Is your scheme of work fit for purpose?

By Lynn English

Schemes of work are used to provide guidance for teachers to both meet curriculum requirements and help plan and deliver effective learning episodes for students.

Participants at the National Science Learning Centre

A scheme of work is often the standard departmental document, which teachers may feel compelled to slavishly follow, come what may… Off-the-shelf schemes don’t take into account the differences in an individual school, never mind a particular group of students. If the scheme of work is not flexible or tailored to learners needs, is it actually worth the paper (or disc space) it’s written on?

Scheme of Work or Scheme of Learning?

How about considering it as a scheme of learning? Students are not passive recipients of “work”, they need to be engaged to explore and learn the science around them. An effective scheme of learning gives enough support for both specialist and non-specialist teachers to actively engage students with well-prepared lessons, without stifling individuality. An outstanding scheme of learning is not a one-size fits all approach to lessons, but contains enough guidance to help teachers plan their own learning episodes to promote learning. If it draws on learning opportunities within the locality and community of the school it can enhance the relevance of the subject knowledge being covered.

There is often a difference to how an experienced teacher, leading lessons within their own subject, approaches lesson planning , compared to one teaching outside their specialism or with less experience. The shift from subject knowledge that needs to be learnt to understanding the best way to teach that knowledge is often hard to quantify.

A good scheme should give sufficient background and support to allow any science teacher to feel confident that they can present the subject knowledge in the most appropriate way to promote progress in learning within their lessons in any area.

Ofsted’s view on schemes of learning

Ofsted look for evidence of progress in learning when they visit a school. A scheme of learning should be there to help teachers achieve this. On the Outstanding Schemes of Work course at the National Science Learning Centre, we have worked with teachers from across the UK to improve the quality and format of their departmental schemes. It is not something that can be approached lightly so, much of the course is about the good practice that can help bring teachers on in how they implement change.

Developing your own outstanding schemes of work/learning

The  National Science Learning Centre’s two-part course itself includes exemplary practitioners working with course participants to develop effective ways of delivering subject knowledge. Effective planning for progression is addressed. Previous participants have made substantial changes to their practice which has proven benefit to their learners. Sharing of good practice and time to develop SoL’s away from their school has been reported as enormously beneficial by those who have attended previously.

How do schemes of work assist or hinder at your school or college? Do they help or hinder? Are the prescriptive or flexible?  Do you have a good example?

Biology at the Cutting Edge

by Debbie Leyland

From the latest “Cancer Scares” and “revolutionary drug treatments” to the ethics of vaccination and data analysis, biological issues are hot topics in the news.  Media focussed contemporary science topics fascinate pupils, and therefore have the potential to motivate and engage them in the classroom.

Fetus with DNA umbilical cord

As we all know, once we are out of university it is difficult to keep up to date with emerging technology and cutting edge research, which is why Science Learning Centres are working in partnership with research scientists to develop courses in the Cutting Edge Science suite. These courses, which are supported by Research Councils UK, offer the chance to look in depth at topics which are emerging and increasingly being seen in the examination specifications. Topics  such as;

• drug abuse
• cell and cell structure
• you and your genes
• circulatory disease
• scientific ethics

The courses  have direct relevance to teachers involved in the delivery of secondary science, including post-16 programmes and they actively support the teaching of How Science Works.

In July 2013, Science Learning Centre North West is working with four active research scientists to focus on developing research within the Genetics and Health arenas.  Scientists; Dr Rebecca Elliot, Professor Martin Lowe, Dr Matt Hickman, and Dr Elizabeth Cartwright will be joining Debbie Leyland to discuss their work, ethical procedures, careers and how this can be translated into the classroom. Teachers interested in how they can use real life examples for the effective delivery of science content, as well as deepening their own understanding  of how science works, including controversies and ethical issues, should explore Science Learning Centres full range of RCUK supported Cutting Edge Science courses.

1. Cutting Edge Biology in the North West

1. The full range of Cutting Edge Science courses across the UK.

Thanks to funding from Research Councils UK; delegates from state maintained  schools and colleges in England can apply for Bursaries to attend Cutting Edge Science Courses by contacting their local Science Learning Centre.

Improving Science Literacy

by Julian Clarke

The need to support the development of good literacy skills within science lessons has been recognised for many years.

Literacy Skills in Science

The recent and planned changes in assessment have raised the priority of this area in many schools alongside the important role literacy plays in the development of scientific knowledge and understanding. Science involves the exploration, investigation, recording, reporting and analysis of the world around us, often in a collaborative way. This needs creative and analytical thinking and communication skills to advance our knowledge and understanding of the world in which we live, not to forget our impact upon it. Literacy is a key feature of communication, enabling one scientist to collaborate with another, sharing ideas and hypotheses, assessing the validity of conclusions and identifying areas for further exploration. Without effective literacy skills, scientific development would be greatly hindered, if not stifled completely.

So what do we mean by literacy and what can we do to improve students’ ability to use it within the science they experience at school?

At the simplest level, literacy involves three components:

• talking
• reading
• writing

All three are important within science – although the emphasis is often placed on outcomes delivered through a written product.

It is important to empower students to talk about their work as this enables them to construct and secure their thinking about the topic being considered before committing it to paper.

Reading is vital as it enables students to gather information and to consider views held by others so that they can explore new developments and applications and to consider their impact on the world around us.

Writing enables students to commit their ideas to paper for scrutiny by others (peer review remains a key aspect of the scientific method); it has also become the aspect most used as a tool to assess and externally verify the performance of individual students.

Other curriculum subject areas make use of and develop these same literacy skills, but science teaching is not always effective at making use of the transferable skills developed by students elsewhere. Whilst we might need students to be able to write in particular forms and for particular purposes in science, we can build upon students’ existing skills by using the approaches and techniques they have already practiced and secured in English or the Humanities.

My session on Literacy in Science at the Science Teaching and Learning Conference on 1^{st – 2nd} July 2013 will explore these areas further.

The national network of Science Learning Centres also run Enhancing Literacy Skills in Science courses in your region and the National STEM Centre has a range of resources called Literacy in Science Training Materials.

Myscience Alumni Conference 2013

Alumni Conference 2013

by Yvonne Baker

Everyone has a right to their view on education – and boy, do most people like to exercise it. But this weekend, I saw things which I wish others of all philosophies, persuasions and mindsets could see, with a group of the hugely committed teachers, technicians and enthusiasts about STEM subjects coming together – literally through snow, blizzards and everything else mother nature could chuck at us. They came to share ideas, experience and inspiration as well as just the occasional bit of frustration – and in doing so, put the Myscience Alumni conference firmly on the map.

A bit like when you are throwing a party, we planned the conference, for teachers, technicians and others who have used the National or regional Science Learning Centres and/or the National STEM Centre resource centre and eLibrary, more in a spirit of hope than expectation. Would anyone come? If they did, would they enjoy it, find it useful, think it worth the bother? As the date drew nearer, the weather tipped the balance against us – but still our pathfinder alumni came, threw themselves into everything and left asking for more. What else could you possibly want?

Discussion at the conference

We discussed curriculum change, communications, recognising CPD, what makes inspirational STEM teaching and how we can further support STEM teaching and learning across the UK.  Attendees spanned primary, secondary, FE, teaching staff, technicians and those interested in apprenticeships and beyond. The conversation over Friday’s dinner and into Saturday was so interesting, entertaining and enthusiastic that I would gladly work every weekend, if only I could be guaranteed such positive and inspiring company! And contrary to some views that talking education always has to be intense, ‘worthy’ and serious, we laughed a lot  – educating young people is an important subject, but if you can’t do it with humour as well as gravitas, surely something is wrong.

What I wish people from all sides of the education debate could have witnessed is the simple, but absolute commitment of all those who participated to the young people with which they work. Many talked about how they choose to work in challenging situations. Even in schools which are not so challenging overall, several described how they assign themselves to difficult groups to alleviate the pressure on others. Everyone agrees on the crucial importance of subject knowledge – but also that it has to be communicated in a way which has meaning to today’s students, in a world where technology and science moves at an alarming rate.

Alumni Conference feedback session

Education debate is rarely without rhetoric, ideology or sometimes plain ignorance. What this weekend proved to me is that the simple truth spoken by those ‘at the coal face’ is far more powerful – that, whatever flashes and bangs we use to get young people interested in STEM, the quality of teaching is key; and that STEM subjects are different because they move so quickly, making it vital that teachers, technicians and others have easily accessible support to help them reflect accurately new technologies and discoveries as well as established bodies of knowledge.

Perhaps the most humbling feedback from the whole experience was the number of those present who thanked us ‘for listening’, suggesting that all too often those actually working with young people feel ignored in debates about what works and what doesn’t. That’s not just a waste of talent, it’s just plain daft.

So an enormous thank you to everyone who came – we owe you a huge debt of gratitude for not only battling through the weather but also reminding us of what a privilege it is to support you in your crucial roles. Keep in touch and we look forward to seeing you again soon.

What makes effective science practical work?

by Pauline Hoyle

We  recently held a one day professional development day focussing on what makes an effective science practical. This post pulls together my presentation, including video interviews with Robin Millar from the University of York, Fred Young, Chief Executive of our partner organisation in Scotland, SSERC, and Ian Richardson a former HMI for Ofsted.

The slideshare presentation has links embedded to our YouTube site for the video presentations. You can watch the full playlist of science practical work videos there.

As part of the day we asked teachers to give their views, here are the post it notes, I’m afraid you may need a magnifying glass, but if you click on them they should become large enough to read.

Why do Practical Work?

Reinforces what you are doing?

Purposeful, real-life

Team work – responsibility

To make risk aware

What makes practical work effective?

Being clear about objectives

Well planned practical work

We have a range of  science practical work courses running across the network of Science Learning Centres and a specialist practical work course for PGCE graduates.

A big thank you to STEM teachers

by Yvonne Baker

A big thank you to STEM teachers everywhere following the publication of the UCAS application results last week.

I would also like to extend my thanks to our partners in assisting STEM teachers achieve these excellent results, in particular:

STEMNET  and STEM Ambassadors

The Royal Society

The Royal Academy of Engineering

Improving pupil engagement in science using ICT

ICT for science teaching

by John Walker

There are three ways that ICT can improve science education and pupil engagement.

Find out about science

First and perhaps most obvious is the way it enhances how learners find out about science.  Nowadays teachers don’t have to struggle to draw diagrams on the board – you can just Google it and display the result.

• need to show a process?  Try the pHet website for animations of loads of physics and chemistry concepts.  If pHet doesn’t have it, somewhere else probably does – there is loads of stuff on Youtube (we are on YouTube at Myscience Learning).
• text books not cutting it any more with the kids?  (Have they ever?)  Well, don’t throw them away – they are still useful!  But instead why not give learners specific websites to look at via QR codes that they can access with their smartphones?
• smartphones banned in school?  Just give them hyperlinks from a document – it’s much better than leaving them to Google haplessly!

Do better science

The second way, which is less well developed in most schools, is how ICT allows learners to do better science.  Digital sensors and logging devices allow us to sense, measure and display things which are simply not possible using conventional equipment in school science departments.

• want to show that there is mercury vapour in a fluorescent strip light?  Use a digital spectrometer and display the spectrum against a reference on your screen.  Can you imagine how else you would do this?  (It would take a lot of time and let’s face it, we probably wouldn’t bother, would we?)
• how about showing learners the relationship between carbon dioxide and oxygen during photosynthesis?  Simply seal some spinach leaves in a container in bright sunlight and log the gases for about ten minutes.  You will see a beautiful graph which shows oxygen levels increasing as carbon dioxide levels go down – mirroring each other perfectly!  This opens up the potential for learners to ask some really good scientific questions, and then go ahead and investigate them:  how refreshing for them to find things out for themselves – and for the teacher to not necessarily know the answer beforehand!

Communicate about science

The third way, which is gaining ground, is the use of ICT to communicate about science.  Learners preparing a powerpoint presentation is a fairly obvious way for them to demonstrate their learning, but what about making a film or a podcast?  Today they can go further and make stop-motion video with a free app on a mobile phone (to simulate biological or chemical processes), and then put it on a website to show what they’ve learnt, with links to other websites.  You could use a wiki to stimulate online discussion about a particular topic, giving learners the chance to contribute not just when they are in school.  This provides very rich and varied scope for teachers in assessing their learners’ understanding.

Science teacher training courses and resources

The National Science Learning Centre runs a range of ICT related professional development courses for all levels of teachers, lecturers and technicians. Here are the links:

Cross Phase: Learning Science Using iPads

Primary: Leading Change in ICT in Primary Science

Secondary: Science Teaching and Learning Conference
(session on Differentiation Using ICT)

Secondary: ICT Innovations in Science Teaching and Learning

Technicians: Experienced Technicians Programme: Practical ICT

Other resources:

National Science Learning Centres on  iTunesU

Danny Nicholson’s Whiteboard blog

STEM Study Visits: Expedition Iceland

Guest Post from Sarah Holmes, Reepham High School and College and Daniel Sandiford from Bluecoat Academy in Nottingham.

Every year the network of Science Learning Centres run a STEM study visit to Iceland.  The aim is to provide participants with the opportunity to conduct a STEM subject field work project in a remote environment and experience a different approach to practical activities. The visit also provides experience of an area of the natural world which has recently been at the centre of a number of STEM relevant stories. From earthquakes to Mars training, Iceland is a destination that can bring STEM subjects to life in the classroom! The presentations below show off the wide variety of field projects teachers carry out on the expedition, as well as outlining their objectives and the impact it has for themselves and the schools they teach at.

Sarah Holmes, Reepham High School and College ( you can follow her on twitter @reephamphysics)

Daniel Sandiford from Bluecoat Academy in Nottingham.

If you have been to Iceland on one of our expeditions we’d love to hear and see how it went for you and what the impact has been.

There are a regular range of STEM Study Visits organised by the national network of Science Learning Centres. This STEM Study visit is supported by Research Councils UK.

Teaching Space and Science

By Lynda Homer, Primary Science Course Manager

There is something really inspiring about looking up at the stars on a clear, cold January night and feeling like a very small part of the Universe – and a very strong sense of wonder.  This has been highlighted by programmes such as the BBC’s popular Stargazing Live programme at the start of the month, with Professor Brian Cox and Dara O’Briain, which provoke curiosity about finding out about Space – in children and teachers alike.

Moon over Bayfordbury

Whatever the age of your pupils, from Early Years to post-16, space can provide a fascinating context for developing interest and enthusiasm for science, not just physics or astronomy. There are many opportunities for wonderful activities that will inspire pupils in chemistry and biology, as well as other subjects such as geography, and the national network of Science Learning Centres can help you find out about what is available for us to use in our schools.

At the Science Learning Centre East of England, we have a great interest in Astronomy, the University of Hertfordshire Observatory shares our site and hosted one of the many events linked to the BBC programmes.

If you would like to extend your knowledge and explore further strategies and resources for inspiring teaching and learning using space, then we have two courses running soon which could really bring it all to life in your classroom.

For primary teachers, there is Earth And Space (29 Jan 13), this will explore a range of hands on activities, models and web-based resources to provide inspiring ideas and increase confidence.

For secondary physics teachers, there is EEC12001 Astrophysics, Earth and Space (6 Feb 13). This is a course for KS4/Post 16 teachers and will link cutting edge research in astrophysics to the current curriculum so that you can bring the subject to life. It will include a visit to the University of Hertfordshire’s Observatory.

University of Hertfordshire Observatory

This course is funded by the Research Council UK and is from the Bringing Cutting Edge Science into the Classroom programme. It qualifies for an Impact Award of up to £150 per day. The course is running across the network of Science Learning Centres, including South East, London, East Midlands, South West and Yorkshire and the Humber. Details of dates and venues can be found here.

The National Science Learning Centre is running a course, with the European Space Education Resource Office in the UK (ESERO UK), on how to enrich the primary curriculum through space and astronomy on 12/13 February 2013. It is designed to refresh subject knowledge and give ideas on teaching tricky concepts through practical enquiry whilst looking at interesting ways of engaging children through the topic of space.

As part of the EU-funded “Discover the Cosmos” inquiry-based science education project, supported by ESERO UK, the National School’s Observatory and Faulkes Telescope Project will be running a free Astronomy-themed training workshop at the National Science Learning Centre on 8 Feb 2013.

When looking for resources for teaching space topics ESERO UK will give you many great ideas. The support offered to teachers includes:

• access to quality teaching and learning resources through the eLibrary and physical library at the National STEM Centre
• a network of space education ambassadors throughout the UK
• news items and blogs highlighting developments in space education
• high-quality training and events for teachers and lecturers

In the East Midlands, the National Space Academy works collaboratively and in partnership with the Science Learning Centre East Midlands and its excellent website shows the range of CPD opportunities on offer for teachers including details of Master Classes in STEM subjects and career’s events for pupils.

Incidentally, the Royal Mail has just issued a set of commemorative stamps to celebrate Britain’s contribution to space exploration featuring images from European Space Agency missions. This is the first set to feature a full complement of planetary images. Perhaps they could be used as a starter activity to spark discussion about the solar system with your class?

Other blog post relating to space you may be interested in are:

Esero UK highlights Stargazing Live as inspiration for STEM

Space and astronomy in the primary classroom

Astrology vs Astronomy

CERN Visit

by Chris Baker

Conseil Europeen pour la Recherche Nucleaire or CERN to be brief is the Mecca of physical sciences and it has been my pleasure as an interested chemist to escort hundreds of physics and science teachers on this pilgrimage. (by the way they try to play down the “Nucleaire” bit – something about the public associating the word nuclear with very bad things ). So, what is it like?

Well on the surface it is a bit like a cross between a university campus and a light industrial estate, spread-eagled across the Swiss/French border.

Large Hadron Collider courtesy of CERN

You can choose to eat in Restaurant 1 which is in Switzerland or Restaurant 2 which is in France and somewhere in between you can straddle the border if the mood takes you. You may wonder why I mentioned restaurants? Well it is in these restaurants where staff dine on refectory style tables where much scientific discussion goes on. Teachers have reported exciting conversations with scientists they sat next to at lunch although no one has claimed to have spoken to a Noble Prize Winner to date – but give it time. CERN prides itself on its openness and there is no restriction on taking photographs.

I will get on to the LHC (large Hadron Collider) later, but first it is worth remembering that CERN is not just world class in particle accelerators. It was where Tim Burners-Lee, a scientist at CERN, invented the World Wide Web as a means of sharing information for scientists around the world. You can visit Tim’s old office – an unassuming room in a dingy corridor now resplendent with brass plaque recording the historic event, and yes, you can get your photograph taken next to it! This helps to get across the message that CERN is a collaborative venture of scientists spread across the world who may work full time in Geneva or just visit to do occasional research and experiments.

CERN teachers’ programme

The teachers’ programme is mixed and varied. There is a practical activity – making a cloud chamber using aquarium tanks which one teacher improved on tremendously with an ingenious design using cheap seed propagators and and LED rope light. There are lectures which focus on academic particle physics – useful for teachers who are a little rusty in this area and great for snippets to teach how science works.

Rolf Lander, antimatter scientist and Head of Education at CERN, explains how historically models were developed and become accepted until someone disproves the model and new models are put forward. We had a good example of HSW (how science works) recently when the scientists in CERN found unusual results when they timed how long it took for neutrinos to travel from CERN to Italy. They appeared to travel faster than the speed of light and this made headlines in TV News and newspapers around the world. CERN scientists invited other scientists to investigate and try to replicate their data. The invitation did not last too long as CERN scientists discovered the reason for these anomalous results – a loose wire! Strangely this did not make the news to such an extent.

In the lecture on Medical Physics. Manjit Dosnajh helped to answer a key question that many people have about CERN i.e. what tangible benefits do taxpayers get from funding all these scientists. Manjit illustrated how work on Positron Emission Tomography (PET) carried out at CERN in 1977 led to hospital imagers which now run alongside CT and MRI scanners (often in combination) to provide information to treat cancers. A specialised version of a PET scanner has been developed which can detect small tumours missed by other scanners. This has proved very successful in the detection of breast cancers – and using the same technology as the LHC. This shows that technology developed at CERN is in use in our hospitals to increase survival rates from life threatening conditions

Physics in the movies

Rolf Lander provides an excellent lecture on the physics behind the film Angels and Demons. In the film 1g of antimatter is stolen from a laboratory in CERN and the plan is to use this to blow up the Vatican. In an entertaining lecture Rolf explains the physics behind the film and if it is really possible to create 0.5g of antimatter (enough to make a powerful bomb), just how long and how much electricity it would theoretically take. The cost by the way is: 1,000,000,000,000,000 euros with a delivery time of 1,000,000,000 years. Great stuff for teachers who can now legitimately intersperse physics lessons with clips from the Angels and Demons film. For the antimatter enthusiasts, CERN have produced a teaching module on antimatter.

The hunt for the Higgs Bosun

Data from CMS. courtesy of CERN

The highlight of the programme is a visit to CMS – Compact Muon Solonoid. CMS is just one of the LHC experiments but it was CMS that confirmed the existence of the Higgs Boson in 2012 and it was enthralling to hear how this was done. When I got home my painter and decorator asked about my last visit. He had heard of the Higgs Boson and was interested. “Can you see it?” he asked. Several cups of tea later I had managed to explain that the Higgs Boson was detected by analysing signals and that the detection instruments took the equivalent of 4,000 pictures a second. He was still none the wiser and it really brought home to me that to teach particle physics successfully, it helps if you have a physics background but more importantly that you have the models, analogies and experiences which enable you to help students with the associated complex abstract thinking. This is one of the greatest benefits of a visit to CERN.

Huge Electromagnets

So the highlight for the teachers was CMS or maybe it was the magnet testing facility where you can stand next to some of the biggest electromagnets in the world. When fully operational over 21,000 amps flow through five huge coils to produce a magnetic field of between 4 and 8 tesla. One teacher proudly demonstrated a magnetic field detecting app on his iphone. He planned to use this in the magnetic testing area. We were expecting a fried iphone but he reported it worked really well!

The magnet testing facility also houses a mock up of the particle accelerator tunnel. This is very useful as access to the tunnel during operations is forbidden for obvious reasons. The tunnel is roughly the width and height of a poly-tunnel greenhouse with enough room to ride a bike along the side which is the primary mode of transport (when not operational!).

CERN programme highlights

The highlights of the CERN programme for me did not come from CERN but from the follow up day at the National Science Learning Centre in York. The programme has some interesting inputs on nuclear fusion amongst others, but the real stars were the teachers and what they did with the ideas, materials and experiences picked up at CERN. They were “fired up” by their visit and the enthusiasm of the CERN scientists and had completed a myriad of activities and projects. Many of them had gone on to arrange a CERN visit for their students. Others had woven anecdotes, models and analogies into theoretical topics. Some had run whole school assemblies on CERN and some showed pictures of their students and projects in their local newspaper.

If you have not made your pilgrimage to CERN, 2013 could be a good year to start.

The National Science Learning Centre is running a study visit to CERN in February 2013.

If you have already been to CERN we’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences of the trip as well as how you have applied it back into the classroom.