Students are naturally fascinated by the way their bodies work. This makes human biology an ideal context within which to explore the key concepts of biology.
Human biology is valuable in that it teaches students about their own bodies, giving them knowledge and understandings on which to base informed decisions about their hauora and well-being through the whare tapa whā model – tīnana, hinengaro, wairua and whānau.
Students who opt for a human biology course are often interested in sports science and/or physical education, food technology, hospitality, or health sciences. These students will find human biology a valuable preparation for further study and a career.
Human biology learning can be assessed by both level 1 and Level 2 achievement standards. Teachers could also consider including achievement objectives from the health and physical education or social sciences learning areas.
The achievement objectives for level 7 ecology and evolution could well be applied to a context such as migration through the Pacific Ocean and the evidence on which our understanding of Māori and Pasifika origins is based.
The focus statements for biology in a human context could include:
The following two sample courses are derived from the same preliminary planning, but are designed to meet the needs of two different groups of students:
Last updated May 6, 2013