All 2 entries tagged Science

Science Cascade Days – Sally Spicer

This post is a summary of my article published in May 2018 in Science Teacher Education: 82; 13-18. Science Cascade Days are used to support the development of science subject knowledge and trainee confidence in teaching science for primary and early years PGCE trainees. March 2018 was the fourth time they have been held in the current format, run in partnership with the University’s Life Sciences department. Thanks are due to colleagues in Life Sciences who lead training and facilitate the cascade days. One day is spent with trainees being trained in observational and practical skills. This includes being ‘nature detectives’ in the Tocil Wood Nature Reserve, pond dipping, and using the laboratory equipment to make detailed observations of collected samples, which are tested for oxygen produced by pond-oxygenating plants and using computer software for testing their own reaction times. Trainees then cascade their learning to children from local schools. Each year, two different schools are invited: one bringing Year 2 children (age 6-7), the other upper Key Stage 2 (age 9-11) pupils for a day on campus, again based at Life Sciences.

Like other Initial Teacher Education (ITE) providers, the University of Warwick sets initial subject knowledge audits for its primary and early years (EY) Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) trainees in English, mathematics and science. Observations of, implications of and responses to the results for science discussed here were initially presented at the ASE Futures Group ITT-Meet, ‘Strengthening Initial Science Teacher Education’, at the University of Leicester in May 2017 and many aspects were corroborated by primary colleagues from other primary ITE providers who attended.

The questions addressed are: ‘What do the audit scores and additional information tell us?’ and ‘What do we do with it?’, on an individual trainee and cohort level. Our main focus is on trainees who show an initial score ≤ 60%. Some self-identify as needing low support and just revision, as their science subject knowledge may be rusty, especially for mature career changers. There are sometimes observable disparities between audit score, high or low, and trainees’ self-awareness and self–efficacy in the subject, observed in seminar participation.

Those trainees with weaker science subject knowledge and confidence are directed to an enhanced, provision opportunity - the science cascade days.

The schools invited are chosen to meet university widening participation criteria, such as having high numbers of pupils eligible for pupil premium, with little everyday opportunity to engage with the natural environment.

The Y2 children visit the nature reserve as nature detectives and use laboratory equipment to closely observe collected specimens under magnification. They also enjoy meeting ‘The Animal Man.’

The KS2 children work in a separate lab following pond dipping, observing specimens, oxygen collection and testing and investigating reaction time.

Schools, children and staff are enthusiastic about the day, all benefit from engaging with university and the natural environment. Trainees show increased confidence in teaching science outdoors: e.g. “It gave me real confidence; I loved seeing the children’s enthusiasm and excitement.”

Abigail Ball : 12 Nov 2018 08:39 |  Tags: Cascade Science |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

What is your teaching philosophy? – Danielle

PDP Task 2 – What is your teaching philosophy? How has this originated and can you evaluate how your educational touchstones will impact on the teacher you aspire to be?

At the heart of my teaching philosophy is the belief that all children can achieve their goals, irrespective of their background, circumstance, or ability. When I was younger I used to have epilepsy; a condition which some of my teachers saw as a hindrance. At the end of my secondary education, these teachers remarked that I would not succeed in a science-related career. As a teacher, I never want a child to feel like they are unable to succeed in something which they are passionate about. In an attempt to ensure that this does not happen, I try to tailor my teaching to adapt to the needs of my pupils (TS5). For example, all of my PowerPoint presentations have been adapted for students with dyslexia by using a font which resembles handwriting, and a background which is coloured depending on the specific needs of the pupil. Both of these amendments were implemented as a means of making reading easier and learning more accessible. Furthermore, in order to help pupils who needed support with calculating surface area:volume ratio due to difficulties with visual-spatial reasoning, I made animals out of multi-link blocks (Taylor & Jones 2013). These animals removed the need for pupils to visualise 3D structures in their heads and provided examples which they could count by marking faces with a sharpie.

As part of my PhD, I regularly helped secondary school students to synthesise paracetamol and aspirin. These experiences taught me that I was highly passionate about teaching science to others. As part of this process, I worked closely with the outreach co-ordinator for the University of Warwick. When thinking about my educational touchstones, this teacher resonates closely with who I aspire to be. Whenever he taught, he always addressed students with such enthusiasm and provided them with a wealth of knowledge that left them feeling encouraged and motivated. Promoting a love of science and inspiring my students is definitely the type of teacher that I want to be. According to Hobbs, enthusiasm for what you are teaching is crucial for engaging and influencing your pupils (Hobbs 2012).

To achieve this goal, I have used activities which are engaging and varied (TS1) (Goodwin and Hubbell 2013). For instance, in a Year 8 lesson, instruction sheets and dice were used as a means of motivating pupils to learn about the carbon cycle. A similar strategy was used to teach a Year 9 class about the History of the Periodic Table. According to a formal lesson observation, such activities were successful in securing a high level of student engagement. Further to this, I set up and ran a Science Club within one of my placement schools, with the aim of cultivating an interest in science beyond that of the National Curriculum (TS3). As part of this club, students designed paper rockets and tested their flight stability and aerodynamic performance. By testing a range of different conformations, the students were able to identify that fins were needed to avoid the paper rockets spinning out of control. Pleasingly, as the Science Club progressed, more students were asking to join. This indicates that I managed to foster and maintain pupils’ interest in science (TS3).

References:

Hobbs, L., 2012. Examining the aesthetic dimensions of teaching: Relationships between teacher knowledge, identity and passion. Teaching and Teacher Education, 28(5), pp.718–727. Available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0742051X12000224.

Taylor, A.R. & Jones, M.G., 2013. Students’ and Teachers’ Application of Surface Area to Volume Relationships. Research in Science Education, 43(1), pp.395–411. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-011-9277-7.

Goodwin, B. & Hubbell, E.R., 2013. The 12 Touchstones of Good Teaching: A Checklist for Staying Focused Every Day, Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development. Available at: https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=lgpRBAAAQBAJ [Accessed on 06/05/18].

Abigail Ball : 08 Oct 2018 08:39 |  Tags: Philosophy Science Teaching |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem