There are many myths about differentiation – it takes hours, it involves hundreds of different worksheets, it’s impossible to differentiate for everyone in your class… so how can teachers differentiate and still have a life.

Secondary Pupil and Teacher

At Bradley Stoke Community School, we have taken a pragmatic approach to differentiation and focused on developing low energy teaching strategies. We have discovered that it’s about getting the students to work independently, assess and monitor their own progress and decide their own route through their learning.

For the first time this year, our classes in Science are mixed ability in year 7, 8 and 9. At KS4 we also have completely mixed ability Double Science groups that run alongside Triple Science and BTEC classes. Arranging the groups like this has brought differentiation to the fore-front of our minds and made it a hot-topic of conversation during team meetings. We’ve taken a gamble with the groupings and encountered both successes and failures in our attempts to provide individualised learning opportunities. However, as a forward looking department, we are prepared to take risks, learn from our mistakes and think creatively in the classroom.

Sharing best practice and working together to stimulate and challenge each other’s perceptions has been key. We aren’t all perfect and not everyone is fully on-board, yet, but the shift towards creating personalised learning experiences for all students is definitely heading in the right direction.

The approach we have taken is not one of creating loads of new resources, but of using the existing resources we have in a more creative fashion. We have experimented with setting up learning encounters that last for two or three lessons, using teaching assistants and technicians more effectively, integrating ‘thunks’, using role cards, setting up help desks, training students as classroom consultants and using Bloom’s taxonomy to quickly and easily differentiate our questions. Most importantly, we are attempting to hand over choices about learning to the students.

In more and more science lessons, students are expected to assess the level they are currently working at and make the right choice about which tasks to engage with to ensure that they are making progress and continually improving their understanding. This leaves us, as teachers, free to have learning conversations with small groups, stretch the more able students and support the weaker ones.

Students are getting better at knowing who to go to or what to do when they need help (i.e. not just ask their teacher!). They are also becoming more able to discuss their progress and clearly articulate what they need to do to move forward. Following our recent Ofsted inspection in April, a science lesson was highlighted as an area where excellent use was made of peer and self-assessment to personalise learning during a revision lesson.

Whilst reading this I do not want you to think that every lesson we deliver is perfectly differentiated or that we get it right every time. The path we have chosen to take is a rocky one; some students have pushed back against the change and others have failed to engage with choices they are given or make poor choices. However, little by little we are convincing our fairly determined and opinionated students that they can trust us to guide them through their learning, rather than “teach” them.

Walk into our science office at break time and you are sure to hear anecdotes about year 11s who want their teacher to ‘just tell us the answer, sir’ or discussions between teachers about the latest advancements in ‘flow-chart learning’.

As part of the Science Teaching and Learning Conference on the 1^st and 2^nd of July 2013, I will share some of the more effective individualised learning strategies we have trialled and hopefully encourage you to focus on what individuals of all abilities are learning, rather than being taught.

Science Teaching and Learning Conference

Forces are all around us.  They stop us falling through the floor, they make sure that we can walk around, and they keep the Earth circling the Sun.

Forces spectacles

But we can’t see them.  Forces are invisible.  As teachers we need to think of ways to make these invisible forces visible to the children we work with.  The Institute of Physics talks about putting on “forces spectacles”, and that is a useful metaphor for our role.  By using concrete examples we enable children to ‘see’ the forces around them.

In Key Stage 1 we can start by exploring forces through pushes and pulls.  Children can use plasticine to make models and then describe what forces they are applying.  A great story that we could use is that of The Three Little Pigs.  This Teachers TV programme  shows how it could be done. The teacher uses the ‘huff and the puff’ of the wolf to illustrate pushes, but also asks the children to make models of the wolf and helps them to talk about what they are doing in terms of pushes and pulls, pinches and twists.

At KS2 we can start to bring in the idea of forces causing a change in motion.  Pushing and pulling toys are a great context for this.  As children get older we can then begin to talk about a force causing a change in motion.

Picking up Jelly Cubes – Forces demonstration

Many of the forces that the children have been using up to this point are quite easy to ‘see’.  Pushes and pulls are obvious.  However, friction is a different matter, and children struggle to recognise the role of friction in everyday life.  One fun activity that we can do to help them ‘see’ friction, is a ‘jelly race’.  First of all the children pick up some little cubes of jelly out of a bowl using chopsticks. They can time how fast they can do this, which gives some practice in taking measurements for SC1.

Next, the jelly cubes are put back in the bowl and some vegetable oil is added.  Now the children try and pick up the little cubes of jelly again, and this time it is much harder. This activity also helps to address the misconception that friction is only present when an object is moving.  There is friction between the chopsticks and the jelly, even when the jelly isn’t moving.  When the jelly has oil on it there is very little frictional force, and it’s hard to keep hold of it (with or without chopsticks!). By comparing this with picking the jelly up we can help children ‘see’ the frictional forces – and what happens when they are not there.

Jelly and Oil…mmmmm!

These activities, and others like them, will help you, and your pupils, put on Forces spectacles to see the forces at work around us.

I will be running an optional workshop on forces at the Primary Science Annual Conference 2013 in York in July. I’d be delighted to hear your stories and thoughts on teaching forces to our KS1 and KS 2 pupils.

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?

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.

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.

The sign of a good party is when guests are reluctant to leave. Similarly, the sign of a good day sharing science, technology, engineering and mathematics with people must be when they are still there, exploring resources and sharing ideas, long after you expected the place would be empty.

So it was with our second family open day at the National Science Learning Centre and the National STEM Centre. This time the day was themed around chocolate, which was bound to bring people in, but with over 300 children, parents, grandparents and others choosing to spend a sunny April Saturday with us, I think we can justifiably call it a success.

Professor Paul Walton from the Department of Chemistry at the University of York kept the youngest to the oldest (and there was quite a range) enthralled with a romp through the chemistry of chocolate, making quite complex science understandable and engaging. His talk culminated in the world premiere of a chocolate so smooth and luscious that the faces of those lucky enough to taste it said everything – this really is a substance which, although not containing oxytocin (‘the cuddle molecule’), does a good job of making us happy partly through the wonders of chemistry. We learnt about jiggly and straight molecules, skin elasticity and the chemical formula of a human being (it’s complicated!). We also got to understand why you lose your taste when you hold your nose – in the case of chocolate, it’s down to those volatile polyphenols!

Watch the video to get a feel for the day

Here is the entire video of Professor Paul Walton’s presentation – although be warned it is over 35 minutes long, with variable video and audio quality

Our thanks should also go to Flavoursense Nation for their range of hands on activities exploring the role our senses play in the perception and experience of flavour and foods.

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.

This is a transcript of an article I first wrote for Education Magazine

While many educational issues are open to debate, it seems that there are two basics to which we can all subscribe – that all young people deserve the best possible education, and that the most fundamental part of this will always be the quality of teaching they receive.

CPD aids teacher retention

As with all professions, the ‘war for talent’ in teaching is intense – there are many great teachers out there, but not yet enough to fulfil the requirements of every student and every school. There are plenty of programmes designed to encourage bright graduates into teaching and many, like Teach First for instance, are achieving impressive results, but with the best will in the world, we will never come close to satisfying the needs of all young people unless we get much better at retaining and continually supporting the effective teachers that already exist within the profession, regardless of where they came from and how long they have served.

So, the age old question remains: how do we stop the best teachers from leaving and how do we nurture the talent of those who are doing a good-enough job, but with the right encouragement could become truly excellent?  Well, the latest research from Sheffield Hallam University seems to suggest that the time has come to look at what often drives a teacher’s enthusiasm to choose their career in the first place – a love for their subject.

Evidence from the Sheffield Hallam study, which was in this case specifically looking at the effects of professional development on science teachers, shows that subject specific professional development has significant benefits for schools or colleges, and teachers themselves, particularly in the key areas of retention and career progression. It found that, for most respondents, professional development had a positive impact on their likelihood of staying in teaching, resulting from their increased knowledge, motivation and job satisfaction as a result of the experience. And even where teachers did not see a direct impact on their decisions about staying in teaching, they reported other benefits including increased enthusiasm and validation of knowledge and practice.

By providing opportunities to catch up on what’s new in science and science education, to network with scientists, engineers and other teachers and to share experiences, ideas and practice it seems that subject specific professional development can achieve something unexpected – not only do schools and colleges see increased levels of attainment in pupils, they also increase their levels of staff retention.  By taking some time out to reconnect with a subject they love, teachers return to their schools or colleges reinvigorated, with renewed enthusiasm, so benefiting the young people with whom they work.

In terms of career progression, the study found that teachers saw significant impacts from this subject specific professional development on job satisfaction, taking on new responsibilities and moving into new areas of work. For many, this type of CPD has been the catalyst to significant career progression, often within the same school.  Take the example of Allie Denholm, now leader of KS4 achievement, at Uplands Community College in East Sussex with 1200 pupils aged 11 -18,

“Attending a course for “New and Aspiring Heads of Science” meant that when I started as Head of Science I had a clear vision of how I wanted science at Uplands Community College to develop. I was exposed to first class science teaching and learning strategies and developed ways to lead high quality CPD for the team. In turn, the team have all experienced subject specific CPD in their own right, giving them the confidence to take on new leadership roles, for example, developing student voice through action research projects, planning and embedding new courses to improve curriculum provision and leading gifted and talented workshops. The focus on CPD within the team led to individuals leading their own sessions such as science workshops for parents and training for primary colleagues, who subsequently went on to lead training at their own primary schools.  One member of the team took on a whole school teaching and learning role and another, a whole school data and student monitoring role.  In addition, two other team members have been given TLR’s within science and one of the technicians was promoted to team leader. This focus on developing and finding new challenges has meant the science department has retained its entire staff since 2006. However, our success with triple science and applied courses has led to new appointments, as Science at Uplands has grown and flourished.”

Retaining our best teachers is, of course, a financial imperative as well as being crucial in providing all young people with the best education possible. Estimates suggest that the cost of recruiting teachers can be anything from 25 percent upwards of salary costs, which, even using modest assumptions of teacher turnover and costs per head, run into an annual bill for schools, colleges and the system as a whole of potentially hundreds of millions of pounds.

Studies clearly show that a key feature of some of the world’s most well-regarded education systems is a clear focus on on-going professional development for all teachers, including that related to their subjects. Surely therefore it is time that here in the UK we ensure that all teachers can benefit from the high quality subject led professional development support they deserve – so keeping them in the profession they love and ensuring that every young person benefits from the world-class teaching they need.

Ofsted is all about standards and bringing about continual improvement in education. It publishes reports that inform the public of standards seen. In a publication from March 2012 Ofsted described the success of a school in the following words:

‘Students make outstanding progress in a broad range of subjects in this large secondary school. The innovative teaching and learning policy and an accelerated learning cycle are underpinned by a well-developed, in-house programme of continuing professional development (CPD).’

In this one paragraph the importance of high quality teaching, learning and management come together. The Imperative for management is to create a culture for the school in which excellence is the goal, in teaching, learning and management.

How does Ofsted describe outstanding teaching in science?

• pupils show exceptional independence; they are able to think for themselves and raise their own questions about science knowledge and understanding and scientific enquiry
• they are confident and competent in the full range of stage-related practical skills, taking the initiative in, for example, planning and carrying out their own scientific investigations
• pupils frequently use their scientific knowledge and understanding very effectively in written and verbal explanations, solving challenging problems and reporting scientific findings formally
• they work constructively with other pupils, demonstrating common understanding in discrete well-focused roles, with all playing a part in successful investigations
• they show high levels of originality, imagination or innovation in their understanding and application of skills
• practical work incorporates a variety of contexts, including fieldwork, in which pupils make decisions about investigations and ways of researching contemporary issues and understand the impact of science on society
• they develop a sense of passion and commitment to science, showing strong application and enthusiasm to learn more through scientific endeavour.

I have also made a video discussing what effective practical work looks like.

I will be speaking in more detail about what makes outstanding teaching in the view of Ofsted at the National Science Learning Centre’s Science Teaching and Learning Conference.

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.