Contemporary Science – helping to stimulate your teaching

By Debbie Leyland

Science is an evolving subject- we see headlines about new discoveries, innovations, breakthroughs and technology on a daily basis, but what does this mean for our teaching? 

Contemporary topics fascinate and enthuse our pupils, taught well they can encourage scientific debate, explore controversies, link to How Science Works, introduce career paths and make science relevant to their lives.   This is in addition to it being an integral requirement of the Programme of Study.

Essentially there are two types of contemporary topics; first, those with widespread media coverage about the events of the day, for example the recent Japanese earthquake and subsequent Fukushima crisis.   These generally have a large immediate human impact.    The media stories often prompt pupils to ask questions, and offer opportunities for an ‘off the cuff’ style lesson, where the issues can be explored, and the available evidence inspected.  Media moves so quickly that stories can be reported without all the facts, or specific quotes taken out of context on an unreliable evidence base.  The opportunities to teach students about the bad science out there are endless.

Secondly, scientific developments build up slowly and are integrated into the scientific community without much media fanfare.  Over a teaching career spanning four decades, the scientific community moves on significantly.  In 1961 for example, the contraceptive pill was developed, Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space and ‘coffee-mate’ was launched.  Nowadays, these are unsurprising, but were once inspirational to students with a controversial undertone.

It can be easy to loose grasp of the developments in our subject areas, as life in the classroom overtakes us, and time pressures can mean we no longer read the scientific journals we once did.

Both of these two types of lesson require a different approach and strategy to be successful and effective learning opportunities.

The following links and resources may help you with these approaches.

Learning Skills for Science:   A training and resource pack which helps to develop independent learning skills for students.

RCUK Contemporary Science Courses:
One day courses which explore one aspect of contemporary science in more depth, using current researchers

Guardian Science Weekly Podcast:  an hour long weekly podcast to help keep your science up to date.

Scientific American 60 Second Science: a shorter burst of scientific information to help keep you up to date with scientific developments.

By:
Debbie Leyland
Assistant Director
Science Learning Centre North West

Lab Design – Why aren’t we planning for the future, rather than languishing in the past?

By Mark Langley

Science teaching has changed a lot in the last 30 years, so why do we put up with facilities that do not help us teach effectively?

Bad Maintenance in a Science Lab

Money is usually the answer and currently there is little of this about.  However, when it is available why do so many schools and colleges just end up with a modern version of the same lab that has been about for the last 100 years or so? Alas, those planning the facilities (very often leaving out those who will be using them- the teachers, technicians and of course the students) don’t always have a clue as to what makes good science teaching accommodation.

Current science facilities are not good, as highlighted in various reports, including the Royal Society of Chemistry and CLEAPSS in 2006 and a recent report by Parliament, flagged up by Lord Winston, which saw that at least a third of school labs were inadequate. Worryingly, even new or refurbished science spaces are often poor- only two thirds were considered good or better.  A lack of sensible planning and ideas, coupled with people seemingly unable to use the extensive guidance and rules already out there, means that many science spaces are pitifully poor for effective science teaching and learning.

Note that I didn’t say “Science Laboratories”. Have a look through the requisitions in your department for the last fortnight and match them against the timetables.  Was there practical work in every lesson? In every other lesson? Probably less than that. So does every science lesson really need to be in a lab? Would a simpler room such as a science studio or maybe even an “ordinary” classroom environment be more helpful for some lessons?

Stool damage in a Science Lab

Scarily a good proportion of labs are downright dangerous or even illegal in places. Building regulations get ignored or haven’t been consulted. This can be expensive to put right or at the worst might put people’s safety at risk.  So when planning science lab accommodation, what should be done?

Well, finding out what you really want and need is important.  In straightened times might it be more prudent to have say three really well equipped labs plus four classrooms with demo facilities than six small, cramped and badly equipped laboratories? The associated prep room, office and storage space can then get a decent look-in. Squeezing out the space required to prep lessons for both teachers and technicians is very short-sighted.  We have seen several designs that have been built, without the basics such as a separate chemical store or proper thought to where you might keep your radioactive sources!

This comes down to lack of planning and communication. Any new, refurbished or refreshed science facility in a school should be fit for purpose. It is hard to get your head around everything required; even the most experienced Head of Science will have large gaps in their knowledge, so this means speaking to others or getting some training. Investing time in planning will save money later and help make your science department achieve what it wants without having to compromise too much.

Remember it might have to last you another 30 years at least… Plan carefully!

Relevant courses:

Lab Design: Future Science Accommodation for Teaching and Learning Starts 7 November 2012 at the National Science Learning Centre, York.

References:

Improving school laboratories?  A Report for the Royal Society of Chemistry on the number and quality of new and re-furbished laboratories in schools (2006) http://www.rsc.org/images/labsreport_tcm18-65943.pdf

Lord Winston’s comments in the Telegraph
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/secondaryeducation/8811102/Lord-Winston-science-labs-inadequate-in-third-of-schools.html

Rolls-Royce Science Prize

By Lynne Cooper

I attended the Rolls-Royce Science Prize awards evening on Monday (7 Nov 2011) at the Science Museum, London. I was really looking forward to hearing Professor Lord Robert Winston the keynote speaker who indeed lived up to expectation. However the real stars of the evening were the teachers I met who were all in the running for the prize. Entries ranged from building greenhouses out of CD cases to making and taste testing smoothies.

It was also great to catch up with teachers who had been on courses that I had led on. My day job is as a professional development leader devising and leading on a variety of courses and conferences at the National Science Learning Centre but I moonlight as a judge for the Rolls-Royce Science Prize.  The other link is that for a school to be eligible to enter the Rolls- Royce Science Prize they must have sent a member of staff on a cpd course at the National Science Learning Centre or enter throug one of the network of Science Learning Centres.  Not only do the winners receive £15,000 in prize money but the fifty merit award prize winners receive £1000 to go towards improving their science departments. I really enjoyed hearing tales recounted of the exciting high impact projects they did for the competition, as well as  what the excited winners planned to do with the money.

And the winners are….

Staunton-on-Wye Endowed Primary School, Hereford, and Mulberry School for Girls, London, beat off competition from 2,000 UK schools to be declared this year’s joint winners. They each receive £15,000 in prize money to advance science teaching in their schools, along with the chance to spend the day with the Red Arrows display team. Presenting the awards, John Rishton, Rolls-Royce Chief Executive, said: “In the future, all of our lives will critically depend on the engineers, scientists and mathematicians who will discover how to produce enough low carbon energy to power the world, build planes that travel non-stop to the furthest corners of the world, using less fuel and travelling more quietly than any aircraft today. “

He went on to say “It is hard to think of a profession more important than teaching. The Rolls-Royce science prize was set up to recognise inspirational science teaching and reward outstanding teachers. I am extremely proud to award this year’s prize to two schools whose projects demonstrate that science teaching can be innovative, creative and fun. Both schools set a fantastic example and I congratulate them both.”

Staunton-on-Wye Primary School

Staunton-on-Wye Primary School

Pupils at Staunton-on-Wye Primary School carried out open ended investigations to research the environmental and social impacts of various building materials, which were then used to construct a play house in the school grounds. Staff, Parents, and local experts brought their skills in, which culminated in a local builder constructing the frame allowing pupils to build the walls and roof. The pupils also pitched to a local architect who helped them weigh the pros and cons of different materials .Science Co-ordinator, Karen Williams, said: “Our whole school has been immersed in exciting, practical science activities related to our Rolls-Royce project and our children have learned how to apply their knowledge and skills in the best way possible. We are all very proud of the house we have built and of the children’s commitment to using science responsibly.”

You can read their development diary and watch the video here.

Mulberry School for Girls

Mulberry School for Girls, London, Team Leader Deborah Colvin (centre front).

Mulberry School for Girls used a hydroponic greenhouse, powered by renewable energy to conduct experiments and learn about sustainable energy and food production. This was a very ambitious project in which the school also raised the money for the solar powered system. They involved students in harvesting and marketing the food, while another team researched the optimum conditions for the plants.  Some feedback I had from the participants included

“The best thing was the opportunity to discuss the issues with colleagues”

“It was brilliant to bring people together who are passionate about solving the issues”

Director of STEM Learning for the school, Deborah Colvin, said: “It’s a great honour to accept this award on behalf of everyone at the school, whose hard work and dedication to science made the project possible. We shall invest the prize money wisely within the science department.”

Read about their progress and watch the video here.

The Rolls-Royce Science Prize is an annual awards programme. It is open to anyone who attends courses at the network of Science Learning Centres in the UK, including those taking advantage of Project ENTHUSE.  Entries are accepted in three age categories: 3–11, 11–16 and 16–19.

Find out more about the Rolls Royce Science Prize here,  including a video.

I’d be interested in comments and opinions on the competition.

• Have you entered it?  Did you find it worthwhile?
• What would you do with the prize money?
• If you didn’t enter it -  why not?  What were the barriers to entry?
• How could we help in future?

I look forward to the conversation.

It’s having an effect.

David Thorpe, MyScience.co Ltd Finance and Operations Director recently presented to York Business Link (October 2011). Here is a summary of his views and a slide share version of the presentation.

The Third Sector
The UK has always been rightly proud of its third sector and Myscience is an excellent example of a modern-day third sector organisation:

• Working with a broad community of stakeholders it draws heavily on highly  subsidised or free resources for the benefit of society
• It has both a “not for profit” and a charitable arm
• It is an excellent example of “the big society”
• It leverages maximum benefit for all its funders through combining funding streams “more bang for your buck”
• It successfully delivers commercial contracts, while at the same time “filling a gap”, doing things that can’t be done commercially

Why do funders give money to Myscience?

We all remember our best and worst teachers; we also remember being turned off from a subject because we found it boring.  Myscience exists to address that problem.  By ENTHUSING teachers, updating their subject knowledge and improving their pedagogy, Myscience aims to increase the uptake of students for STEM subjects.

An example from one of our funders, BP:

In July 2011 BP announced a £3bn investment in re-developing two North Sea oil fields.  But they struggled to find employees with the appropriate STEM skills.

It's having an effect

The diagram illustrates that the support given to the teaching and learning of STEM subjects, improves the supply of STEM skills into the UK workforce.  This particularly benefits high value, high growth sectors such as low-carbon, pharmaceuticals and digital media.

This effect on economic growth led the government (against a backdrop of financial austerity) to invest £7m in Myscience to deliver a triple science programme because evidence shows those who study three sciences are more likely to go onto further STEM study.

This year’s A level entries showed another encouraging increase but there is more to do.  Still only 18% of young people study Physics and Chemistry as separate GCSE’s.  Compared to 26% for Religious Studies.

Here is the full presentation:

The Third Sector

View more presentations from SLCS-online

You can follow David on LinkedIn