Bringing STEM Experts Into Your Classroom a Teaching and Learning Guide
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Bringing STEM Experts into Your Classroom A Teaching and Learning Guide Information and advice for primary schools, and scientists and engineers, wishing to develop a partnership to support primary science and technology Bringing STEM Experts into Your Classroom This Teaching and Learning Guide begins with an overview of some local programmes enabling upper primary pupils to interact with STEM practitioners from industry, academia and government. These programmes include Civil Engineers in Primary Schools (supported by the Institution of Civil Engineers), Science Expressions (supported by the Astra-Zeneca Science Teaching Trust, and W5), STEM Experts in Primary Schools (supported by the Primary Science Teaching Trust (PSTT), and Sentinus), Physical Scientists from the World Around Us (supported by the Royal Society of Chemistry, and the Institute of Physics in Ireland), Primary BioSciences and Primary Life Sciences (supported by the Wellcome Trust), Primary Food Sciences (in association with the Institute for Global Food Security at Queen’s University Belfast). The essential feature of these programmes is that they provide continuing interaction between a working scientist or engineer and a primary school teacher and pupils over a period of time leading to a specific outcome or event, and provide a foundation for pupils to make appropriate course and career decisions later. As each section of this Guide is self-contained, there is some repetition between sections The programmes described in this paper were supported by: the Institute for Global Food Security at Queen’s University Belfast, the Institute of Physics in Ireland, the Institution of Civil Engineers, the Primary Science Teaching Trust (formerly the Astra Zeneca Science Teaching Trust), the Royal Society of Chemistry, Sentinus, the School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences at Queen’s University Belfast, W5, and the Wellcome Trust. Bringing STEM Experts into Your Classroom Teaching and Learning Guide Contents 1. STEM Experts in Primary Schools and similar Programmes 4 A description of the STEM Experts in Primary Schools (STEPS) programme, and ideas for schools developing a similar programme. 2. School Project Summaries 8 Summaries of pupil projects carried out in STEM Experts in Primary Schools and similar programmes. 3. Investigations and Experiments 24 Ideas for science investigations and experiments which can be carried out by pupils under the guidance of teachers and scientists, with links to appropriate websites. Activity sheets are available on the STEPS area of the Sentinus website. 4. Who is a Scientist? Careers in the Sciences 26 Information (including links to appropriate websites) on how to find out more about courses, jobs and careers in the sciences and engineering. 5. Evaluation 28 Finding out how effective your programme is in helping pupils appreciate and understand the sciences and their applications. Sample ‘before and after’ pupil attitude questionnaires, and sample pupil and teacher evaluation questionnaires are available as appendices on the Sentinus website. 6. School / Expert Partnerships: Information for Teachers and their Schools 30 Ideas for developing school / scientist partnerships. Information and advice for teachers wishing to develop a partnership similar to STEPS with industrial, government or academic scientists and engineers. Identification of financial resources to support the development of science in their schools. Sample letters of introduction, sample press information, sample grant applications, and sample risk assessment forms are available as appendices on the Sentinus website. 7. School / Expert Partnerships: Information for Experts and their Organisations 33 Information and advice for companies, academic departments, and scientists and engineers wishing to develop a partnership with primary schools. 8. Developing your Project 35 Advice for pupils developing a project for public presentation. 9. Presenting your Project 36 Information for pupils presenting material to an audience outside their classroom. 3 Bringing STEM Experts into Your Classroom Teaching and Learning Guide 1. STEM Experts in Primary Schools and similar Programmes Bringing STEM Experts into your Classroom is based on a number of programmes designed to support primary science and technology, managed by Martin Brown, Colin Press and Peter McAlister, over the past thirteen years. Most of these featured a scientist or engineer (the expert) working with a single primary school. These programmes include: - 2006 – 09: Civil Engineers in Primary Schools (supported by the Institution of Civil Engineers) - 2007 – 08: Science Expressions (in association with W5, supported by the AstraZeneca Science Teaching Trust) - 2009 – 16: STEM Experts in Primary Schools (STEPS) (supported by the Primary Science Teaching Trust (PSTT), Sentinus, and the Institute of Physics in Ireland) - 2013 – 16: Primary BioSciences / Primary Life Sciences (supported by the Wellcome Trust, and the Institute for Global Food Security at Queen’s University Belfast) - 2014 – 16: Chemists in Primary Schools (supported by the Royal Society of Chemistry) - 2015 – 18: Primary Food Science (developed in association with the Institute for Global Food Security at Queen’s University Belfast) - 2017 – 19: Physical Scientists from the World Around Us (supported by the Royal Society of Chemistry, and the Institute of Physics in Ireland) See below for outlines of these programmes, and Section 2 of this Guide for school project summaries. Science is no longer a discrete subject within the Northern Ireland primary curriculum: with history, geography and technology, it is part of the area of learning The World Around Us. In this context, Martin Brown, Colin Press, Peter McAlister and Lisa Connolly have managed a range of programmes designed to support the development of science and technology for upper primary pupils. Medium term programmes like these enhance their impact through the continuing interaction of the participating scientist or engineer with primary pupils during an extended period, leading to a specific outcome or event. STEM Experts in Primary Schools (STEPS), supported by the Primary Science Teaching Trust, is a programme to help schools achieve the aims of the Northern Ireland Curriculum at Key Stage 2 by developing pupils’ capabilities related to employment and economic awareness in the science and technology areas of The World Around Us. STEM Experts are people in an industrial or academic context working in research and development applications of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, who give time to support primary school science and technology and act as inspiring role models to young people. Nearly two thousand pupils in thirty primary schools have participated during the last eight years. Physical Scientists from the World Around Us operates with the support of the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Institute of Physics in Ireland. This programme runs along similar lines to STEPS, in which industrial and academic physical scientists work with primary schools to develop pupils’ understanding of chemistry and physics and their applications in the world around us. In these programmes, after initial training, STEM Experts visit primary schools initially for a morning with a Key Stage 2 (upper primary) class. Based on their own experience, they demonstrate how they apply science and technology to their everyday work in industry, government or research, and how this relates to science and technology in school, and to potential STEM careers. They run practical investigations in a science and technology theme related to their work. The Experts then, in discussion with teachers, pupils and programme management identify an appropriate theme for each school, and ask pupils and teacher to specify a related school project, which can be developed over a two to three month period, for example in chemistry and pharmaceuticals, neuroscience applied to thinking and learning, or bioengineering. They help pupils identify and find the resources required, keeping in touch with them by visits, email or telephone as their project develops. The programme culminates in pupil presentations of their projects at a Celebration Event in a university or similar setting later in the year. 4 Primary BioSciences and Primary Food Science, managed in association with Lisa Connolly at the Institute for Global Food Security at Queen’s University Belfast and supported by the Wellcome Trust, are programmes to help primary schools achieve relevant aims of the Northern Ireland Curriculum at Key Stage 2, by developing pupils’ skills and capabilities specifically in the areas of the biosciences, and food safety and security. The main aim of Primary Food Science is for food scientists to help primary teachers and pupils to develop their knowledge, understanding and appreciation of food science and nutrition in the outside world, and the extent to which food science applications can personally affect them and their families. The scientists act as role models to pupils, and help them identify potential careers in food science and technology. The programme identifies areas in food science appropriate for investigation by upper primary pupils. Teachers, pupils and their associated scientists work together to develop teaching and learning resources in themes related to food science and technology. Primary Food Science also develops the communication skills of participating scientists in presenting and explaining