candidness and shares unforgettable stories that will leave you chuckling and touched by the incredible impact teachers can have on young minds.

This memoir isn’t just for Early Career Teachers; it’s a celebration of the entire teaching community. Whether you’re a seasoned educator looking to reconnect with the passion that brought you to the classroom or a prospective teacher seeking guidance, this book will resonate with you on a profound level.

“Lessons Learnt: Diary of an ECT” is more than a book—it’s a mentor, a friend, and a source of inspiration for every teacher who has ever stepped foot in a classroom. Discover the wisdom, joy, and resilience that lie within the pages of this remarkable memoir and let Lauren Aldridge guide you toward becoming the best teacher you can be.

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