During my teaching career, I have been very fortunate to work in progressive and forward-thinking science departments. And since coming out of the classroom I have had the chance to see what is going on in science departments across the country – and it has opened my eyes to the wealth of talent that we have teaching the scientists of tomorrow.
I observed a lesson recently where the teacher was teaching about waves. The students had to find out all about the wave’s properties, why knowing these is important, and how this leads on to their uses in everyday life. Before this, he wanted them to calculate the speed of a wave. He gave them a tray of water, a meter rule and a stopwatch – no instructions, no demonstration – and told them: “Off you go then!”
To some teachers, myself included, this situation could fill you with dread. What if the students just mess around? How will this exercise show progression? What if they don’t know what to do – they will just sit there!
But within minutes, the students were working together, sharing ideas, trialling them and refining them.
What we were witnessing was independent learning taking place – students taking ownership of their own learning – and also differentiated learning, as each student discussed ideas to their own levels.
So what are the ingredients that come together to make a fantastic science department, where innovative lessons like this one are the norm? I think there are three key elements.
Enrichment and enhancement
When visiting a school recently, I was able to see some of the excellent work they did, which fell under the enrichment and enhancement strand of the curriculum.
For me, the key thing is that this kind of work is not just limited to out-of-classroom experiences for a select number of high-attaining students.
Mandy Quinton, STEM co-ordinator at St Clement Danes School in Hertfordshire, gave me a great example of this. She explained: “Sometimes it is just the small things that make the biggest difference. A couple of year 8 students were showing an inability to engage in science lessons and school as a whole, but are both keen fishermen.
“They have been put in charge of looking after the brown trout as part of a local project with the Chilterns River Association to repopulate the River Chess with trout. Their behaviour and interest in school has noticeably changed, due to their ownership of the project.”
When I met these students, it was fantastic seeing and hearing the passion in their eyes and voices. These students had previously been disengaged in school, especially science, but here they were talking about pH levels of water, life cycles of fish, and much more.
The department had found a hook (pun intended) and the students could see how this work related to real life and the world around them.
Upskill every teacher
From personal experience, being able to develop and improve as a teacher has always been a driving force for me. I have been lucky that the schools I have worked at have given me time off to attend CPD, and offered me career progression since I started as an NQT.
Hertfordshire and Essex High School enable their staff to develop through CPD, which is shown to have a positive impact upon their students too. Faculty leader of science Mary Compton explained: “CPD is carefully targeted and we are in the position that we have access ... to high-quality CPD. Indeed for some teaching staff their development includes delivering CPD and they therefore move their practice far beyond that of a regular subject teacher.”
Mathematics in science
Learning and teaching play a key role every single day, in every lesson, within a science department.
One area that can make a huge difference are links between departments, especially the mathematics and science departments, so that students can see the links between the skills they use in both subjects.
How many times have you heard your students say: “My maths teacher says you can’t have a curved line of best fit” or “That’s not what we do in maths”?
By linking up and building a common language, we can help students to see the relevance of what they are learning, while also removing any confusion.
Here is one example from the Priory Academy, Lincoln School of Science and Technology. Teacher Giles Ennis explained: “We enjoy excellent links with other departments within the school and teachers in science make a point of making links with mathematics and English to ensure that students are aware of the skills they have from these and other subjects when they are applying them. An example would be asking students to write to explain or inform, or to write to persuade during a task.
“We have also enlisted the help of literacy and numeracy specialists from English and maths to help us to understand more fully what students know, where they struggle and what we can do to overcome any barriers to learning.”
Conclusion
There are so many things that make up a fantastic department, not just my three key elements – from supportive leadership to enthusiastic and knowledgeable team members. But I think if you can nail these core elements, you will be well on the way to having a really great science department.
- Adam Little worked for more than 10 years as a physics teacher with a passion for innovative teaching and learning strategies that promote independent learning. He now works as a professional development leader, specialising in physics at the National STEM Learning Centre in York and leads on Science Mark.
Science Mark
Stem Learning has created Science Mark, a quality standard to celebrate school’s successes. You can find out more at www.stem.org.uk/science-mark