Monthly Archives: September 2012

Talk with us…about practical work in the sciences

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As you might expect from an analysis and evaluation of the sciences 3-18 in Scotland, practical work and its role in the sciences is discussed.

 “Young people at S1 and S2 frequently report enjoying practical work which they have experienced in their learning in the sciences…At S1 and S2 young people generally have plenty of opportunity to carry out practical work allowing them to develop a range of practical technique and investigation skills often within relevant and real-life contexts. They often cite this aspect of their learning as one of the main reasons they enjoy science.”

 “Young people at secondary school are developing practical investigation and inquiry skills within a range of relevant and real-life contexts. They can generally work collaboratively to plan fair tests, make a valid hypothesis, collect appropriate evidence, observe, measure accurately, estimate, record results in an appropriate format, interpret and evaluate findings and present them in a way of their choosing. They are often able to link two variables to determine relationships. A strong feature of practical work is young people’s ability to manipulate and name scientific equipment confidently, apply safety measures and take necessary actions to control risk and hazards. Many are not yet skilled at identifying the limitations of practical technique and scientific equipment and suggesting improvements to experimental work or investigation.”

 In the report we have identified some good practice. Examples 13, 19, 24, 27 and 32 illustrate practice taking place in our pre-school centres and schools, and are particularly relevant to this discussion.

What are your experiences of practical work in the sciences? Whether you are a child, young person, practitioner or parents, join in the discussion!

Talk with us…about gender imbalance in subject choices in the senior phase

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“In some secondary schools, there have been clear gender differences regarding the uptake of physics and biology. For example in some schools, biology is predominantly studied by girls at national qualification stages and physics by boys. This is also reflected in national figures (see Appendix 4). In some schools, this has not been a notable feature. Some schools, having recognised this as an issue, had taken proactive measures such as promoting the Women into Science programme. Others have been unaware of this issue despite comprehensive examination analysis. A few schools have recognised this as an issue but have as yet taken no positive action to address this, with no relevant priorities appearing on their improvement plan.”

“In the last decade, physics courses by S4 have been taken consistently by a higher proportion of boys. Although the proportion of boys studying biology courses by S4 over the last decade has been increasing, there has been a notably higher proportion of girls taking these courses. There is no notable gender difference with chemistry and science.”

 

“A consistently higher proportion of boys have taken Higher physics over the past decade. Although the gender balance in Higher biology and Higher human biology is improving, a notably higher proportion of girls have consistently taken these subjects over the last decade. Chemistry shows no such gender difference.”

 

As identified in the report, this gender imbalance is not notable in all schools.

Some questions for consideration and discussion:

Does this gender imbalance in subject choice exist in your school?

Has your school been proactive in seeking to address this? Has there been measurable impact as a result of your actions?

It would be particularly interesting to hear from young people and parents around this issue.

Talking with us about Sciences 3-18 Curriculum Area Impact Project report at SLF 2012

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Yesterday saw the launch of the The Sciences 3-18 Curriculum Area Impact Project report in a lively and challenging session at SLF 2012. We were delighted to welcome to the session practitioners, partners, young people and parents as we shared the key messages from the report, and our strategies for taking this forward. Delegates were enthusiastic in joining the debate around the key strengths and aspects for development, talking together and reflecting on the extent to which

  • these were concordant with their expectations
  • there were any surprises in these
  • these apply in their local context.

Delegates were challenged to address the question:

What can you do in your role to

  • address the aspects for development
  • share the message with the report
  • engage with the debate

and to plan next steps.

We have posted the shared outcomes of the discussions at SLF2012, in the comments, which we hope will inspire you to blog and comment too!

Talk with us…if you are aged between 3 and 18

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Staff from Education Scotland visited nurseries and schools across Scotland to find out how well children and young people learn in the sciences. We have written a summary because we want to tell you the main things we found and ask you what you think about your learning in the sciences to help us all focus on what we need to do next. What we have said in this summary is about what we found when we looked across the whole of Scotland. It might be that this doesn’t match what you experience in your school with your teachers.

Through learning in the sciences, you can develop your interest in, and understanding of, the world around you. You can develop the skills to become creative, inventive and enterprising. You might be learning about the sciences in a nursery, primary school, special school or secondary school. In secondary schools, the term “sciences” currently includes Skills for Work courses, biology, chemistry, physics, science, human biology, biotechnology and managing environmental resources (MER).

The summary is for you, if you are aged between 3 and 18 and studying any of the sciences. We have produced this summary for you because this report is about your learning, and your education. We want to hear from you about your learning in the sciences. You can tell us what you think using this blog. 

We’d really like to know what the important issues are to you which affect your learning in the sciences to help us all focus on what we need to do next.

If you’re not sure how to get started talking with us about the sciences 3-18 and sharing your views, here are some ideas.

Talk with us…about the sciences 3-18 in Scotland

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The Sciences 3-18 Curriculum Impact Project report, published in September 2012, identifies good practice and highlights important areas for discussion and further development. This report is the first in a series designed to gauge the impact of a changing curriculum on learners’ experiences and achievements.

This blog is one of the ways in which we are supporting on-going dialogue and development. Through this blog, we want to hear from children and young people, parents, practitioners and the wider sciences community about the key messages within the report, and how this can be taken forward.

Visit the Education Scotland website to access The Sciences 3-18 Curriculum Impact Project report, the Summary for Children and Young People and the Summary of Key Strengths and Aspects for Development.