Professional development for biology teachers in the knowledge economy

Increasingly, the general media cover new advancements and research in the field of biology. Stem cell research, emerging diseases and bioethics are some of the issues gaining public attention. The rate of increase of these new developments creates additional challenges to teachers of biolgy as they try to remain abreast of new information and look for efficient ways to achieve this. Given that recent media attention has also focused on the quality of science teachers and science education in Australia schools, the issue of ongoing professional developments for science teachers is important. This research reports on a survey of the professional development (PD) practices of biology teachers in Central Queensland. The focus of the survey is to investigate how biology teachers maintain a current knowledge base. This survey will provide a snapshot of current practices in a regional area and identify challenges teachers face whilst trying to maintain this knowledge base.