I have a question for you now. If you were a teacher of science working in a school, how would you reactive you discovered 25% of your class missing to attend a climate change demo? #ASEChat
I have a question for you now. If you were a teacher of science working in a school, how would you reactive you discovered 25% of your class missing to attend a climate change demo? #ASEChat
I have a question for you now. If you were a teacher of science working in a school, how would you reactive you discovered 25% of your class missing to attend a climate change demo? #ASEChat
It got me wondering what we mean by “Core” I always thought it should have equal status to Maths and English, but it currently doesn’t Skewed status by performance tables #asechat
If it's right then it does not matter whose lesson it's in. Students get pulled out of lessons for random things all the time. Maybe just sodium in water #asechat
Trouble is most lessons seem to be about evidence of climate change taking place rather than what we (and others) can do about it. Saw a moving video by Pacific Islanders explaining their culture is in danger of disappearance #ASEChat
It does in my school but we do not have to follow the NC being independent. All pupils will benefit from studying all sciences up to GCSE even if they don't continue further as it gives them essential skills that are important in all subjects #ASEChat
Another response to Is science a core subject? Maybe this could be a new hashtag? Not surprising that children need persuading when so much emphasis on E & M #asechat
I think you are right- such a shame. Children seemed to think of Science as a discreet lesson of an hour each week and had this vision of making potions! We have worked hard on changing that perception right through school, enhancing Science and raising science capital for all.👍
So does core mean compulsory unto 16? ...Maybe it doesn't matter what we call it? I agree that M,E and Science are fundamental for understanding the world, and should be regarded as cornerstones of our curriculum #asechat They DO have higher status
Now that’s a good question! What do people in other parts of the World think? where there is less of an emphasis on exam results at 16. Choice been left to post 16, with quals at age 18 #asechat
In reply to
@TeacherChemist, @ViciaScience, @MichaelT1979
We need (many) more options at 16+. 14/15 is the wrong age to ask children to make life changing decisions, and it is the wrong age for schools to impose these ‘choices’ #ASEChat
In reply to
@TeacherChemist, @NeedhamL56, @MichaelT1979
I think the problem is. Is more to do with money and specialists ... most schools don't have enough music resources to provide that for all at KS4 ... would be interesting to see a model where students did just 2 lessons of everything and have a massive synoptic exam #ASEChat
In reply to
@TeacherChemist, @ViciaScience, @NeedhamL56, @MichaelT1979
Remember this from 2003? I was in a rural Sussex comp & loads of kids went out on to the school field, protesting for an afternoon. I sided with the RE dept that the kids shouldn't be punished! Seems they might be on the right side of history... #asechathttps://t.co/HGvZrAQxgj
IB currently allows a decent amount of freedom at <16 with a few objectives. However, they’re focused on bringing in e-assessment and therefore this will change eventually. It’s very sad as it currently gives me incredible scope and time for cross curricula projects etc #ASEChat
In reply to
@ViciaScience, @NeedhamL56, @TeacherChemist, @MichaelT1979
Certainly seems true that some subjects are cheaper to teach the others, and that the cheaper ones seemingly are surviving the times of curriculum upheaval #ASEChat
In reply to
@staffdb66, @TeacherChemist, @NeedhamL56, @MichaelT1979
IB currently allows a decent amount of freedom at <16 with a few objectives. However, they’re focused on bringing in e-assessment and therefore this will change eventually. It’s very sad as it currently gives me incredible scope and time for cross curricula projects etc #ASEChat
In reply to
@ViciaScience, @NeedhamL56, @TeacherChemist, @MichaelT1979
I would agree with you. Teachers need the professional freedom to make judgements about how and what to teach different groups. Assessment is (or should be) the servant of curriculum #ASEChat
In reply to
@marshychemist, @NeedhamL56, @TeacherChemist, @MichaelT1979
There are huge problems with the IB e-assessment as it stands, mainly with the software being used... meaning we will have to teach the students how to deal with the software rather than teach them stuff #ASEChat
My students get the chance to reflect on how science affects their everyday life. We also have to build in cross-curricula links with other subjects so that they see that science isn’t an isolated subject. It’s a shame that we don’t have time to have more of them #asechat
In reply to
@ViciaScience, @NeedhamL56, @TeacherChemist, @MichaelT1979
More cross-curricula projects. Chemistry lends itself to so many but either we lack the time or the teachers lack the inclination #asechat we currently have sensible links to Maths but it would be great to have one with Art (for example)
In reply to
@NeedhamL56, @ViciaScience, @TeacherChemist, @MichaelT1979
There is so much that schools could do there needs to be more clarity on what they should do, and should do well. The issue for science is the need for teachers to have ‘embedded subject knowledge’ History/art/etc (especially in primary) can be done in an amateur way #ASEChat
They say it’s reliable and it probably is in terms of it not crashing but it seems ridiculous that we’ll have to teach the students one way of solving the problem because of the software that’s being used and then teach the students in a different way for the Diploma #asechat
More cross-curricula projects. Chemistry lends itself to so many but either we lack the time or the teachers lack the inclination #asechat we currently have sensible links to Maths but it would be great to have one with Art (for example)
In reply to
@NeedhamL56, @ViciaScience, @TeacherChemist, @MichaelT1979
Why? Why force a link or create a link if one isn’t ‘ready’ to make? It is good to show subject links but a desire for them shouldn’t drive curriculum design - they should fall naturally out of your individual subjects when the subjects are aligned #asechat
In reply to
@marshychemist, @NeedhamL56, @ViciaScience, @TeacherChemist, @MichaelT1979
It’s a strange quirk to me that they weren’t in this or the previous spec. Remember it from my Standard Grade days. However, something else would have to go as I think there is enough content. #asechat
Schools (and the system) tend to react to new ‘things’ but without formalising then in the curriculum. We end up with a curriculum of ‘important things’ that ends up being less than the sum of its parts as there is no whole curriculum approach being followed. #asechat
Subjects are just a way of organising the world for our school based education system, and all the paraphernalia that brings. We have lost the adaptability to see the big picture particularly for older children #asechat
In reply to
@MarcNeesam, @marshychemist, @ViciaScience, @TeacherChemist, @MichaelT1979
Besides @A_Weatherall perhaps being flippant, logic gates taught a disciplined way of thinking about problems. This seems to have gone out of fashion in England and been replaced by easier to assess knowledge #ASEChat
In reply to
@FergusonMr1, @A_Weatherall, @A_Weatherall
It wouldn’t need ‘forcing ‘ just a tweak to when topics are being taught and looking at the outcomes in a different way. That takes effort and some people prefer to leave it #asechat
In reply to
@MarcNeesam, @NeedhamL56, @ViciaScience, @TeacherChemist, @MichaelT1979
I think subjects are more than a school education phenomenon they are reflective of wider workplaces/ society and usually subjects in a curriculum reflects a society at a point in time. #asechat
In reply to
@NeedhamL56, @marshychemist, @ViciaScience, @TeacherChemist, @MichaelT1979
Anyone heard of the sawtooth effect of grade boundaries over spec lifetimes? Grade boundaries increase because ‘teachers and students become more familiar with the specification’ then they (boundaries) drop when a new spec introduced. #ASEchat
That comes down to curriculum alignment between subjects. And it does take time and efforts. Maybe the new Ofsted framework will motivate more of that thinking in general #asechat
In reply to
@marshychemist, @NeedhamL56, @ViciaScience, @TeacherChemist, @MichaelT1979
yes I see what you mean, but science is a good case, where professional scientists do not work in silos, they have very clear links to other professionals across a wide range of ‘subjects’ #asechat
In reply to
@MarcNeesam, @marshychemist, @ViciaScience, @TeacherChemist, @MichaelT1979
There are many overlaps, but efforts to link working scientifically with computational thinking struggled to make progress amongst the clutter of curriculum change several years back #ASEChat
Computation thinking should not be the domain of computer science, as it describes a broad skill set involving problem solving that relates to mathematics as well as science. Interesting how computer science has ‘owned’ computational thinking though. #asechat
In reply to
@ViciaScience, @A_Weatherall, @FergusonMr1
As always, seems a shame that its taking a different line from Ofsted that will have bigger consequences, rather than us saying ‘what’s best for the children’ in the first place #asechat
Lets hope that Ofsted has already provided the stimulus for schools to think carefully about their curriculum, and that the schools do not hang around waiting to be told what to do #ASEChat#weareprofessionals
