DATE : Tuesday, 11th November 2025
TIME : 7.30pm - 8.30pm
VENUE : Online via Zoom

Target Audience : Teachers of Leaving Certificate Biology

Big changes are coming to Leaving Certificate Biology, and they’re not just the genotype that’s changing, it is the phenotype also. This session will put the new LC Biology specification under the microscope to explore how it has evolved from the previous syllabus. We’ll dissect what topics have decomposed, what topics have emerged and how these changes may adapt the way we teach, assess and plan. There will be practical insights into the "Biology in Practice" investigation that will soon become part of every biology student’s (and teachers) life cycles.

Whether you’ve been teaching LC Biology since the Cambrian explosion or just now undergoing mitosis, this session will help you make the (evolutionary) leap with confidence!

On successful completion of this session, participants will be able to:
1) Differentiate between the structure, purpose and underpinning philosophy of the "old" Leaving Certificate Biology syllabus and the "new"specification.
2) Interpret the role of learning outcomes, the Nature of Science strand and the cross-cutting themes (Health, Sustainability and Technology) in shaping teaching, learning and assessment.
3) Evaluate the implications of the Biology in Practice component.
4) Compare and contrast assessment structures in the former syllabus and current specification.
5) Reflect on their own professional practice and identify strategies to support students’ progression towards achieving the intended learning outcomes of the new specification.

Bio of presenter :

Stephen Murphy is a lecturer in Science Education at University College Cork. He is a former teacher of Leaving Certificate Biology and Leaving Certificate Computer Science. His research interests include the impact of Generative AI on academic integrity, curriculum and assessment reform, the role of Science, Technology and Society in science education and the teaching of the sciences through the medium of the Irish language.