This text presents the requirements for the effective teaching of biology particularly in the 11 to 18 age range. The aim is to identify biology’s special dimensions, how and why teaching biology is different from teaching other things and the contribution biology makes to the wider curriculum. It focuses on contemporary issues which are the subject of debate such as changing patterns of assessment of pupils, the use of living organisms in school and the nature of learning difficulties which pupils experience. The intention is to show how an effective learning strategy can be developed which capitalizes on the motivational potential of biology and the materials which constitute its substance.